Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Finals Preview
Key Matchups
Feb 26, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) drives between Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (left) and guard Stephen Curry (30) in the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Stephen Curry vs. Kyrie Irving: This matchup features two All-Star point guards and the two best ball handlers in the league. Both of these players can shoot threes and dazzle the crowd with jaw-dropping plays. Both players are a little banged up right now though, as the whole right side of Curry’s body is sore after a scary fall in Game Four of the series against the Rockets, and Irving is dealing with knee tendinitis.
Irving isn’t known for his defense, so Iman Shumpert might be Curry’s main defender. However, the Cavs won’t really want to put Irving on Thompson, and having a banged up Irving on the athletic Harrison Barnes might not be the best idea either. Curry will dominate if they having Irving guarding him the majority of the time.
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Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson, and Harrison Barnes vs. LeBron James: All of these players could see time defending James, and forcing him to deal with several different defenders might be the Warriors’ best bet at containing him throughout this series. Green is able to guard all five positions, Iguodala is an elite perimeter defender who is excellent at patrolling the passing lanes, Thompson’s quick feet allows him to keep up with any player and force them into tough shots, and although Barnes isn’t a stellar defender, he can use his athleticism to try to stay with James.
Depending on who is guarding James at the time, Green could also defend Tristan Thompson, Iguodala could defend Smith, Thompson could defend Shumpert, and Barnes could defend several different players as well. No matter what though, the Warriors have several different options to guard James, and this versatility will give them an advantage in this series.
Andrew Bogut vs. Timofey Mozgov: This isn’t the type of entertaining matchup that Curry vs. Irving will be, but this is an intriguing matchup because both of these centers play with similar styles. Bogut is a more tenacious, experienced version of Mozgov. They’re both rim protectors, and they both help fuel their team’s offense in pick-and-rolls. Bogut is a better passer though, and although he isn’t much of a scorer anymore, he can impact the game on offense because of his spatial sense and his ability to finish alley oops.
It’ll also be interesting to see how Coach Kerr and Coach Blatt decide to utilize their two centers. Both teams could deploy small ball lineups at times, which could limit the time both these players see on the court. We’ll see how much of an impact both centers can have on this series.
Next: Keys for Each Team to Win the Series