King James Gospel
Fansided

Four lessons the Houston Rockets taught us about the Golden State Warriors

By Nathan Beighle

CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 15: LeBron James
CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 15: LeBron James /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 01: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers sets a screen on Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 1, 2017 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 01: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers sets a screen on Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 1, 2017 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Switch every pick-and-roll

Defensively, the Houston Rockets limited the Golden State Warriors by switching on screens.

Whether it was Durant, Curry, Draymond, or Livingston with the ball, the Houston Rockets trusted their defense. The issue most teams run into with this strategy is either the big man getting lit up on the perimeter after switching on a guard or the guard getting eaten alive when switching onto a big in the post.

Luckily, Golden State doesn’t pose any back-to-the-basket threats. That eliminates the worry about being eaten alive by a big. However, with Curry and Durant, it’s difficult to switch a big onto a quicker offensive powerhouse like either of those superstars.

Statistically, the Warriors shot 47% from the field in the 7-game Western Conference finals, lower than their 50.3% regular season average. They also scored six fewer points per game. They shot worse and scored less.

That’s how Cleveland must defend Golden State.

The problem is can the Cavaliers trust the foot speed of Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson to be able to at least contain Steph Curry on switches like Clint Capela and PJ Tucker did. That’ll be the real question come Thursday.