Jun 11, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Andre Iguodala (9) shoots against Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov (20) during the third quarter of game four of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Steve Kerr might be a rookie head coach, but the Warriors have made crucial adjustments during the course of the playoffs when they needed them the most. Kerr’s decision to bench Andrew Bogut and start Andre Iguodala proved to be the difference in Game 4.
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Golden State’s small lineup caused some problems for the Cavs. With Draymond Green starting at center, Timofey Mozgov was forced to defend outside the paint because Green is able to knock down the three.
The Warriors ended up winning by 21 and they took home court advantage back from the Cavs. You can expect the Warriors to play small moving forward and that’s not good news for Mozgov. According to Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group, Mozgov does not feel comfortable defending a smaller lineup:
Timofey Mozgov on defending small ball: “It doesn’t feel comfortable.”
— Diamond Leung (@diamond83) June 14, 2015
Mozgov has been one of the best players during the Finals and his defensive presence in the paint has made it difficult for the Warriors to score around the rim. However, now he needs to extend his defensive coverage in order to keep up with smaller and more athletic players.
Kerr and his coaching staff didn’t need validation to keep going to the smaller lineup, but Mozgov’s comment sure justifies the move. The Cavs will have to make their own adjustments, but they have LeBron James, so they will be just fine.
Hopefully the Warriors will put Mozgov out of his misery on Tuesday when they beat the Cavs for the title, then he can go back to being comfortable. Nobody cares if Mozgov is comfortable with small ball except maybe his mama, This is the Finals!