RealGM Analysis
The Golden State Warriors came from behind to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 in overtime.
Here are three important takeaways from Game 1:
1.) LeBron’s Individual Scoring
One reason that LeBron James is such a gifted player is that he is able to expertly maintain a balance between his overpowering inside scoring and his sensational playmaking ability. When playing in Miami, he was once quoted as saying, “If I wanted to, I could lead the league in scoring, but that’s not my job here.” He knows his job is to do whatever it takes to help the team win and since Kevin Love got injured, his job involves shooting much more than normal. This is particularly true if the opposing defense elects not to send hard double-teams at him, as the Warriors decided in Game 1.
LeBron fulfilled his role as a scorer in the opening game by putting up 44 points on 38 shots. He scored mostly by way of isolations and post-ups, two play types that are widely criticized and characterized as inefficient sources of offense. Last night, however, it was quite productive as the Cavs posted an offensive rating of 105.2 when LeBron was in the game, a number that would have ranked 6th best of all teams in the playoffs. That’s pretty a impressive performance against what may be the league’s best defense.
However unpleasant some people may find it, one-on-one basketball can be spectacular when LeBron is involved. As Mark Jackson smartly said about the high number of isolations last night, “Some would say it’s not good. If I got the baddest dude on the block, everybody out of the way and make a play. And it’s been successful all night long.” Fittingly, right as Jackson concluded making that comment, LeBron sized up Andre Iguodala in isolation and made a turnaround jumper to extend his total to 37 points.
2.) Curry Pick-And-Rolls
It sounds strange to suggest that the MVP point guard of the best team in the league should be used off the ball more but that might be a prudent decision for the Warriors offense. Stephen Curry’s regularly phenomenal shooting was on display last night but his shots came from a different part of the floor than normal. Curry is lauded for his 3-point shooting, in Game 1, he only made 2 and attempted 6 3-pointers. Instead, he thrived from midrange where he made all 5 of his shots from the 15-20 foot range.
The Cavaliers played an aggressive style of pick-and-roll defense by having their big men (Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov) linger on Curry for a long time or even commit fully to switching onto him in some cases. Curry took advantage of the switches by using his crafty dribbling to create space for the midrange pull-ups that he made with incredible ease.
The Cavaliers strategy worked in the sense that it limited Curry to a mere 1-4 on pull-up 3-pointers. Still, the Warriors were able to post a 110.1 offensive rating when Curry was in the game and that number easily could have been higher if a few things had gone differently. For one, the Cavs pick-and-roll defense led to Draymond Green finding himself wide open on numerous occasions after setting a ball-screen for Curry. He failed to take advantage, however, as he had an unusual amount of trouble converting on wide-open 3s and driving lanes to the rim. Green playing up to his standard on offense in Game 2 could spell trouble for the Cleveland defense.
3.) More Time For Speights?
The feel-good story of Game 1 was Marreese Speights coming in off the bench to score 8 points after sitting out with an injury since Game 3 of the Warriors’ second-round series against the Grizzlies. Speights’ entrance into the game early in the second quarter woke up the Warriors’ offense and ignited the crowd when he made a midrange jumper on two consecutive possessions.
Speights’ prolific mid-range shooting adds an element to the Warriors’ offense that is missing when Bogut is on the floor. Bogut certainly contributes in his own unique way with solid passing, screening, and offensive rebounding. Furthermore, Bogut is an elite defender whereas Speights has been poor (albeit improving) on that end throughout his career.
If the Cavs utilize the same pick-and-roll defense and Draymond continues to struggle, it might be a good idea to give Speights more minutes in Game 2. The ease with which he makes this open jumper after setting Curry a screen in the second quarter is a good illustrator of what he brings to the table on offense.
It was clear that Steve Kerr was wary about playing Speights when LeBron was in for the Cavs for Speights does not offer anywhere near the same level of rim protection as Bogut or Festus Ezeli. Still, Speights’ positive impact on offense might make the trade-off something to consider going forward in this series.