I won't be able to watch any sports this summer and that means the draft and watching Serena, not to mention the taint on the whole 2015-2016 season. I am desperate for GS to turn it around.
Call me crazy, but I think Kerr needs to shake it up. The GS starting lineup has simply not played well. Their vets have on the other hand. Klay had one good shooting game only. Barnes has done absolutely nothing all series - he's been atrocious. Bogut? I don't know what happened but somewhere along the way Andrew just forgot how to play offense. He used to have a pretty good post-up game. I don't think I've ever seen a guy with as much talent just decide he was only a one-way player. He won't shoot the ball any more, even if he gets an alley-oop pass at the rim. Since when did he turn into Big Ben or Rodman? Yes, please.
- Bogut is not even looking at the rim ... Looks like his multiple injuries killed his confidence on O ... He has little lift , isn't really balanced/feet aren't "turned" towards the rim to take a shot ... Kwame Brown like ... or pre-SAS Boris Diaw like - Draymond is turning open 3s down one after the other ... at 76-79 , he turned a wide open three in the corner ... which resulted in a Curry stepback contested three over Lebron - Curry behind the back pass TO is actually Green's fault since he usually spots up from this area on the court ... instead he started going to the hoop ... Overall , Warriors need to stop turning down open layups ( whether it's on halfcourt or fastbreak opportunities) to shoot 3s ... Bad décisions regardless of how good your shooters are
i saw some writer making the case that passing up layups for threes made sense for gs, and i'm like...no. not even on planet stat nerd.
Let's see what GS is made of tonight. It's basically do or die. Play with some heart and urgency, tie it up and you have a best of three series with Lecramp starting to tire out with these 46 minutes per game excursions. I like GS's chances if they can extend this series. But it all has to start with tonight. Again, if I'm Kerr I think I bench Barnes to begin with and start Iggy. I might even start Lee instead of Bogut. Go small, double Lebronze and try to disrupt what the Cavs are doing. Why not? What they've been doing hasn't been working thus far. They need to get scrappy and Barnes and Bogut haven't been pulling their weight.
Their best lineup from last game is Ezeli, Lee, Iggy, Curry and Livingston. Notice all the veterans. Ezeli had a lot of hustle plays out there, going after rebounds and blocking shots. Lee gave them more rebounding and post scoring when the 3s weren't falling. Iggy has played good defense on Lebron and scored well slashing. Curry off ball with hard screens set has gotten him good looks, he just needs to make them. Livingston can run the offense or play off ball with Curry, it's worked much better than having klay launch up some questionable shots. Not sure how long that lineup can last but it can be used in crucial moments, don't want to see anymore of Barbosa either. Green, Barnes and Bogut all really need to step up big time, they provided almost nothing out there.
the slide tackle was executed by lebron, though, right? that was such a bs play, and it came at a huge moment in the game (after lebron had side backboarded a jumper and gs had a chance to tie, i believe).
Yep then Curry comes down the court a little loose with the handle, LeBron tackles him from behind and the ball rolls away where Dirtyvedova dives on it.
Yeah, I strongly agree with this. They finally started playing better at the end of game 3, and if they can extend the series, the fatigue will be noticeable for the Cavs. But it comes down to this game, basically. 2-1 doesn't mean much at all, but if the Cavs want to win this, they have to finish it soon. Their players are either tired or banged up. For GSW, this is more about effort. They are close in every game (and won one) on talent/depth only. That's not enough for the championship. You have to really want it and play hard. If the Cavs go up 3-1, forget it. Bron won't let his team lose, even if he needs to take every single shot, while his teammates play hard defense. No superstar would let that opportunity go. The Warriors know what needs to happen tonight. Take back the HC, and the series is pretty much yours at that point. Cavs do have one problem: if Bron has only one average game (let alone a bad shooting game), they automatically lose. So, the question is -- can Bron keep it up for 6-7 games? I honestly don't know. Maybe he can. But everyone has a bad day sooner or later.
GS inexperience is starting to show, and I hate to say it, but LaBronz's experience might be too much for GS this year. I hope to god that isn't true because the media will prop up that over inflated scared of the last shot egomaniac as the GOAT if he ever wins anything again.
I said from the start Cleveland in six because I didn't think Golden State would hold it together in the Finals... it's showing now
^^ I agree realdeal. That's why if I were Kerr I might even experiment with more Livingston at PG, more Curry at SG and more bench time for Klay and Barnes. While Klay has had one hot shooting game, the problem with he and Curry in the backcourt at this moment is the lack of experience. What is supposed to be their strength has been hurting them somewhat. Livingston has been great all playoffs and brings a calm to the offense whereas Klay and Curry together can be pretty erratic. In general I think Kerr should use the vets more right now: Iggy, Livingston, Lee. Less time for Barnes and Klay.
Credit the Cavs defense, Golden State also missing those crazy threes they were hitting all year too. They have to play a lot smarter. These games are so close and the Cavs are willing their way to wins, when Golden State are just shooting themselves in the foot. They are so much more talented and deep than the Cavs are, but they're playing like it's a regular season game. Stop settling for 3's when you have an open layup. Get Curry off the ball and moving off screens and open. And make Lebron give up the ball.
