King James Gospel
Fansided

Cleveland Cavaliers: 2017 NBA Finals Game 1 Preview

By Miles Jamieson

Jun 19, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; (Editors note: a tilt-shift lens was used to create this image) The Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates beating the Golden State Warriors in game seven of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 19, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; (Editors note: a tilt-shift lens was used to create this image) The Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates beating the Golden State Warriors in game seven of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
Jan 25, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue huddles with the team during the second half against the Sacramento Kings at Quicken Loans Arena. The Kings won 116-112. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 25, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue huddles with the team during the second half against the Sacramento Kings at Quicken Loans Arena. The Kings won 116-112. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Cavaliers defense

The Cavaliers will need to play stellar defense if they want to steal game one from the Warriors. According to ESPN’s defensive statistics, the Cavaliers were 20th in the NBA by allowing 107.2 points per game during the regular season. That is an alarming statistic for a championship contending team.

The Cavaliers have increased their defensive intensity in these playoffs. According to the same ESPN statistics, they are allowing only 103.2 points per game in the playoffs.

Since the Cavaliers are facing better teams in the playoffs than the regular season, it’s surprising to see that they’ve actually given up fewer points per game in the playoffs. But when you examine the Cavaliers, it’s really not that surprising at all.

LeBron James is Cleveland’s leader, and he’s increased his intensity in the playoffs. It’s obvious that his increased intensity has worn off on his team on the defensive end of the floor. They’ll need to continue playing defense at a high level against the Warriors.

Golden State is the best scoring offense in the NBA during the regular season and playoffs, so this will be Cleveland’s greatest challenge. If they can keep the Warriors below 100 points, they’ll have a great chance of stealing game one. If not, they likely will lose the first game of the Finals.