{"id":2233,"date":"2016-06-01T21:48:59","date_gmt":"2016-06-02T01:48:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sullyonsports.com\/?p=2233"},"modified":"2019-06-26T16:50:58","modified_gmt":"2019-06-26T20:50:58","slug":"here-we-go-again-nba-finals-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sullyonsports.com\/?p=2233","title":{"rendered":"Here We Go Again: NBA Finals Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure style=\"width: 669px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/img.bleacherreport.net\/img\/images\/photos\/003\/566\/447\/hi-res-a7d0f25d11a808c59b8988aaca440153_crop_north.jpg?w=630&amp;h=420&amp;q=75\" alt=\"Warriors vs. Cavaliers: Score, Highlights and Reaction from 2016 Regular Season\" width=\"669\" height=\"446\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: Tony Dejak\/Associated Press<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After four games of the Conference Finals, the respective fates of the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers were greatly in question.<\/p>\n<p>Both teams experienced unexpected outcomes; the Cavs split the first four games of their series against the Toronto Raptors, including two losses in Canada, while the Warriors fell behind three games to one to the Oklahoma City Thunder. \u00a0Both teams were expected to win their respective conferences; Cleveland, in particular, was expected to sweep the Raptors or defeat them in five games. \u00a0Consequently, it was shocking to see both teams appear so vulnerable for such long periods of time.<\/p>\n<p>Both teams also had notable regular seasons, to say the least. \u00a0The Warriors set the single-season wins record (73), breaking the previous record of 72 set by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. \u00a0The Cavaliers, on the other hand, fired head coach David Blatt on January 22nd and replaced him with Tyronn Lue. \u00a0After Blatt started the season 30-11, Lue finished it 27-14; the combined 57-25 record was good enough for the Cavaliers to earn home-court advantage for the entirety of the Eastern Conference playoffs. \u00a0However, many questions still remained about the team&#8217;s ability to beat the best teams in the West.<\/p>\n<p>And yet, here we are. \u00a0The Cavaliers took Games 5 and 6 in decisive fashion to beat the Raptors and get LeBron James to his sixth straight NBA Finals. \u00a0The Warriors improbably became just the tenth team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 playoff deficit and took down the Thunder in seven hard-fought games.<\/p>\n<p>Both teams overcame obstacles to get to this point. \u00a0Golden State endured a knee injury that forced point guard and 2-time MVP Steph Curry to miss two weeks in early May. \u00a0In spite of this, the Dubs went 3-1 in four full games without him. \u00a0The MVP would come back in Game 4 of the team&#8217;s second-round series against the Trail Blazers. With Golden State up two games to one, Curry came off the bench and dropped 17 points in overtime, an NBA playoff record, to carry the Warriors to a 3-1 series lead and full control over Portland.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JisTDNHPubM\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Curry scored 40 points for the game and announced himself to the rest of the world as fully healthy. \u00a0That did not necessarily apply to his rhythm and comfort level in game action, however.<\/p>\n<p>Curry would struggle to find his mojo in the first four games of the Western Conference Finals. \u00a0In those four games, Steph would shoot just 31-74 (41.9%) from the field and a pedestrian 16-43 (37.2%) from deep. \u00a0He surely did not look like the best player in basketball, and many were curious as to why. \u00a0This report from\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/news\/draymond-green-on-warriors--fall-from-73-wins-to-3-1-hole---it-s-stunning-072224030.html?soc_src=mail&amp;soc_trk=ma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Vertical<\/a>\u00a0shed some light on the situation, stating that Curry was not fully healed:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Curry has been a shell of himself \u2013 missing shots, throwing away passes, losing his dribble and completely unable to prove that there&#8217;s Curry-esque agility in that knee. &#8220;He&#8217;s playing at 70 percent, at best,&#8221; a source close to Curry told The Vertical. Curry refuses to make excuses, but privately the Thunder see something \u2013 no explosion, no ability to make the bigs switching onto him pay a price. Nineteen points on 20 shots Tuesday night bore no resemblance to the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>While it was nice to have a potential reason for Curry&#8217;s struggles, the Warriors needed to win the next three games to make it back to the NBA Finals. \u00a0Without having Curry&#8217;s usual production, this goal looked almost unattainable. \u00a0And then Klay Thompson happened.<\/p>\n<p>Thompson, the other half of the Splash Brothers duo, has been the Warriors&#8217; best player in the postseason. \u00a0He&#8217;s shot 45% from three-point range, averaged over 26 points per game, and carried the team at various times coinciding with Curry&#8217;s struggles and injuries. \u00a0After a narrow victory in Game 5 and the continuation of Curry&#8217;s woes to start Game 6, he would need to put the Warriors on his back once more to extend their season.<\/p>\n<p>And Thompson would answer the call in grand fashion. \u00a0His 11 three-pointers set a new playoff record and propelled the Warriors to a 108-101 victory to force a Game 7.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GxrzNbMq5gk\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The exhibition was one of the most memorable single-game playoff performances in recent memory. \u00a0It was almost as if Thompson wasn&#8217;t even looking at the rim on some of his deep shots, and yet it didn&#8217;t seem to matter. \u00a0He carried the Dubs to Game 7 all on his own, and the rest of the team would take it from there. \u00a0Curry erupted for 36 points in the clincher, Thompson added another 21, and the Warriors defeated the Thunder 96-88 to advance to their second straight NBA Finals.<\/p>\n<p>The Cavaliers&#8217; playoff journey has not been nearly as arduous. \u00a0 Nonetheless, it has been just as impressive as their West counterparts. Cleveland started the playoffs with a sweep of the Detroit Pistons, a series that featured three close games and this Kyrie Irving dagger to finish off Game 3:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-version=\"7\">\n<div style=\"padding: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 28.125% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;\"><\/div>\n<p style=\"margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;\"><a style=\"color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BEhm270DBs0\/\">Kyrie, ?<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\">A video posted by Bleacher Report (@bleacherreport) on <time style=\"font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;\" datetime=\"2016-04-23T01:56:18+00:00\">Apr 22, 2016 at 6:56pm PDT<\/time><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Cavs followed up their first-round performance with an equally impressive second-round sweep of the Atlanta Hawks. \u00a0Wins in the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals pushed Cleveland to a 10-0 start to the playoffs. \u00a0The team missed its chance to tie the 1989 Los Angeles Lakers for the best start in playoff history (11-0) with a loss in Game 3, but starting the playoffs on a historic tear\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/nba\/2016\/05\/18\/cavs-9-0-in-these-playoffs-and-joining-rarefied-nba-air\/84529294\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">doesn&#8217;t usually guarantee a title<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Although the Cavs&#8217; series with the Raptors went to six games, it wasn&#8217;t especially close. \u00a0Cleveland outscored Toronto by an average of 15.5 points per game; for context, the 2014 San Antonio Spurs outscored the Heat by 14 points per game in that year&#8217;s Finals, and that series only went five games. \u00a0Even though the series was tied heading into Game 5, the Raptors never really stood a chance. \u00a0Their fans were pretty darn awesome, though:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/vine.co\/v\/i9VX3IbLOnZ\/embed\/simple\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>With the Game 6 win, LeBron James advanced to his sixth straight Finals and became only the eighth player to achieve this feat. \u00a0Here are the other seven:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Bill Russell<\/li>\n<li>Sam Jones<\/li>\n<li>K.C. Jones<\/li>\n<li>Satch Sanders<\/li>\n<li>Tommy Heinsohn<\/li>\n<li>Frank Ramsey<\/li>\n<li>Bob Cousy<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>If you didn&#8217;t latch on right away, all seven players were on the Boston Celtics&#8217; 1950s-60s teams that went to ten straight NBA Finals from 1957 to 1966. \u00a0The fact that James has joined their company with more parity in the league and with two different organizations is nothing short of remarkable.<\/p>\n<p>With all of this being said, the 2016 NBA Finals should be a compelling series. \u00a0Oh, and did I mention it&#8217;s a rematch of last year&#8217;s Finals? \u00a0This, as well as the individual players and collective talent on both teams, should make this year&#8217;s Finals very competitive and entertaining. \u00a0Let&#8217;s preview the series with a couple of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=t2V0iNzIgjI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">major keys<\/a> to the outcome of the series.<\/p>\n<h3>Pick-and-Roll<\/h3>\n<p>Some would argue that last year&#8217;s NBA Finals turned in the 4th quarter of Game 3. \u00a0In that 4th quarter, the Warriors discovered David Lee, his passing, and the efficiency of the high pick-and-roll. \u00a0In 13 minutes, the cast-off former double-double machine was +17 and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the field.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/M5NHp9arbDM\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Lee is gone now, but the pick-and-roll game of the Warriors remains. Whether Curry, Thompson, or Shaun Livingston is the primary ball-handler, roll men Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Andrew Bogut, and Festus Ezeli will present unique challenges for the Cavaliers. Bogut is one of the best-passing big men in the game and is almost always looking to pass when he rolls to the rim. Ezeli can finish with authority inside\u00a0while Iguodala and Green can drive to the rim, take a jump shot, or make an extra pass to the Warriors&#8217; dangerous shooters.<\/p>\n<p>But there&#8217;s another reason why the pick-and-roll will be such a huge key for the Cavaliers, and it lies in the players who will be defending it. \u00a0As Zach Lowe of ESPN <a href=\"http:\/\/espn.go.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/15700317\/toronto-exposed-cavaliers-weakest-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">writes<\/a>, the two-man combination of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love is not exactly adept at pick-and-roll defense:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>But Irving and Love have been the central players in Cleveland&#8217;s worst breakdowns. Opponents in the playoffs have scored 1.09 points per chance when they involve those two as the primary pick-and-roll defenders in a play that leads directly to a shot attempt, drawn foul or turnover, per SportVU data provided to ESPN.com. That would have ranked last by a mile among 119 two-man combos that defended at least 250 pick-and-rolls in the regular season, per that SportVU data set.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Toronto was able to exploit this weakness with the two-man pick-and-roll combo of Kyle Lowry and Bismack Biyombo. \u00a0With the Warriors&#8217; offensive firepower, they could rely on pick-and-roll action to stifle the Cavs&#8217; defense. \u00a0Look out for this early on in Game 1 as a harbinger of how the game, and, for that matter, the series, will go.<\/p>\n<h3>LeBron&#8217;s Jumper, His Fatigue, and How They&#8217;re (Kind of) Related<\/h3>\n<p>It&#8217;s no secret that LeBron James&#8217; jump shot is not quite as effective as it was in years past. \u00a0Statistics back this up: his three-point percentage this season was the lowest since his rookie year (30.9%) and his deep shooting has regressed every year since winning his last MVP in 2012-13. \u00a0Accordingly, Bron has adjusted: his average distance on field goal attempts is at a career low (9.6 feet) and he&#8217;s taking the most attempts from inside three feet in his NBA career (45.9%).<\/p>\n<p>Part of this adjustment can be attributed to James&#8217; realization that he must get better shots. \u00a0However, one can also credit the King&#8217;s improved shot selection with Tyronn Lue&#8217;s offense, one in which the ball moves as frequently as the players. \u00a0LeBron just isn&#8217;t asked to do as much in Lue&#8217;s system, and that&#8217;s a good thing: his Usage Rate in these playoffs is down significantly from last year&#8217;s. \u00a0Of course, last year&#8217;s Cavs were decimated by injuries, but a fresher LeBron means a better LeBron.<\/p>\n<p>And a better LeBron means a better Cavalier team, certainly better than the one that lost to the Warriors in six games a year ago.<\/p>\n<h3>Pace&#8230;. And Space<\/h3>\n<p>The Cavaliers have possessed the most efficient offense in these playoffs, averaging over 119 points per 100 possessions. \u00a0Cleveland only averages 89.7 possessions per game, which is relatively low, especially compared to their Bay Area counterparts. \u00a0The Warriors average nearly 100 possessions per game and feast off the opponent&#8217;s misses and turnovers for fast break opportunities and easy baskets.<\/p>\n<p>Aside from the pick-and-roll defense of the Cavs, this will probably be the biggest indicator of the outcome of this series. \u00a0If the Cavaliers&#8217; offense is allowed to set up in the half court and run its sets, Cleveland will be in very good shape, especially considering how their offense has fared these playoffs. \u00a0However, if the game is played at a more up-and-down tempo, the Dubs should fare well.<\/p>\n<p>While Tyronn Lue has sped up the Cavs&#8217; offense since taking over as head coach, the team still needs to execute. \u00a0If they can execute, they could feast on a Warrior defense that has been susceptible to slumps this postseason. \u00a0Another reason why the Cavaliers&#8217; offense has been so lethal is because of new additions. \u00a0Aside from getting Love and Irving back healthy, the team has added Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye via free agency and trade, respectively. \u00a0Frye is shooting 26-45 (57.8%) from deep this postseason while Jefferson has provided valuable minutes off the bench.<\/p>\n<p>Needless to say, LeBron James won&#8217;t have to do it by himself this time around. \u00a0He has some very dangerous weapons beside him now.<\/p>\n<h3>The Prediction<\/h3>\n<p>I really struggled with this one. \u00a0There are good arguments for both teams winning the Larry O&#8217;Brien trophy, and either way, it should be an enjoyable, competitive, and (hopefully) long series. \u00a0There are so many interesting storylines to this year&#8217;s Finals (Cavs vs. Warriors rematch, Steph vs. LeBron, etc.) and I think I&#8217;m speaking for everyone in saying that I hope it lives up to the hype.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, I have to make a pick. \u00a0I&#8217;m taking the Golden State Warriors to win their second straight title. \u00a0I have the series going the distance, and I really think it could be one of the best NBA Finals series ever.<\/p>\n<p>But here&#8217;s to hoping injuries don&#8217;t determine the outcome like they did last year.<\/p>\n<p><em>**All Statistics courtesy of<a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> BasketballReference<\/a>\u00a0unless otherwise noted<\/em><\/p>\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/platform.vine.co\/static\/scripts\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><script>\/\/ <![CDATA[\n  (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){\n  (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),\n  m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)\n  })(window,document,'script','https:\/\/www.google-analytics.com\/analytics.js','ga');\n\n  ga('create', 'UA-62461709-1', 'auto');\n  ga('send', 'pageview');\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After four games of the Conference Finals, the respective fates of the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers were greatly in question. Both teams experienced unexpected outcomes; the Cavs split the first four games of their series against the Toronto Raptors, including two losses in Canada, while the Warriors fell behind three games to one &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sullyonsports.com\/?p=2233\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Here We Go Again: NBA Finals Preview&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[679,4],"tags":[262,260,74,264,261,75,259,55,263,62,53,70,265],"class_list":["post-2233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog-posts","category-nba","tag-andre-iguodala","tag-andrew-bogut","tag-cleveland-cavaliers","tag-david-blatt","tag-festus-ezeli","tag-golden-state-warriors","tag-klay-thompson","tag-lebron-james","tag-nba-finals","tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","tag-stephen-curry","tag-toronto-raptors","tag-tyronn-lue"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sullyonsports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sullyonsports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sullyonsports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sullyonsports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sullyonsports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2233"}],"version-history":[{"count":52,"href":"https:\/\/sullyonsports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3998,"href":"https:\/\/sullyonsports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2233\/revisions\/3998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sullyonsports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sullyonsports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sullyonsports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}