The Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves in the same position as they were last NBA Finals, heading home down 2-0. The only thing is the Warriors are better than ever, so how do they claw back?
The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the 2017 NBA Finals as drastic underdogs, so it shouldn’t come as a big surprise to see them down 2-0 in the series against the Golden State Warriors.
Regardless, down 2-0 is not an ideal position to be in. But not only has Cleveland lost the first two games of these Finals, but they’ve dropped Games 1 and 2 in dominating fashion.
So, as the Cavs enter Game 3, what are some ways they can make the Finals a bit more competitive and, perhaps, forge a comeback?
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Kyrie Needs To Start Playing Better
Kyrie Irving was the Cleveland Cavaliers second main catalyst last season in the NBA Finals, and he has been utterly atrocious in the rubber series.
After a season of buckets, disgusting handles and insane layups, all of it has seemed to disappear from Uncle Drew this NBA Finals. In the two Finals games thus far, Kyrie is barely cracking 20 points but doing it on an incredibly inefficient 40 percent from the floor.
He also has been struggling to keep possession of the ball having seven combined turnovers in both games. Turnovers wouldn’t be a problem most of the time, but Kyrie also isn’t distributing the ball well either. Uncle Drew is averaging 4.5 assists per game which gives him just about a 1.5:1 assist to turnover ratio.
That isn’t good.
Irving has also been continuously getting baked on the boards and on offense by two-time MVP Steph Curry. Curry had a triple-double in Game 2 and is averaging 30 points per game, but on a very good 46 percent from the floor. That is not a recipe for success for the Cavs or Irving.
The Cavs Must Slow The Game Down
Scoring 120-plus points in a game is not the Cleveland Cavaliers forte. As long as the games are finishing around the current totals, they have not shot at winning the series. Cleveland is not built for this type of pace and quickness, LeBron and crew must slow the tempo down and make sure the game molds around their play style.
Them being at home these next two games should tremendously help in doing so. Cleveland needs to keep the Warriors around the 95-105 point mark in order to have the best shot at winning. The current pace and rate of scoring is way too high for them to compete with.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are in a bad spot, but if anyone can claw back it is LeBron James
The Bench Needs To Be More Productive
Another thing that is easier said than done, but it is a necessity. Deron Williams and Kyle Korver have been horrible, Channing Frye is essentially useless when Draymond Green is in the game, and Iman Shumpert is Iman Shumpert.
If Korver can start hitting some of these open shots, that creates and opens up a whole new dimension for the Cavs to work with. Deron Williams also needs to take advantage of Shaun Livingston and score some buckets. Enough with these isolation possessions and step back jumpers he keeps taking, he needs to play smart and better.
The Team Needs To Rebound
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ rebounding has actually been pathetic, no matter how you look at it. The amount of hustle rebounds they have given up or boards that have been stripped from their hands would make Bill Russell throw up.
LeBron is a culprit as well. They need to be locked in once the ball is in the air and make sure to grab it right off the glass. They can’t let it squirm and rattle around off the backboard which allows Golden State to make their famous hustle plays which turn into big runs and easy shots. Tristan Thompson especially needs to be better on the rebounds, because he has been getting destroyed.
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What Else?
The Cleveland Cavaliers are in a bad spot, but if anyone can claw back it is LeBron James. They have these next two games at home which are a necessity they win, because I doubt Golden State blows a 3-1 lead again, especially with Kevin Durant now on the roster.
Tighten up some kinks on the defense as well as the above, and they should be “alright”. That is all easier said than done though.