King James Gospel
Fansided

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 /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
Jun 9, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) dunks the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the second quarter in game four of the Finals for the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 9, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) dunks the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the second quarter in game four of the Finals for the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Play with pace

I think LeBron James said it best, per Cleveland.com.

"“That’s not our game. We don’t play slow-down basketball. We play at our pace, we play our game."

The Cavs have reached the Finals by playing at their rate, and they won Game 4 by controlling the pace. Cleveland tied their series high with 27 assists and broke an NBA Finals record with 24 made threes in Game 4. The Cavs are at their best when they push the ball in transition, leading to more points in the paint and open threes.

The Golden State Warriors are the second best defensive team in the postseason with a 101.8 defensive rating. If the Cavaliers are slow bringing the ball up the floor, and proceed to play one-on-one offense against a set Golden State defense, they will lose.

When settled down, the Cavaliers often resort to the hero ball of Kyrie Irving and LeBron James. In Game 5, that will not cut it. They need a full team effort and to get out quickly in transition.