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Repeated slow starts by the Golden State Warriors are just killing their chances of winning the championship this year. They came out as flat as ever in Game 3, and that simply can’t continue if they hope to win anymore games against these ferocious Cleveland Cavaliers. After the Game 3, victory LeBron James said, “the best teacher in life is experience.” I couldn’t have said it any better myself. This experience, or rather lack thereof for these sputtering Warriors, is the biggest difference in these 2015 NBA Finals.
Well, the first half was basically the same story as before. The Cavs were led by their new big 3 of King James, Matthew Dellavedova and Tristan Thompson. The energy of those three alone changed the game from the start and ultimately proved too much to handle, even for the comeback assassins of Golden State. Coach Steve Kerr made adjustments in the third and fourth quarters, but by then it was too late. Now, the biggest question is whether Kerr and company can learn from their mistakes. I guess we will find out soon enough.
This series is really youth versus wisdom, and the Cavs are easily proving to every single one of us that the latter is much more dominant in the playoffs. Think about it. The most effective players on the court for the Warriors, minus the insignificant Stephen Curry comeback in the final minutes, were Leandro Barbosa, Andre Iguodala and David Lee. Three veterans. Enough said.
If the Warriors wish to give it their all and possibly even spoil the Cavaliers’ historic run, then coach Kerr has to change the starting lineup. There’s no shame in that. The big men of Andrew Bogut and Lee have to anchor the paint. They cannot continue to play small ball against the likes of Timofey Mozgov and Thompson. They need to match big with big. This will also make Draymond Green that all important sixth man. Giving them not only more depth, but a much better control of the paint.
Not only that, but Golden State needs to play inside-out basketball. That means taking advantage of the passing attributes of their big men and picking and choosing their shots from beyond the arc. True playoff basketball is not like the regular season. It’s now about adjustments, and right now the Cavaliers are dominating. Best rely on those all-important strategies.
If they do those things, Golden State will have a chance. If not, the series is already over. We’ll just have to see which option they choose come Game 4 on Thursday.
Samuel Martell is Oklahoma City’s beat writer at www.RantSports.com. To stay connected, ‘follow’ him on Twitter, ‘like’ him on Facebook, or ‘add’ him to your network on Google.
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