Film Study: Breaking Down the Cavs Third Quarter Run in Game 1

The Cleveland Cavaliers got themselves a lead in Game 1 of the NBA Finals thanks to a fierce third quarter run against the Golden State Warriors. How did they execute so well during the stretch and is it something they can replicate in Game 2 though?

The national narrative surrounding the Cavs Game 1 performance is how hapless it was.

From a lack of energy, to not preparing for the Warriors bench players and not moving the basketball, many have already counted Cleveland out. You would think Golden State is holding a 3-0 series lead, but the fact of the matter is, the series is just one game in.

“This is the same team who we had down 1-0 last year and they hit us twice (with losses in the Finals),” Draymond Green said after Game 1, via Sam Amick of USA Today Sports. “So (there’s) no control. This is a team that, you know, they’re used to winning. They’re going to battle, they’re going to compete, and they’re super talented. So you can’t come out saying, oh, we beat them six in a row, we’re good. Absolutely not. As soon as you do that and let your guard down, it’s a wrap. We know that. So we’ve got to continue to compete and try to win games.”

Cleveland has a bunch of issues to iron out before Game 2 but the series is by no means lost. In fact, the Cavaliers can take some positives out of their 15-point Game 1 loss.

In the third quarter, the Cavs fought back from a double-digit deficit to take a one-point lead. Yes, that lead didn’t last very long, but it gave the Cavaliers some sort of a blueprint to follow to beat this historic Warriors outfit.

Successfully switching

On this play, the Warriors go to run their celebrated pick and roll with Stephen Curry and Green. Kyrie Irving is guarding Curry, while Tristan Thompson has the job on Green.

The Cavs go to switch the pick and roll, which is a luxury they have with Thompson. His versatility and quickness allows him to stay with guards on the perimeter, or in this case, shadow them if they try to drive, as he does with Curry here.

As the play developed, LeBron James picked up Green, while Irving switched onto Harrison Barnes, a better match-up for the defensively challenged guard.

After a couple of successful switches, the Cavs now have all options covered. James has position to defend Green, Thompson has given Curry no driving angle (credit to Kevin Love here also, who is in good help position if Thompson gets beat), while J.R. Smith has Klay Thompson covered.

The play eventually leads to Curry throwing an ambitious pass to Barnes, which is intercepted by Irving. The Cavs scored on a Thompson offensive rebound put back on the other end.

Cleveland had numerous defensive issues in Game 1, but if their rotations and communication is on time, it leads to plays like this, where the Warriors have nowhere to go.

Aggressively doubling non-play makers

The Cavaliers did an excellent job at getting the ball out of Curry’s hands in Game 1 and here is another example.

To begin this play, the Warriors run a Curry-Festus Ezeli pick and roll, with Irving on Curry and Love on Ezeli. Cleveland pays no attention to a rolling Ezeli, instead deciding to trap Curry with a double team, which works, as he passes to Ezeli.

Once the ball gets to Ezeli, Thompson uses his quickness to cover him before he can have time to make a good pass or take a high quality look. Moreover, Love provides double-team help once again, like he did with Curry, which further complicates the scenario for Ezeli.

After a couple of pivots, Ezeli is forced to put up a low percentage hook with Thompson in his face, which misses.

The more the Cavaliers can force the Warriors non-play makers, such as Ezeli, into predicaments like this one, the more defensive stops they’ll get in Game 2 and throughout the series.

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The power of the rolling Thompson

Throughout the regular season, one of the Cavs primary weapons was a rolling Thompson. They executed this to perfection twice in Game 1, which resulted in easy baskets.

Play One

Cleveland begins this play with Thompson setting a screen on James’ man, Andre Iguodala. Furthermore, Irving is also in the area with Curry, which leaves the Warriors defense guessing.

As the play develops, every single Warrior has their eyes on James. As he drives to the rim, it leaves the lane wide open for Thompson to dive into to. Klay Thompson is hesitant to help fully into the lane.

With no one focused on Thompson, it allows him to get an easy dunk off a James lob.

Play Two

This play starts with James isolated on Shaun Livingston, with every other play on the weak side. In the corner, Iman Shumpert sets an off-ball screen on Curry, who is Matthew Dellavedova’s man, which leaves Dellavedova open for a pass from James.

After James passes to Dellavedova, Curry goes to close out hard onto him. This leads to Dellavedova driving past him, with Ezeli and Iguodala focusing solely on him. Thus, Thompson once again has open space to drive to the basket.

With no Golden State player looking at Thompson, he gets another easy dunk from a lob from Dellavedova.

The Cavs made their run on the Warriors in the third quarter with sharp defensive communication and slick passing on the offensive end. If they can follow a similar formula in Game 2, Cleveland has a chance at stealing home court advantage.