Kasler: Cavs' have to try something new
I didn’t write a column following the Cavaliers’ 33-point loss in Game 2 because I really didn’t have anything unique to say.
The Cavs were so thoroughly beaten that a search for insight seemed a self-serving path to nowhere.
Game 2 was the kind of debacle where the losing team might be better off just burning the film. And therein lies the problem ...
There are no answers for Golden State. No amount of film study or lineup juggling can change the simple truth that this Warriors team is probably too good. You think that’s an overstatement? Then how to explain the Cavs absorbing a record-setting beating over the first two games of the NBA Finals with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson averaging only 14.5 and 13 points per game, respectively?
The Warriors' best two players, who double as the best backcourt in the NBA, are not scoring or shooting at any kind of superstar levels. There’s no doubt their presence on the floor creates opportunities for teammates (see: Green, Draymond), but the fact remains the Cavs are being dismantled by a team that is winning without its best players performing anywhere close to their season averages.
That’s a stubborn fact, and one that Cleveland cannot undo.
Cavs’ fans can and should hold onto hope. Why not? There’s nothing to lose except two more games.
But I simply can’t get to a point where the Cavs winning four of the next five games is a remotely plausible scenario. This doesn’t mean the Cavs aren’t a great team.
I think that’s an important distinction that some observers have made and others have outright ignored -- losing to the Warriors doesn’t also mean the Cavs’ choked or failed.
Which brings us to Game 3.
What can the Cavs do to compete? While I said there are no answers, I can at least offer one thought, though it runs counter to most of what I’ve read -- I think the Cavs need to pick up the pace in a big, big way.
This doesn’t necessarily mean they need to sprint out in transition every possession or fire up quick shots. There’s a difference between a quick pace and a run-and-gun offense.
I recall numerous possessions in the Eastern Conference Finals where the Cavs, with LeBron James at the point, hustled up court into their offensive sets. The result was a Raptor defense on roller skates, and an offense with five guys in motion.
Against the Warriors, the Cavs have been content to work a lot of isolation plays for James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. While this grinds the shot clock down and limits possessions, it’s simply not yielding offensive output that’s even close to respectable.
I get why people say trying to play fast against the Warriors is a death trap. But, again, what do the Cavs have to lose except two more games? Isolating James and Irving has not worked.
There are plenty of reasons for that, not the least of which is Golden State’s defensive length, athleticism and ability to switch a good defender onto any of the Cavs’ playmakers. But the Cavs haven’t scored 90 points yet. Might as well try to quicken the pace and see if it yields more open looks for spot-up shooters (where have you gone, J.R. Smith and Channing Frye?).
The Cavs have been toyed with by a Warriors squad that seems to know Oklahoma City was their real postseason test.
Right now, the Cavs are an inconvenience, not a challenge. So I say, if the Cavs are to go down, as it appears they likely will, then go down playing the quick, aggressive offense that produced so many postseason blowouts.
It probably won’t be good enough. But the other option is to “grind out” two more double digit losses hoping that LeBron will dominate his matchup with Andre Iguodala or that Kyrie will dribble his way to 30+ points. Neither is going to happen.
Get into offensive sets quickly. Move the ball around the floor and shoot when open. Crash the boards, even if it’s reckless at times, even if it leads to some easy Warrior buckets. They’re getting them anyway, so might as well inject the offensive game plan with speed and aggression.
That’s not much of an answer to what ails the Cavs, but if you’ve got another one that goes beyond “try harder” or “care more” or “show some heart,” I’m all ears.
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