Can The Cleveland Cavaliers Give The Golden State Warriors A Taste Of Their Own Medicine?
Can the Cleveland Cavaliers give the Golden State Warriors a taste of their own medicine with an avalanche of threes that could bury the Dubs in an NBA Finals rematch?
With the new players the Cavs have and the way they can shoot, it is going to be interesting to see a potential matchup in the finals between the Warriors and the Cavs.
The main three-point shooters on the Warriors are Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant.
The main three-point shooters on the Cavaliers are J.R. Smith, Kevin Love and Kyle Korver. Although there are other players on each team that have the potential to make a three-point shot, the Cavs depth have made them favorites to win the 2017 NBA championship.
In the past, it was the Warriors that would light up the Cavs from three for the entire contest and embarrassingly blow them out of the water. However, with the roster that the Cavs have put together, they have the opportunity to turn the tables.
The Cleveland Cavaliers as a whole are shooting 39.2 percent from the three-point range and the Golden State Warriors are shooting 38.2 percent from three-point range.
Korver is shooting 50.3 percent from three-point range which is easily better than Durant shooting 37.8 percent from three-point range, Curry shooting 40.0 percent from three-point range and Thompson shooting 40.7 percent from three-point range.
With this firepower coming from behind the arc combined with the fact that LeBron James, Derrick Williams, and Tristan Thompson all have field goal percentages above 50.0 percent, the Cavaliers are a force to be reckoned with. In a series against the Warriors, making more efficient plays and moving the ball better than the Warriors will be key.
The Cavs have a better team than the Warriors on paper, who are top-heavy, while the Cavs have built a complete team that has more flexibility and can create more problematic matchups.
Having a backup point guard with starting potential will be big for the Cavs because not only does that take pressure off LeBron but it tests the Warriors depth than playing against rookie Kay Felder would.
There are numerous times Deron Williams has taken control of the offense even with LeBron on the court. Williams has led fast breaks, made the right pass and set up the offense which is exactly what LeBron was looking for.
The Cavs have yet to be healthy and reach their full potential but J.R. Smith will be back mid-March and Kevin Love will be back by playoff time.
If you have the best player in the world and all these other pieces around him then your championship chances are always going to be great.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors are poised for a clash of epic proportions.
The team’s deny that this is a rivalry but it’s that and more.
The team’s have both made moves in order to keep up with the other team.
The signing of Durant was to build a super team that would blow the Cavs out of the water. The Warriors want to dominate the Cavs and that’s their goal.
In addition, the signing of Durant is symbolic in this rivalry.
Durant has been in LeBron’s shadow for his entire career and LeBron has dominated in their matchups throughout Durant’s career. LeBron will want to prove that Durant can’t get over the mountain that LeBron has formed in the way of his coveted ring that he came to Golden State to get.
The Cavs want to prove that LeBron is the greatest player in the world every time they collide and they want the Warriors and Curry to know their place.
LeBron displayed this during Game 6 last year when he blocked Curry’s shot and taunted him afterwards.
The infamous tombstone cookies that they made for the Halloween party, a feature of James’ Halloween party noted by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, come to mind as well.
The Cavs re-signed Smith and picked up three former top-three draft picks to play on their bench. They also acquired Korver, who is currently fifth all-time in made three-point attempts. The pieces they have in place are the best pieces to play with LeBron and dominate.
It will be interesting to see who wins round three.
Related Story: Reading Between The Line Of The Cleveland Cavaliers Depth Chart
Do you think that the Cleveland Cavaliers can give the Golden State Warriors a taste of their own medicine with three-point barrages? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twittter @KJG_NBA.