Don’t expect the Warriors to deviate from this game plan for Game 2 and beyond. Now that Kyrie Irving has been ruled out for the series, the Cavs need their remaining role players now more than ever. Allowing Lebron to facilitate for a team full of players that otherwise struggle to create their own shots would be a mistake.
Instead, the Warriors should welcome a Game 1 performance from Lebron. Let Iguodala and Barnes make life as difficult as they can, while accepting large point totals in the process. Continue sending occasional double teams from Bogut, forcing Lebron to make passes into a crowded middle. Until Lebron shows that he can attack the basket and score in a dominant enough fashion where changes must be made, proceed with the current plan of action.
For Game 2 expect the Cavs, in addition to letting Lebron work iso on the left wing, to run more pick-and-roll for Lebron. With Kyrie Irving unavailable, the Cavs must find a way to get other players into the flow of the game. The pick-and-roll is an effective way to accomplish this. Kevin Love isn’t walking through that door, so whom the Cavs decide to pair with Lebron as a viable scoring option in these sets isn’t clear.
Again, if the Cavs should pursue this route, the Warriors are capable of switching screens on the perimeter and forcing Lebron into a scorer.
Forcing Lebron into a scorer. The concept seems so counterintuitive. Yet, if Lebron has another monster stat line in Game 2 that includes nearly half a hundred points on close to 40 shots, everything has gone according to plan.
Not even Lebron is great enough to beat the Warriors by himself….hopefully.