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The Cleveland Cavaliers Won’t Be Ready for the Death Lineup

By Nathan Beighle

May 19, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (left), forward Kevin Love (center) and forward LeBron James (right) look on from the bench during the second half against the Boston Celtics in game two of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
May 19, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (left), forward Kevin Love (center) and forward LeBron James (right) look on from the bench during the second half against the Boston Celtics in game two of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Cleveland Cavaliers must defeat the Warriors death lineup in order to win the series, but will they be prepared for it?

Let’s take a look back at who the Cleveland Cavaliers have played this postseason. They sweep the Indiana Pacers, who played with Myles Turner for most of the game; they sweep the Toronto Raptors, who played with Big Val often; and they beat Boston in 5 who usually had Big Al on the court.

While Zaza does play significant minutes for the Warriors, the Cavaliers have not faced a team that regularly plays without a center this offseason. That is why this death lineup of Curry, Thompson, Iguodala/McCaw, Durant, and Green could be extra effective against the Cavaliers. The lineup involving a combination of those five is the third most used lineup for Golden State.

Since Green can stretch out to make the long ball, most coaches would decide to put Love on the court instead of a Channing Frye or Tristan Thompson. That would be unfamiliar ground for the Cavaliers. They have only one five-man lineup not involving Frye and Thompson that has played over 10 minutes together this offseason.

Defensive chemistry is certainly an underrated team trait in basketball. As players get familiar with each other, they start playing most cohesive defense, so a lineup that has little-to-no experience might struggle to start. In the Finals and against the Warriors, there will be no room for struggle.

With that said, it will be Lue’s job to prepare a lineup and his team for this death lineup. The Warriors have one of the most dynamic offensive in the league, and the Cavaliers, who aren’t a top defensive team, will need to focus in and defend.

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Let’s just say Lue will have his work cut out for him as he and the staff will try to decipher which lineups work best.