How the Cavaliers can come back against the Warriors

Unless you’re a Golden State Warriors fans, you’ve been disappointed with the results of Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals. Probably not so much because the Warriors have won both games, but because both contests really haven’t been all that competitive.

Even without Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson playing their best, the Warriors have defeated the Cavs by an average of 24 points per game thus far. For a series that was expected to go the distance, this doesn’t bode well for the Cavs. Oh, and to make matters worse for Cleveland, star power forward Kevin Love has a concussion and might miss Game 3.

As bleak as it might look for the Cavs, they play the games for a reason. A LeBron James-led comeback certainly looks improbable, but it’s not impossible. So with that said, here is the blueprint for the Cavaliers to make this NBA Finals a competitive series once again.

1) Go small

It might sound counterintuitive, but going small from the get-go would be a wise move for Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue to make. Yes, the Warriors can do exactly the same, and often do it better, but for the Cavs, a frontcourt that starts both Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson doesn’t have the length or speed to keep up with the Warriors' up-tempo scheme.

Instead, moving Love to the bench (or if he misses Game 3 due to injury), sliding LeBron over to the four spot, and inserting another guard like Matthew Dellavedova or Iman Shumpert into lineup would potentially help them in several ways.

To start, it would give them more speed along the perimeter, allowing their defense to successfully switch more often and be less susceptible to dribble penetration and that deadly Warriors' three-point shot. Secondly, on offense, it would give James and Kyrie Irving more space to operate.

In addition to having another spot-up shooter for the Golden State defense to account for, more opportunities on offense should naturally arise for Kyrie Irving to take advantage of. And if the Cavs are going to make this a series, Irving has to play like the All-Star he is.

2) Will J.R. Smith please stand up?

Remember in the earlier rounds of the NBA playoffs when J.R. Smith was making just about every three-point shot he attempted? Smith was making on average 3.5 three-pointers a night in the playoffs prior the NBA Finals. Through two Finals games, he has made just two shots from downtown.

This simply will not cut it. If the Cavs are going to get back into this series, they MUST get more production on offense from J.R. Smith.

3) Stop attacking Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala on offense

Granted, this is borderline wishful thinking, but the Cavs would be wise not to attack Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala in one-one-one isolation plays. Both players are all-world defenders who consistently force the opposition into shooting low percentage midrange shots. And through the first two games of the NBA Finals, the Cavs have taken no shortage of contested midrange shots.

The Cavs would be better served getting some ball movement going and trying to expose some of the Warriors' more vulnerable defenders like Harrison Barnes and Stephen Curry. Unfortunately for Cleveland fans, Barnes are Curry are both much better defenders than most realize. If this is a case of “pick your poison,” at this point in time the Cavs should realize that Thompson and Iguodala (and we haven’t even mentioned Draymond Green yet) are venom on defense.

Stay away.

4) Release the Delly!

Although it might not feel like it, the Warriors and Cavs did in fact play each in the 2015 NBA Finals, and it was a much more competitive series. One major difference between this year’s Finals and the previous year’s is that then Cavs coach David Blatt had guard Matthew Dellavedova do everything he could to make Stephen Curry’s life on the court a living hell.

Albeit, it only worked for a couple of games, but this is desperation time for the Cavs. Coach Lue needs to release Delly and see if his physical and irritating play can change the tone of the series.

5) Bench play
 
This next topic is fairly self-explanatory. The Golden State bench has averaged 42.5 points per game through the first two contests of the Finals. The Cavs' bench has averaged 20 points a night. This 22.5-points-per-game chasm between the Cavs' and Dubs' benches must decrease in order for Cleveland to win a few games. If it doesn't, chances are the Cavs will be swept.

6) Communicate in transition

Through the first two games of the series, the Cavs were having a tremendous amount of trouble matching up with Warriors in transition, especially if the Warriors switched off on anyone the previous possession. This resulted in both easy baskets at the rim and open threes for the Dubs. Those two things resulted in blowouts. Coach Lue must pound into his players' heads in practice that they MUST COMMUNICATE IN TRANSITION ALWAYS. Every single time, without exception.

If they don’t, this series will be over quickly. However, if the Cavs are able to successfully communicate with each other in transition every time down the floor and are able to implement the other strategies outlined above, they just might have a chance of turning this series around.

7) Momentum

Finally, although the Warriors have been thoroughly dominant thus far, it is worth noting that Golden State has lost all three Game 3s it has played this postseason. Basketball is a game of momentum, so if the Dubs come out flat in Game 3, as they have done every single time this postseason, the Cavs will have an opportunity to steal some mojo away from the defending champions.

Granted, it's still a long shot, but if Cleveland can win both Games 3 and 4 at home, this NBA Finals will once again be a competitive series. Again, that's a big "if." But crazier things have happened, including in this NBA postseason alone.