Golden State Warriors Roundtable: 5 Questions About NBA Finals

3) Who will be the x-factor for each team?

Dec 29, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Tristan Thompson (13) dribbles the ball in front of Golden State Warriors small forward Harrison Barnes (40) and small forward Draymond Green (23) in the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Hjeltness: It has to be Draymond. The burden of guarding the best basketball player on the planet will largely fall on his shoulders, so his performance defensively will make or break this series. He’ll also have to continue his impressive work on both sides of the glass, and he’ll have to do a better job of knocking down his open shots.

Angelo Mendoza: For the Warriors, the x-factor is Harrison Barnes. He’ll likely take a couple turns at defending James, so his effort on the defensive end will certainly be key; however, it’s Barnes’ offense from the small forward position that will be most important, as his ability to score and draw the defense’s attention will only help increase the number of outside scoring opportunities for Curry and Klay Thompson.

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Brendan Kennealy: The x-factor for the Cavaliers is Timofey Mozgov. The rim protector must be able to deny Livingston’s back-downs on smaller guards, Draymond-to-Bogut alley-oops, and Barnes and Iguodala’s slashes to the rim.

The x-factor for the Dubs is Shaun Livingston. When the Warriors roll out their three-guard lineup with Livingston, Curry, and Klay, the Cavs will most likely line up a taller defender on Curry, thus allowing Livingston to have his typical post-ups on smaller defenders. Matthew Dellavedova will have no chance against the 6’7″ Livingston in the post.

Marc Grandi: For Golden State, look for Barnes to have a major impact. When he plays well, the Warriors are nearly unbeatable. He will build on his fantastic performance that helped close out the Western Conference Finals. For Cleveland, Tristan Thompson will play spectacular basketball. If Green starts on James, Barnes will be forced to guard Thompson, which is a mismatch. Keeping Thompson off the glass is a tall task.

Jamie Faue: The x-factor for the Warriors will be Draymond Green, and for the Cavs, the x-factor will be JR Smith.

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