Steve Kerr’s decision to start Andre Iguodala and limit his rotation to seven players for the Golden State Warriors’ Game 4 victory has been lauded as a potential turning point in the NBA Finals. But not everyone believes Golden State’s success will be sustainable as the championship series moves to a best-of-three.
At Saturday’s media availability, J.R. Smith downplayed the long-term influence of his opponent’s adjustment. Via CBS Sports’ Matt Moore, here’s the Cleveland Cavaliers wing on effects of the Warriors’ lineup change:
“Honestly, I don’t really think it did much,” Smith said. “They got a few cherry picks where we didn’t get back on defense. But other than that, they just made shots. Their non-shooters just made shots.”
Smith’s take seems overly optimistic at first blush. After all, there’s a reason Iguodala scored a season-high 22 points in Game 4 and Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green broke out of series-long scoring slumps.
By eschewing a traditional center in favor of Green and David Lee, Golden State was finally able to exploit Cleveland’s hyper-aggressive ball-screen coverage on Steph Curry and take advantage of a suddenly open floor with quick, creative decision-making behind the initial action. Shaun Livingston’s influence as an additional playmaking threat – not to mention part-time defender of LeBron James – loomed especially large given the Cavaliers’ unceasing commitment to limiting Curry and Klay Thompson, too.
The result for the Warriors was a semi-return to the offensive form that made them so devastating throughout the regular season. Kerr’s team notched Finals-best numbers by shooting 46.8 overall, draining 40 percent of its tries from beyond the arc, and assisting on 66.7 percent of its made field goals.
The lineup change and Golden State’s sudden outburst was mere coincidence? Wishful thinking, J.R.
But it’s also what this depleted Cleveland team needs to believe to have a chance of beating the favorites and winning a title. What other options does David Blatt have than mostly staying the course defensively and hoping streaky shooters like Iguodala, Green, and Barnes go cold? His team certainly can’t score with the Warriors sans Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, nullifying the possibility of a less radical defensive scheme in Games 5, 6, and 7.
There just aren’t many options for the Cavaliers at this point. And even though confidence like Smith’s could prove irrational, it’s also what he and his team should be leaning on as Sunday’s contest approaches.
[Via CBS Sports’ Matt Moore]
