The defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Golden State Warriors inside Quicken Loans Arena tonight for Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
As most hoops fans know, the Cavs are currently facing an 0-2 series deficit. In Game 1, the champs allowed 56 points in the paint, committed 20 turnovers, and recorded zero steals (first team in Finals history to record zero steals) in a 113-91 loss. In Game 2, the Cavs played much better on the defensive end of the floor, but fell in a high-scoring affair, 132-113.
So, what might the Cavs change for Game 3? ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently sat down for an interview on The Lowe Podcast to discuss the possibilities. Windy offered a different approach, suggesting that Cleveland consider slowing the game down a bit. However, it appears head coach Tyronn Lue and the Cavs think otherwise.
“The scouts that I talk to and the executives that I talk who are watching this series say the Cavs have no choice,” Windhorst said. “They have to slow it down. They they need to go the other direction. Even though it may not be their primary mode of operation, that playing faster plays into the Warriors’ hands. That is what they want. It’s a trap … and what the Warriors want.”
“The Cavs, unless they are putting up a smokescreen, which they could be, I suppose, disagree,” Windhorst continued. “The Cavs do not intend to slow down. They say this team is built to play fast. This team is built to play with pace. We can’t win a half-court game because we’re not a great half-court defensive team. We don’t have bigs we can use. We’re going to play that style of basketball, and we are going to go down playing our style of basketball.”
If the Cavs are firing on all cylinders (hitting their shots and getting solid production from their role players), playing with pace shouldn’t be a problem. In fact, the Cavs are a great offensive team when fully engaged, having scored fewer than 100 points just once this postseason (Game 1 against the Warriors).
Game 3 is scheduled to tip at 9:00 p.m. on ABC. Everyone will just have to wait and see if Cleveland can indeed match Golden State’s frantic pace and change the narrative of this series.