It has been a long NBA season, and now finally, Game 1 of the NBA Finals will be on Thursday, June 4th. Both teams have come a long way to get here and now I'll tell you 5 important things for both teams to consider going into the finals.
Cavaliers:
1. Kyrie Irving must stay on Stephen Curry the whole game and if he is not in the game, then chances are that Mathew Dellavadova will be guarding Stephen Curry. I think if the two point guards can't handle Curry than Head Coach David Blatt will probably switch Iman Shumpert over to Curry.
2. The Cleveland Cavaliers bench has to make a big impact on the game because they will be going up against some talented players on the Warriors bench. For example, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston will be players that will make a difference on the Warriors side. J.R Smith will have to make his regular perimeter shots and also play good defense. Another player on the Cleveland bench who has done enough in the playoffs this year to make a difference is James Jones. He is also a good three point shooter like J.R Smith.
3. Tristan Thompson must be the same hard worker that he has been in the last couple series. Against the Hawks and Bulls he has dominated the boards and has been shooting at a high percentage at 54.7%. He will have a size advantage on Warriors power forward Draymond Green that he will be guarding.
4. Timofey Mozgov's defense and rim protection will be critical in the finals. This year in the playoffs he is averaging 1.2 blocks a game. He and Warriors center Andrew Bogut are alike. They are both very tall and they will be guarding each other. Mozgov is a very good defender and also a good free throw shooter despite the fact that he is 7 foot 1.
5. Lebron James must play really aggressive and attack the basket a lot. He is averaging 27.6 points a game this year in the playoffs. He will be guarding small forward Harrison Barnes on the Warriors. James is very experienced in the finals unlike the rest of his team and he is used to being here. Even the Warriors aren't at all experienced in the finals and this is new to them.
Warriors:
1. Draymond Green has to make sure that he does not let the taller Tristan Thompson score too many times because he is the guy that Green will be matched up with most of the time. He is already a very good defender but Tristan Thompson, the power forward on the Cavs has a size advantage on him. Draymond Green has helped the Warriors out a lot in the playoffs averaging 10.8 total rebounds a game and a solid 14.0 points a game.
2. Harrison Barnes can't let Lebron James get to the hoop easily. Once you let him score a couple of times he gets going and the Warriors do not want that to happen. I think Harrison Barnes should take more shots. He is a very accurate shooter shooting at 46.3 percent this year in the playoffs and very skilled but does not take that many shots. If he does in the finals coming up, he will definitely make a big difference on how this years finals will turn out.
3. Stephen Curry has to make the shots that he usually does. He is averaging 29.2 points a game this year in the playoffs and shoots 43.7 percent from deep also this year in the playoffs. He will be going up against Kyrie Irving who is the other point guard looking to win the finals. Both guards are young and inexperienced in the finals. They both have not played a single game in the finals in both of their careers yet. We'll see if that effects how they play at all.
4. Klay Thompson has to shoot and make his regular shots. He can't leave all the pressure on Stephen Curry. So far, he has been contributing to the team enough so that he can make a difference. He will be guarding Iman Shumpert. The two are both good shooters. Shumpert can use his athletic ability to make good plays while Klay Thompson is an amazing defender with those long arms that he has. It will be interesting to see them go back and forth.
5. Andrew Bogut will be a big factor in this series if he can help out down low. If Kyrie Irving gets past Curry, Bogut will have to be there to help out on defense. If Bogut helps out on defense, then that gives the Warriors a good chance of winning the finals. There will be a lot of other players he will have to be helping out on like Lebron James and J.R Smith or Iman Shumpert.
If both teams can do all the things that were mentioned then this years finals will be very tight and closely contested.
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