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How the Cavaliers can beat the Warriors in the 2017 NBA Finals: The matchups
Author: Joe Vardon
Publication: Cleveland.com
'EVERYTHING IS EARNED' There were no givens in the Cavaliers' ultimate drive to their long-awaited championship
Point guards: Kyrie Irving, Stephen Curry
THE SKINNY: Irving is averaging 24.5 points and 5.6 assists in the playoffs. In the Eastern finals, he shot .622 from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range and scored a career playoff-high 42 in Game 4. Curry is the Warriors' leading scorer in the playoffs and is third in the league during the postseason at 28.6 ppg, and is also averaging 5.6 assists. He leads the NBA with 53 playoff 3-pointers. He averaged 31.0 points in the Western finals against San Antonio.
THE EDGE: Irving was the better player of the two in the 2016 Finals. Curry is back playing at his MVP form. Then again, he's never played like that in either Finals. Irving must win this matchup for the Cavs to have a chance.
Shooting guards: J.R. Smith, Klay Thompson - CLICK HERE to read full story.
Cleveland Cavaliers need to be aware of Golden State's 'deceiving' post touches
Author: Chris Fedor
Publication: Cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The supposedly finesse, jump-shooting Golden State Warriors lead all playoff teams in post touches, helping fuel the second-most efficient offense.
"Well it's deceiving. Very deceiving because those post touches they ain't really for post points," LeBron James said recently when asked about the Warriors' post-ups. "They start moving without the ball. They do a lot of splitting. They do a lot of moving without the ball and they're able to find those cutters and point shooters, so it's very deceiving."
For the Cavs, they've seen other teams run their offense in the post during this run. The Pacers rank third, averaging 18.0 touches thanks to Thaddeus Young's eight per game. The Celtics are fourth, with 17.7 per game in 18 games. That set became the center of Boston's offensive attack after Isaiah Thomas' hip injury sidelined him in the second half of Game 2, trying to make Al Horford more of a focal point. CLICK HERE to read full story.
Pressure on Golden State Warriors, not LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers, in NBA Finals 2017
Author: Dennis Manoloff
Publication: Cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- No question that the Cleveland Cavaliers face a daunting task when they oppose the Golden State Warriors in NBA Finals 2017. Game 1 is Thursday night in Oakland. Calif.
The Warriors are loaded with talent, and the talent is healthy. All substitute coach Mike Brown needs to do is sit back and enjoy.
The Warriors have home-court advantage. It did not matter against a certain team last season, but it still is the preferred way to go. - CLICK HERE to read full story.
More Daily Press Links:
- (5/30) Kyrie Irving owned Stephen Curry in the 2016 Finals; can he and Cavaliers repeat? Cleveland.com
- (5/30) Cavs Vs. Warriors: Cavs.com
- (5/30) Championship burden lifted, but Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving says ‘that’s not where we want the storybook to end’ Akron Beacon Journal
- (5/30) Cavaliers notebook: Even with glow of 2016 title, Kyrie Irving remembers 2015 Finals injury Akron Beacon Journal
- (5/30) Cavaliers’ LeBron James ready for challenge of Kevin Durant, ‘one of the most dangerous guys’ in the world Akron Beacon Journal
- (5/30) LeBron’s future plan includes NBA ownership, and he knows who will run it: His team The Athletic
- (5/30) Tyronn Lue drawing up winners for Cavs at crucial times Akron Beacon Journal
- (5/30) Cleveland's Irving ready for Golden State's Curry The Chronicle-Telegram
- (5/30) Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue is a reluctant public figure The News-Herald
- (5/30) Cool Hand Lue: Cavs coach keeps NBA champs calm amid chaos Associated Press
- (5/30) Tristan Thompson is an enormous 'problem' for Cavs opponents ESPN.com
- (5/30) 5-on-5 predictions: Will LeBron and the Cavs repeat against Warriors? ESPN.com
- (5/30) Who Has the Edge at Every Position in the NBA Finals? Bleacher Report
- (5/30) Can the Warriors sweep the Cavs for a perfect 16-0 title run? ESPN Insider
- (5/30) Steve Kerr says he's not planning to coach Game 1 of Finals ESPN.com
- (5/30) Draymond Green cost the Warriors a title last year. Now he's going to win them one. USA Today
- (5/30) Still sidelined, Steve Kerr stunned Warriors are Finals favorites vs. Cavs USA Today