Jun 9, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts during the fourth quarter of game three of the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland won 96-91. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Smokin’ Joe Frazier once said, “kill the body and the head will die.”
In a series that had the Golden State Warriors as heavy favorites, the opposing All-Star point guard going down with season-ending injury and another All-Star out since the first round, the Warriors are now fighting for their lives down 2-1 to the suddenly formidable Cleveland Cavaliers.
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The Cavaliers have hit the Warriors in the gut, and the 67-win juggernauts in the midst of a historic season suddenly look vulnerable for the first time all year. Cleveland is unquestionably in Golden State’s head, and it’s a combination of the Cavaliers’ execution and lack thereof from the Warriors that has resulted in such a deficit.
The Warriors have only led after a quarter once this series; following overtime in Game 1. The Cavaliers have prevented the Warriors – more specifically, Stephen Curry – from establishing any type of offensive rhythm early in games, which is promoting early shots, pressing and convoluted play from a team that displayed incredible composure all season.
Jun 9, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
“I didn’t like our energy,” said head coach Steve Kerr following his team’s 96-91 loss on Tuesday. “I didn’t like our body language, for much of the first three quarters.”
Kerr’s squad had to battle from an early deficit once again, trailing by as many as seven in the first quarter. Normally not an issue for a team with such an offensive prowess, but when key cogs don’t hit the shots that made them the second best offense in the NBA (offensive efficiency of 109.7 during the regular season), the struggles are apparent.
Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes have been existent in this series only in ways that benefit the opposition. Green has been battling back spasms, which may be leaking into the flat arc on his shots and unwillingness to put up the numerous open looks he’s been getting. Barnes has reverted back to his regular season invisibility on the offensive end, while also being asked with trying to body up LeBron James.
When Green and Barnes aren’t hitting shots the Cavaliers are giving to them, the offense sputters. With heavy attention given to Curry – and some splendid off-ball defense by Matthew Dellavedova – the Warriors lack any dependable scorer outside of Klay Thompson. Green is failing to make plays off the drive as well as scoring in the paint, in large part due to the presence of Timofey Mozgov.
The offense struggled enough to warrant a David Lee cameo from Steve Kerr, who hadn’t played at all in the series. He was effective, especially in the gone but not forgotten pick-and-roll with Curry. Lee made quick decisions; following up missed shots and gave a jolt to an offense that needed one.
Lee’s stint was refreshing, and frankly, desperate. 98 games into his first season, Kerr knows what he has with Lee, and there’s a reason he contributed little during the regular season. But, his hand was forced, and Lee stayed ready and contributed on a stage no one imagined he would.
Jun 9, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
The successful cameo from Lee increases the likelihood that Marreese Speights won’t be seen much as the series progresses, who logged in a DNP in Game 3. Lee can also see more time at center, which was the common denominator in Golden State’s two best lineups on Tuesday. Defense will continue to be an issue with Lee, but if the offense continues to struggle, that’s a risk Kerr is willing to take.
LeBron continued to do LeBron things, as his triple-double line has now become a standard in this series. There’s not much else the Warriors can do, as Kerr has continued to say he won’t make any lineup changes. Andre Iguodala has been the best Warrior in this series so far, but it’s common knowledge at this point that James can’t be stopped, only contained until he attacks another weakness.
Moral victories is for minor league coaches, but there are some positives from the second half of Game 3 that the Warriors can take into Game 4, the greatest being Curry finally finding some semblance of his MVP self: 9-for-14 (6-for-9 from deep) for 24 points to combine for his best output of the Finals thus far.
“Whether I’m making shots or not, I need to stay vibrant,” said Curry, who finished with 27 points, six rebounds and six assists. “The team feeds of my energy and joy for the game.”
The latter being especially true, as the Warriors have looked defeated for most of this series outside of the overtime clamps in Game 1 and Curry’s late barrage in Game 3. For the first time all series, the Warriors looked like, well, the Warriors. Curry also pointed out that he “found something” in regards to attacking Cleveland’s pick-and-roll defense, which his team will need starting from the opening tip in Game 4.
The Warriors are playing to the narrative, and it’s due to their offensive struggles. The Cavaliers have controlled the pace – Warriors only had five fast break points in Game 3 – and have established themselves on both ends through three games. The Warriors have yet to play a competent game on both ends in the series, but with what was found late in Game 3 and the defense still performing to their level, the team is far from dead.
“If we get our offense back, which we will, we’re going to win this series,” said Klay Thompson following Tuesday’s loss.
Until proven otherwise, there’s no reason to doubt the assertion.