Keys to Beating Golden State
1.) Size Advantage
Golden State is a team that likes to play with a smaller lineup. The Cavs saw a lot of their success during the NBA Finals early on in the series when they used their size to their advantage with guys like Mozgov and Thompson. They were able to win the boards and create mismatches inside creating easy points on offense and altering the Warriors shots on defense. The Cavs began to struggle when they went smaller and tried playing with Golden State. If the Cavs want to win, they need to slow the pace down and let Mozgov, Thompson, and Love use their size to get rebounds and points in the paint.
2.) Don’t Let Emotions Cause Stupid Mistakes
This is going to be a personal game for the Cavs whether some of the players will admit it or not. Losing in the Finals is a hard pill to swallow, and the team they have now is much better than what they had in the Finals when they took Golden State for a better ride than most had imagined. Golden State meanwhile has gotten off to one of the hottest starts in NBA history. The Cavs need to make sure the emotions don’t get the best of them in the most anticipated game of the NBA regular season. Against the Knicks, the Cavs had nine personal fouls and two technical fouls in the second quarter. Sloppy mistakes like that won’t get them far against better teams such as the Warriors. This would also include turnovers. The Warriors thrive on turnovers leading to quick transitions that set up the multitude of sharpshooters on the roster. If the Cavs can avoid turning the ball over and having to play transition defense then they can stand a chance.
3.) No Curry on the Menu
Steph Curry is the best player in the NBA right now. He is so dangerous with or without the ball. The Cavs need to do everything they can to keep the ball out of his hands on every possession. Shumpert will likely get an increase in minutes as he works his way back from various injuries because he is the best one on one defender the Cavaliers have. He played a huge role down the stretch against the Knicks and Blatt will rely on him to do the same to the Warriors. With Curry’s lightning fast release and deadly accuracy, even the slightest separation can allow for easy buckets for him. Anything the Cavs can do to avoid him having any kind of role in this game will be insurmountable as obvious as this key is.
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