King James Gospel
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4 Keys For A Cleveland Cavaliers Victory In Game 5

By Tevin Williams

Jun 9, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) dunks against the Golden State Warriors during the first half in game four of the 2017 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 9, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) dunks against the Golden State Warriors during the first half in game four of the 2017 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 7, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) shoots the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the third quarter in game three of the 2017 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 7, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) shoots the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the third quarter in game three of the 2017 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Tristan Thompson has to dominate the boards

Tristan Thompson had been a nonfactor in the Finals up until Game 4. Some blame the power of the Kardashian Curse. In truth, it’s just that Thompson has trouble matching up with the quicker, small ball lineups that Golden State famously deploys.

Thompson didn’t score much in Game 4, he scored five points on just three shot attempts. The Cavs don’t look to TT for points anyways, he’s on the floor to play good defense and crash the glass.

Thompson dominated the boards with 10 rebounds, including four on the offensive end. Giving the Cavaliers extra opportunities to convert and stopping Golden State’s ability to score in transition from missed shot attempts.

The Cavs are a different team with TT cleaning up the boards. A big performance from TT is exactly what they need to dominate Game 5.