Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from Game 1 steal vs. Cavs

2. Warriors need to focus on stopping “the others”

LeBron James may very well end his career as the greatest to ever do it. While he may not be the “freight train” he once was, he remains one of the most unstoppable players in the NBA.

So Golden State’s strategy for the next three games is simple: don’t try to stop LeBron; stop the other guys from being much help.

James played 48 minutes on Thursday, finishing with 51 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, one steal and one block on 19-of-32 shooting (59.3 percent). Furthermore, he shot 3-of-7 from behind the arc (42.8 percent) and 10-of-11 from the free throw line (90.9 percent).

If he really is the G.O.A.T., then he should be able to sustain those numbers. I highly doubt he can, however, considering the fact he’s already played major minutes in the past three rounds.

In the likely case he’s unable to put together another 50-point game, the question becomes which other Cavs player steps up to carry the load.

Kevin Love dropped 21 points and 13 rebounds in Game 1 so he’s the most likely candidate, but guys like Larry Nance Jr., Jeff Green and George Hill have just as much potential to become considerable X-Factors.

If I’m Steve Kerr, I focus my team’s efforts on Cleveland’s supporting cast and invite LeBron to beat us by himself.