Sir Charles in Charge
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Cleveland Cavaliers: Two adjustments that need to be made before Game 2

By Ryan Magdziarz

May 19, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (left), forward Kevin Love (center) and forward LeBron James (right) look on from the bench during the second half against the Boston Celtics in game two of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
May 19, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (left), forward Kevin Love (center) and forward LeBron James (right) look on from the bench during the second half against the Boston Celtics in game two of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 31, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyle Korver (26) during the NBA Finals media day at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
May 31, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyle Korver (26) during the NBA Finals media day at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

J.R.

J.R. Smith had an abysmal night defensively. You saw the one clip above already, but he was unable to guard anyone for the majority of the night. We know that anyone on the Warriors is going to be tough to guard one on one, but if J.R. is going to be that bad on defense, he needs to make up for it by hitting his threes offensively.

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He hit his first three he took, but then did absolutely nothing after. Smith was 1-4 from the field and didn’t record a single stat in any category other than turnovers (2) and fouls (1).

One thing the Cavs have over the Warriors is bench depth. That came with the territory of signing the monster of Game 1 (Kevin Durant) this offseason. They sacrificed bench players for a nightmare of a starting five.

Deron Williams 

The Cavs need to utilize their depth, and that starts with Deron Williams.

Williams looked sluggish all night. In his 18.5 minutes played, he went 0-4 from the field and had two turnovers. This is Deron’s first Finals appearance, and he sure didn’t look like a 12-year veteran out there. I look for him to have a bounce back Game 2 and put up close to his regular season average of 11- 2.3- 5.6.

Kyle Korver and Iman Shumpert 

Korver and Shumpert played 20 and 17 minutes respectively, but didn’t really do what Cleveland needs them to do in order to win game 1. Make open threes. They were a combined 1-6 from behind the three-point line (Shumpert with the make). If Korver is on the court, he is put there to do one thing, and one thing only: Make open threes.

A spot up shooter that can’t hit shots is not a recipe for success. I know that Korver can hit shots, and I think he will in game two which will be one of the biggest differences for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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