NBA Finals 2015: Cavs vs Warriors

Need to get in Curry's head. I BELIEVE.

brownsbuck6 said:

Something I noticed about the finals schedule, and I have no idea if it means anything.. just an observation. But all games in Oakland are on 2 days rest, with two of them being weekend games. All three games in Cleveland are on 1 day rest, nothing on the weekend - which sucks for out of towners that want to try to be in Cleveland for any/all of these games. The rest part doesn't really matter, but I do feel as though each team should have gotten at least one weekend game. Minor gripe.

I feel like this will be Cavs in 6. Winning game 1 will set the tone for the series, Steph goes off in game 2, we defend home court from there. Let's do this thing.

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NBA scheduling is so asinine. I have no idea how it works. It just seems completely random.

There was something earlier in the playoffs... it was like (iirc), Cleveland played Sunday night, then Tuesday night... meanwhile, Golden State played Saturday night, and the next game in the series wasn't until Thursday night. What!?

brownsbuck6 said:

Something I noticed about the finals schedule, and I have no idea if it means anything.. just an observation. But all games in Oakland are on 2 days rest, with two of them being weekend games. All three games in Cleveland are on 1 day rest, nothing on the weekend - which sucks for out of towners that want to try to be in Cleveland for any/all of these games. The rest part doesn't really matter, but I do feel as though each team should have gotten at least one weekend game. Minor gripe.

I feel like this will be Cavs in 6. Winning game 1 will set the tone for the series, Steph goes off in game 2, we defend home court from there. Let's do this thing.

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I totally agree.

I think it is INSANE that the Warriors get two Sunday games AND a Friday game.

I really don't understand why they don't start the Finals on a Saturday or Sunday. That would slot game 1 on a weekend and then game 4 on a weekend, giving both fan bases an equal opportunity to travel.

The Cavs getting two Tuesdays and a Thursday game is stupid.

Silver lining........game 6 is a Tuesday. It is tee'd up to hear this all night in Cleveland.....

I'mWithDan said:

I've always felt that the curse, when it is broken, will be completely and utterly overwhelmed. This city has 50 years of pent up frustration and once this team gets the snow ball rolling down the hill, there is no stopping it. I think the fans have hit a point where they are just going to will the team to a title. That's how I felt being at game 3. The fans just were different. Atlanta hit big shot after big shot and the fans just were unrelenting, refusing to let the team give up. I've been at several Cleveland playoff games where the air is just sucked out of the building every time ANYTHING goes wrong. In game 3, it seemed as though everyone just said "Fuck this, we are winning this game!!!!!!" and the players felt it.

For the first time in maybe forever, I just believe in a Cleveland team. I believe in their toughness, their grit and I believe LeBron just won't be denied this time. I could be wrong but something tells me I won't be. I don't know what it is and that's kind of scary given past heartbreaks....but something with THIS team just feels different. When LeBron hit that game winner against Chicago, something clicked in everyone. Our defense got better our offense got better and there seemed to just be a singular focus 1 through 15 like I have not seen in a Cleveland team. Maybe it was the first moment where they realized nothing could stop them? Guess we'll see.

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This team has something that no Cleveland contender has had in the last 50 years: more than one guy who can make plays in crunch-time. More than one guy who wants the spotlight.

All of those previous attempts failed, because someone choked when it mattered most... 1980-81 Browns... 1986-87 Browns... 1987-88 Browns... 1995 Indians... 1997 Indians... 2006-07 Cavs... 2007 Indians... 2008-09 Cavs... 2009-10 Cavs...

This team wants it, and this team knows how to win. Our years of servitude in the desert may soon be over...

Winning this series will come down to how we choose to defend Curry and Thompson. Cut the head of the snake and let the "other guys" beat you.

While I love Delly, I fear Curry could have his way with him. He's both taller and quicker then Teague and he is a deadly shooter. We will not be able to sag off of Curry on the perimeter, like we did Teague. I think Shumpert is best suited to guard Curry due to his quickness and length but we must continue to throw different looks at Curry, throughout the entire series to keep him off-balance. Avoiding ticky-tack reach in fouls will be tantamount to our success on the defensive end. I feel both Delly and Smith are capable of guarding Thompson.

You can hide Irving on Barnes. If GS wants to expose that mismatch by having Barnes take KI to the post, with the way our bigs have been rotating, they can go right ahead and attempt to exploit that mismatch. our size down low should play a pivotal role in this series, just as it did in the Hawks series (as evidenced by our offensive rebounding success)

Frankly, i expect a heavy dose of Andre Iguodola this series. He is the only player capable of guarding LBJ on the entire Warriors team (I see, you Draymond Green. I see you and I worry little)

I want to be bold and say Cavs in six. I believe Curry is the type of player that can single-handedly will a team to a win. Fortunately, we know we have that type of player and he's well versed in orchestrating MVP-level Finals performances.

mAo_mAo said:

I would pressure Steph all game and let Green/Barnes/Bogut to beat me. Complete opposite gameplan against Teague. I think curry will have trouble passing out of double teams especially when it is Bron and Shump/Jr clobbering.

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This.

1000x this....

The Warriors depend on Curry. If you double team and trap him, keep a man on him at all times, while simultaneously keeping someone on Klay (JR Smith), this allows you to force their role players to score.

Delly, Shump, and Lebron have been bottling guards up on the perimeter and then TT and Mozgov have been challenging inside. I have no worries. My mind and body are ready.

Kbiz8288 said:

Winning this series will come down to how we choose to defend Curry and Thompson. Cut the head of the snake and let the "other guys" beat you.

While I love Delly, I fear Curry could have his way with him. He's both taller and quicker then Teague and he is a deadly shooter. We will not be able to sag off of Curry on the perimeter, like we did Teague. I think Shumpert is best suited to guard Curry due to his quickness and length but we must continue to throw different looks at Curry, throughout the entire series to keep him off-balance. Avoiding ticky-tack reach in fouls will be tantamount to our success on the defensive end. I feel both Delly and Smith are capable of guarding Thompson.

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Shump's going to have to guard Curry through most of the games. LeBron will step in on him too sometimes, especially in close games at the end of 4th quarters. I'd have Delly run around on Thompson and get in his grill. Force him to take threes with a guy right on top of him. If he makes them, he makes them. If he drives around Delly, then he's either got to pass off or take the much less efficient 15 foot jump shot. If they beat you doing things they're not quite accustomed to, then you have to tip your hat to them.

mAo_mAo said:

I would pressure Steph all game and let Green/Barnes/Bogut to beat me. Complete opposite gameplan against Teague. I think curry will have trouble passing out of double teams especially when it is Bron and Shump/Jr clobbering.

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While I agree, it's easier said than done. I can guarantee you most teams gameplan around Curry like this. I can also basically guarantee Houston went in with this mindset, as well.

Problem is, Curry still beats you with his release rarely allowing for double teams to set in.

We need to front load the perimeter and make him drive. Let Bogut run rampant. Play him similarly to how we defended Noah.

They are so inept in the post, we know what they're going to do. Just need to contain it.

*Side note: Memphis executed this gameplan beautifully. Curry was below 40% shooting in 3 games (shot 42% overall). If Allen doesn't hurt his hammy, we could have seen a 7 game series.

They just did not have the firepower to win the series/Bogut defended the post well.

Splitz said:

Delly, Shump, and Lebron have been bottling guards up on the perimeter and then TT and Mozgov have been challenging inside. I have no worries. My mind and body are ready.

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Kizzle said:

My big fears if we play GSW are Curry and slow starts. Warriors don't let up. They don't slow down. If they get up 10 that could really feel like 20 because they'll keep shooting 3s and their defense is amazing.

With that said I do feel that GS has an unbalanced overdependence on Curry playing well. You could go a lot of ways here but first quarter of game 1 im in the group that thinks you double curry trap him, blitz him, and ect. Lets see if GS can really function with Curry taking under 15 shots and getting under 20 points.


Honestly I could see a sweep if we can keep Curry under 15 shots.

but that wont happen. Hes the MVP and every MVP imo is worth 1 game by himself. Cavs in 5.

May lose game 2. Were gonna be too well rested to lose game 1, I know that for a fact

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There's no way they are going to keep Curry under 15 shots. The most you can hope for is to make him work for his 25+ a game that he is going to get. Luckily, the Cavs have the defenders on the wing capable of doing this. Tony Allen gave them fits for three games -- if he doesn't hurt his hamstring, Memphis could have won that series in seven.

Rebounding, turnovers, and three point defense are going to be the keys to this series. Force this team to put the ball on the floor and score on the interior instead of allowing them to camp out on the three point line.

More rebounds means less possessions for them to score, which means more pressure on them to be more efficient in their offense.

Less turnovers means less opportunities for them to run up and down the floor and score in transition. Need to play smart with the basketball. They did a great job of taking care of the ball in conference finals - they averaged 11.8 turnovers per game in the series.

This series is most certainly winnable -- and it's going to be a lot closer than people think.

Don't ever let the kid take a 3 without a hand in his face, and when he drives let him know he's going to get contact every time. If he scores 40 on teardrops in the lane, so be it. You just can't let him peel off 12 points in 90 seconds.

Any word on when Finals tickets are going on sale? We know which games the Cavs will be hosting regardless of the opponent, so I doubt the team would be waiting on the WCF to finish.

Wow. Bron acknowledging the weight of the title drought.

http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/video/teams/cavaliers/2015/05/27/150526postgameplayersmov-3607617

Not guaranteeing a win, but acknowledging that it's in their heads. I hope it does not weigh too heavily upon them, in the moment... That they can be loose and play their game...

This shit about everyone blowing the Warriors and all of this other garbage is pissing me off.

I'm reading a lot of people acting like the Cavs would save a lot of a trouble by not evening showing up and how they should all bow down to Draymond Green, Curry, Thompson and Barnes.

Sick of it. I hope LeBron and every one else on this team is aware of this, and takes it out on them in the worst way possible.