Analyzing the Cavaliers's Game 5 performance
It is not often that a player has 40 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in a game and still ends up losing. For LeBron this anomaly has been a constant feature in the NBA Finals. He has played maybe the best basketball of his lifetime, played hard, fought injuries and fatigue and has somehow managed to shoulder the gargantuan expectations of the city of Cleveland and still stands tall. There aren't enough adjectives to truly bedizen the greatest player in the game.
And while one may be lost for words to describe the exploits of a LeBron, one has to be equally lost to find expressions to describe the Cavs coaching staff and LeBron's supporting cast. Coach Blatt has been easily bested by Kerr in the NBA playoffs and while one may acknowledge the severe limitations he has to overcome in terms of injuries and depth, one fails to understand some of his crucial tactical decisions.
Mozgov was the Cavs highest scorer in Game 4, and dominated the paint against a terribly undersized Warriors front-court. He came across as the counter-punch that the Cavs could employ when the Warriors chose to go small with Iguodala at the 4 and Green at 5. He was easily the biggest positive that the Cavs took from Game 4, but come Game 5, one had to be flummoxed by Coach Blatt's decision to limit Mozgov's minutes and persist with his own run-and-gun version with LeBron at the four and Thompson at the five. Maybe he wanted to shock the Warriors by trying to beat them at their own game. He however forgot that the Warriors won 67 games in the regular season playing small-ball and it is no cakewalk to beat them at their own game.
The Cavs should have stuck with the strategy that worked so admirably for them in Game 2 and Game 3. They need to accept that they can't do enough to supersede the talent differential and the only chance they had was to make the game a grinding contest, slow the pace and be physical on the defensive end. They had the size differential to their advantage and their way to success had to persist with LeBron in the post and use Mozgov and Thompson to win extra possessions and exploit defensive rotations and adjustments made by the Warriors. Blatt on the contrary, chose to go small.
This opened up the floor for Curry and with Thompson quick to jump out on screens, Curry was more than happy hitting the roll man, who then had an open lane with no shot-blocker. Green and Iguodala consistently exploited the lack of rim-protection as they drove strong to the hoop and forced the Cavs defense to react and made plays. If the rotation was slow, they finished at the rim. When the Cavs did rotate too soon, they hit the open shooter in the corner. The Warriors consistently had open looks and it was no surprise that they managed to shoot 48% from the three-point range.
Curry may have only 4 assists for the game, but he dictated the game off the pick-and-rolls and his wizardry put the likes of Green and Iguodala in a position to make an impact in the game. When the Cavs decided to pay attention to the roll man, Curry had Dellavedova on single coverage and made mockery of all NBA fraternities that had been claiming that Delly was the Curry stopper. Curry showed his complete repertoire of skills and was just too good for Dellavedova. Kerr aptly summed it up in his post-match press conference statement. Kerr said, “I thought from the very beginning when they went small, had their shooters out there, I thought this is Steph's night. 'This is going to be a big one for him because he has all that room. He took over the game down the stretch and was fantastic.'
The Cavs did open strong with JR Smith providing a welcome offensive boost in the first half as he raced away to 12 points in just 9 minutes of action. Shumpert was hitting his threes, and Dellavedova seemed active on the offensive end. However, as the game progressed it became all about LeBron and the Cavs supporting cast saw little of the ball. Smith who came out hot in the first half, had his rhythm snapped as he lingered on the perimeter and seemed totally confused about his role on the perimeter. His energy level wasn't the same and in the second half he failed to buy a bucket. Shumpert had one basket in the whole of the second half and barring aside a Tristan Thompson who had a majestic 3rd quarter the Cavs again went to LeBron or bust mode, and despite all that the King's exploits, the Cavs came up short.
The Cavs admirably decided to get more offense from their bench as Miller and Jones saw more minutes, but in a combined 32 minutes of action they both managed only 2 shots. You can blame them for lack of effort, but they weren't a feature in the offense for the entire stretch of the play-offs and if one expects them to come up magically and slot seamlessly in the Cavs offensive set, one is hoping for miracles. Shooters need to be set-up by the rest of the teammates and you have to design plays for them to be effective. Much like what the Hawks run for Korver.
The Cavs don't run plays for the shooters as there is minimal weak-side action and with the Warriors running the Cavs three point shooters off the line, it was almost impossible for the Cavs shooters to get open looks. Blatt needs to understand that he needs to find alternate offensive options to LeBron and in Smith, Miller and Jones he has three marksmen who if given an environment to succeed can have an impact. Miller and Jones have won Championships with LeBron and the King certainly should have no problems trusting them to knock down shots when the Warriors double him. It is another thing if Blatt trusts them enough.
The Cavs were out-rebounded and despite all the energy that Thompson exerts on the offensive glass, he can't do much with the Warriors choosing to rebound as a team and smothering him inside. He needs help inside and without Mozgov, Thompson seemed worn out by the end of the game.
But most worryingly, the Cavs offense seems to have no direction without LeBron and despite what Dellavedova does on the defensive end of the floor and his sporadic offensive explosions, watching him dribble and get the offense going is painful to say the least. His handle isn’t good enough for an NBA point guard and other than going into a pick-and-roll and hoping to throw a lob, he just seems inept at running plays.
JR Smith has struggled shooting the ball, but the Cavs seem to have forgotten that he remains an elite offensive player who is capable of handling the rock and creating offense on his own. Blatt seems to trust Dellavedova running the offense more than Smith, but maybe Blatt needs to look back at the fact that with the Knicks and even with the Nuggets, Smith has always been an offensive force to contend with.
Frustrating with his decision making, but yet always ready to seize the movement. He has the handle to create a shot for himself or get to the rack, is an effective pick-and-roll player and also is a fearless shooter. There is a very thin line that exists between being rash and being fearless and Smith constantly swings between both. But in the Finals, guts is invaluable and a player who is prepared to take on the pressure heads-on and is fearless, can be a very intriguing prospect.
While Smith’s renaissance may have been driven by him accepting a reduced role on the offensive end by being relegated to a spot-up three point shooter and a primal wing defensive player, it is about time the Cavs explored the possibility of giving him the ball when LeBron is out of the game.
The Cavs certainly need to be more physically dominating inside and shoot the ball far better in Game 6. The Warriors are now prepared to double James and it would be too much of an ask for LeBron to fight through double teams and still manage to beat the Warriors. He needs help and Smith and Co need to be there for the King when he needs them.
Most significantly the Cavs need to go back to their strategy of Game 3, as by no means can the Cavs afford to make the game about shooting and offense. The Warriors are too talented to be bothered on talent alone, and the only way you beat the Warriors is by slowing the game down, making it a grind inside and force the Warriors to be more physical and wear them down.
Coach Blatt was very correct in stating that now it is a 3-game series for the Championship. Game 1 went to the Warriors, but as LeBron emphatically stated he isn't worried as he is still the best player in the planet. Game 2 at Cleveland will be huge as it could signal the end of LeBRon's home-coming story. The pressure will be bigger and despite all the talent the Warriors have, they don’t have a player who has witnessed such gargantuan pressure demands.
The Cavs have one who has been there and done it. He is their very own home-grown superstar who will carry the hopes of an entire city and the opportunity to create history on his shoulders. Can LeBron do it yet again. I guess we have to wait and watch.