And then there were two, the Cavs and Warriors

[RF2044]

Pretty amazing stat
NBA.com/Stats ‏@nbastats 20h20 hours ago
.@cavs are shooting 49.3% off passes from LeBron. Those same teammates have shot 30% on all other shots #NBAFinals

I may go down with the Warriors, but I think whoever wins tonight wins the series.

Agreed. If the Cavs win, the series is essentially over.

If GS wins, then the 2-2 split is pretty much what you'd expect [despite the dramatics] after the first four home-and-away games, the Warriors will have recaptured home court advantage, and could win out just by holding serve at home. The important thing from GS's perspective is to get a road win--which they have to do to win the series, after losing at game 2 at home. If they win tonight, they're in great shape. If the Cavs win tonight, then they're in great shape.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Agreed. If the Cavs win, the series is essentially over.

If GS wins, then the 2-2 split is pretty much what you'd expect [despite the dramatics] after four games, the Warriors will have recaptured home court advantage, and could win out just by holding serve at home. The important thing from GS's perspective is to get a road win--which they have to do to win the series, after losing at game 2 at home. If they win tonight, they're in great shape. If the Cavs win tonight, then they're in great shape.

I expect a game 7 type effort from the Warriors tonight.

 

[RF2044]

I expect a game 7 type effort from the Warriors tonight.

My opinion only, but it all comes down to whether GS can solve Cleveland's defense--which has made them struggle to score. They got into a groove for the first time in the series in the fourth quarter of game 3. Did they figure something out? If that carries over, and they aren't playing from behind all game, hitting some shots will put a lot of pressure on Cleveland tonight. I have a feeling that GS cruises tonight.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

My opinion only, but it all comes down to whether GS can solve Cleveland's defense--which has made them struggle to score. They got into a groove for the first time in the series in the fourth quarter of game 3. Did they figure something out? If that carries over, and they aren't playing from behind all game, hitting some shots will put a lot of pressure on Cleveland tonight. I have a feeling that GS cruises tonight.

If lee doesn't get any run until the 4th quarter again tonight, I say Kerr should be fired immediately after the game.

Do you go with Iggy to start on LeBron tonight to prevent a quick run to start the game? Only drawback with that is they will try to get him in foul trouble early. But having Barnes' ole defense isn't a better option.

 

[cuseattle]

If lee doesn't get any run until the 4th quarter again tonight, I say Kerr should be fired immediately after the game.

Do you go with Iggy to start on LeBron tonight to prevent a quick run to start the game? Only drawback with that is they will try to get him in foul trouble early. But having Barnes' ole defense isn't a better option.

If Kerr had taken the Knicks job, he wouldn't have all these expectations about winning!

 

[Cusefan0307]

If lee doesn't get any run until the 4th quarter again tonight, I say Kerr should be fired immediately after the game.

Do you go with Iggy to start on LeBron tonight to prevent a quick run to start the game? Only drawback with that is they will try to get him in foul trouble early. But having Barnes' ole defense isn't a better option.

Lee is going to play. Barnes will start. Kerr already said as much. I think you will see a ton of Curry, Thompson, Iggy, Lee and Green.

 

[Knicks411]

I thought the Warriors were gonna roll, so what do I know. But all 3 games have basically been toss-ups, pretty much going right down to the wire. I still think the Warriors are better, so if they win, they have 2 of the final 3 at home with the series split. I think t hey can finish that out. By the same token if the Cavs win I'd expect them to be able to win 1 of the final 3, so I really do think whoever wins tonight takes it.

I don't know if Lee is going to start but he's probably going to get 15-20 minutes. Offense definitely ran better with him on the court. Green is killing them right now because he won't take the open 3's he's given after they run a pick and roll.

 

[RF2044]

If lee doesn't get any run until the 4th quarter again tonight, I say Kerr should be fired immediately after the game.

Do you go with Iggy to start on LeBron tonight to prevent a quick run to start the game? Only drawback with that is they will try to get him in foul trouble early. But having Barnes' ole defense isn't a better option.

I don't think you do anything different if you're GS. You don't win 67 games by accident, and it wouldn't make sense to try to reinvent things now. Just hit some shots, and everything will fall into place.

Lebron's going to get his no matter what you do, so stick to the game plan. The key to tonight's game [and the rest of the series, IMO] is whether or not the Warriors are able to get rolling offensively. If they do, then that coupled with the Cavs tired legs [they've expended a LOT of energy] could start to factor in.

 

[Knicks411]

I don't think you do anything different if you're GS. You don't win 67 games by accident, and it wouldn't make sense to try to reinvent things now. Just hit some shots, and everything will fall into place.

Lebron's going to get his no matter what you do, so stick to the game plan. The key to tonight's game [and the rest of the series, IMO] is whether or not the Warriors are able to get rolling offensively. If they do, then that coupled with the Cavs tired legs could start to factor in.

I think defensively the Warriors have to stick to the game plan; the Cavs are scoring at a really low rate. And at some point you need to bank on Lebron getting tired. (I think he's human)

Offensively, I think Lee is the adjustment. I saw a stat they are gettign just as many, if not more, wide open shots than they were in the regular season, they just aren't making them. I think some Lee/Curry pick and rolls will continue to be effective. And maybe he can do a better job keeping Thompson off the offensive glass than Green

 

[Knicks411]

Kevin Pelton
Only Lee among Golden State's big men can force Cleveland to respect him as both an in-between scorer and a passer, making him the best option to run pick-and-rolls with Curry. And that's pretty much what the Warriors started doing every trip downcourt. Of their 16 half-court possessions in the fourth quarter with Lee in the game, he set some kind of on-ball pick for Curry on 13 of them, which yielded a pair of field goals, two free throws and two assists for Lee, four Curry field goals (three of them 3-pointers) and a total of 22 points -- good for a 169.2 offensive rating.

 

[MikeSU02]

I think defensively the Warriors have to stick to the game plan; the Cavs are scoring at a really low rate. And at some point you need to bank on Lebron getting tired. (I think he's human)

Offensively, I think Lee is the adjustment. I saw a stat they are gettign just as many, if not more, wide open shots than they were in the regular season, they just aren't making them. I think some Lee/Curry pick and rolls will continue to be effective. And maybe he can do a better job keeping Thompson off the offensive glass than Green

I think Barnes' hook will be very, very fast if he can't stop LeBron early. You can't keep going down early and fighting back after the first six minutes after each game.

Lee will play more, but remember he had five fouls in minimal time. But the PnR with him is so much better than it with Dray at this time that you have to play him early.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

I don't think you do anything different if you're GS. You don't win 67 games by accident, and it wouldn't make sense to try to reinvent things now. Just hit some shots, and everything will fall into place.

Lebron's going to get his no matter what you do, so stick to the game plan. The key to tonight's game [and the rest of the series, IMO] is whether or not the Warriors are able to get rolling offensively. If they do, then that coupled with the Cavs tired legs [they've expended a LOT of energy] could start to factor in.

Well, Barnes hasn't done anything offensively in this series either. But your point is well made.

 

[Fireball Jr.]

I thought the Warriors were gonna roll, so what do I know. But all 3 games have basically been toss-ups, pretty much going right down to the wire. I still think the Warriors are better, so if they win, they have 2 of the final 3 at home with the series split. I think t hey can finish that out. By the same token if the Cavs win I'd expect them to be able to win 1 of the final 3, so I really do think whoever wins tonight takes it.

I don't know if Lee is going to start but he's probably going to get 15-20 minutes. Offense definitely ran better with him on the court. Green is killing them right now because he won't take the open 3's he's given after they run a pick and roll.

Interested to see what adjustments the Warriors make -- will they double LeBron, how much will they play Lee, etc.? -- and what the Cavs do to correct whatever it was that allowed Curry to find his stroke in the fourth quarter. Oddsmakers like GS, they're a 2-, 2 1/2-point favorite, and I'm sure the Warriors are going to come out more aggressively and attack as if it were Game 7. Thing is, LeBron knows that, Blatt knows that, Lue knows that, and down the line. I'd imagine the Cavs have a plan, too, and won't be caught off-guard. Outplayed, perhaps, but not surprised.

The joint'll be nuts tonight, I think that has to help the Cavs some, and I just sense this young man, like Jake and Elwood, may be on a mission from God.

 

[Knicks411]

I think Lee was also pulled because he was tired; he's barely played the last few months.

Agree Barnes has a very short hook. He probably needs to make his first jumper

 

[RF2044]

Well, Barnes hasn't done anything offensively in this series either. But your point is well made.

True. Green and Barnes were cogs in the Houston series as complimentary scorers. Neither one has done much in the finals.

 

[cuseattle]

Interested to see what adjustments the Warriors make -- will they double LeBron, how much will they play Lee, etc.? -- and what the Cavs do to correct whatever it was that allowed Curry to find his stroke in the fourth quarter. Oddsmakers like GS, they're a 2-, 2 1/2-point favorite, and I'm sure the Warriors are going to come out more aggressively and attack as if it were Game 7. Thing is, LeBron knows that, Blatt knows that, Lue knows that, and down the line. I'd imagine the Cavs have a plan, too, and won't be caught off-guard. Outplayed, perhaps, but not surprised.

The joint'll be nuts tonight, I think that has to help the Cavs some, and I just sense this young man, like Jake and Elwood, may be on a mission from God.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. If I was Steve Kerr, I would do some sort of box and one. Make someone else beat you.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

True. Green and Barnes were cogs in the Houston series as complimentary scorers. Neither one has done much in the finals.

Mosgov has done a great job of jumping straight up to contest Green's drives to the hoop.

 

[RF2044]

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. If I was Steve Kerr, I would do some sort of box and one. Make someone else beat you.

This probably seems like a gross oversimplification, but I think it all comes down to whether GS can make some shots--shots that they've made all season long. If they do, they'll win game 4.

I don't think they can stop Lebron, so I don't see them altering their strategy. It really is all about the offense for them. Cleveland--even with Lebron's production--is laboring to score [yes, I know they had the big 3rd quarter last game when ever bounce seemed to go their way]. Problem is, GS is laboring worse to score. If they get on track offensively, they'll cruise tonight.

 

[MikeSU02]

 

[Knicks411]

Mosgov has done a great job of jumping straight up to contest Green's drives to the hoop.

And when he has brought his hands down, Mark Jackson has done a great job of using the word "verticality".

Golden State's defense is not a problem. Cleveland can barely score. They are just doing an incredible job on defense, combined with the Warriors missing some shots they normally make.

 

[General20]

I don't think you do anything different if you're GS. You don't win 67 games by accident, and it wouldn't make sense to try to reinvent things now. Just hit some shots, and everything will fall into place.

Lebron's going to get his no matter what you do, so stick to the game plan. The key to tonight's game [and the rest of the series, IMO] is whether or not the Warriors are able to get rolling offensively. If they do, then that coupled with the Cavs tired legs [they've expended a LOT of energy] could start to factor in.

I agree with you. I don't think Golden State needs to change much, they are the better team even though they have not played better yet.

I also don't think Lee is the savoir people are making him out to be. He is a better option than Green only because Green is hurt. A healthy Green is a much better option than Lee (not quite as good offensively, but more versatile and far far better defensively). I actually think Cleveland will adjust to Lee's presence in the lineup and guard him better as well as attack him more when he is playing D.

My guess is Lee plays 20 minutes or so because Green is hurt, scores more than Green would, but gives up more points defensively than Green would. Basically having little overall impact on the game. If Golden State is going to win its going to be because both Curry and Thompson are hot, there really is no way to guard them when that happens. Barnes making a shot or two wouldn't hurt either.

Its so rare when you don't know who is going to win an NBA series. I would have bet big on Golden State going into this series, but now I'm not so sure, and I love that there is drama. Tonight is going to be unbelievable. I'm already counting down the minutes.

 

[NineOneSeven]

I agree with you. I don't think Golden State needs to change much, they are the better team even though they have not played better yet.

I also don't think Lee is the savoir people are making him out to be. He is a better option than Green only because Green is hurt. A healthy Green is a much better option than Lee (not quite as good offensively, but more versatile and far far better defensively). I actually think Cleveland will adjust to Lee's presence in the lineup and guard him better as well as attack him more when he is playing D.

My guess is Lee plays 20 minutes or so because Green is hurt, scores more than Green would, but gives up more points defensively than Green would. Basically having little overall impact on the game. If Golden State is going to win its going to be because both Curry and Thompson are hot, there really is no way to guard them when that happens. Barnes making a shot or two wouldn't hurt either.

Its so rare when you don't know who is going to win an NBA series. I would have bet big on Golden State going into this series, but now I'm not so sure, and I love that there is drama. Tonight is going to be unbelievable. I'm already counting down the minutes.

I've always liked the Warriors ever since baron davis et al had that huge upset in the playoffs years back.

Thus, I am rooting for GSW. I do live in akron, so yes, many cavs fans around.

 

[skurey]

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I don't think it's a coincidence the Warriors have made big runs late in games. The Cavs are tired. They've done a masterful job of nursing leads.

I think if the Warriors get any kind of scoring advantage, the Cavs don't have enough on offense to make it up. They just haven't been able to play with any breathing room yet.

 

[Fireball Jr.]

Bettors are high on the Warriors, they've gone today from a 2-point to 4-point favorite.