Golden State Warriors Roundtable: 5 Questions About NBA Finals

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2) How should the Warriors go about guarding LeBron?

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

Nick Hjeltness: Giving LeBron a heavy dose of Draymond with some Iguodala mixed in will be the best bet as far as individual matchups go. On a team level, going under screens to let LeBron take jumpers, not switching on picks when possible, double teaming on the block and shading LeBron to the baseline where Bogut can help out is the strategy I would recommend. Easier said than done though.

Angelo Mendoza: Warriors should, as Ron Adams told 95.7 The Game in a recent interview, throw different players at him at different stages of the game. This forces James to adapt to each defender, rather than giving him a chance to get used to just one. Dubs need to wear him out early and force him into inefficient shots rather than allowing him to dictate the flow of the game.

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Brendan Kennealy: This is a trick question, because you can’t necessarily “guard” the most physically gifted player that the league has ever seen. You can only hope to contain him. The Warriors will go about containing LeBron by throwing Barnes, Draymond, Iguodala, Klay, and Livingston in his direction. We could also very well see a double-team situation, similar to the Memphis series, if LeBron is having a LeBron-esque game.

Marc Grandi: Stopping James is impossible, but in order to slow him down and force others to beat them, the Warriors will — for the most part — clog the paint and force him to make jumpers. As we all know, James has struggled from the outside this postseason but has made a killing taking the ball to the basket. Good thing the Warriors have a great interior defender in Andrew Bogut, because they will rely on him heavily. As for primary defenders, Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes, and Andre Iguodala will spend the most time checking James.

Jamie Faue: To defend LeBron, the Warriors should rotate Bogut, Green, Iguodala and Thompson on him. Those four are the Warriors’ best defenders, and with the exception of Bogut, they are all quick enough to keep up with LeBron. Having just one defender would make it too easy for LeBron to figure out what the Warriors are doing and beat it. LeBron is most explosive in the lane and in the paint, so keeping him out of there will be most important.

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