Golden State Warriors/Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Finals, Series Ending Game 5 Analysis
16 Wins A Ring Writers offer 3 different perspectives on NBA Finals, Game 5 results: Warriors 129 - Cavaliers 120
Golden State Analysis by: Rich Condon
What Worked:
Golden State got back their defensive intensity, and the rest of their game blossomed from there. Kevin Durant capped off his Finals MVP campaign with the Bill Russell Finals MVP Trophy, finishing Game Five with 39 points (14–20 from the field, 5–8 from three), 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Durant finished the Finals shooting 55 percent from the field, 47 percent from 3, and 92 percent from the line. The 50–40–90 club is the hallmark of efficiency. KD simply couldn’t be stopped tonight, no matter how much pressure the Cleveland Cavaliers put on him.
As unbelievably good as KD was, Steph Curry was the difference maker in Game Five. Curry finished with 34 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds, in addition to three steals. He also converted of 12 of 15 free throws. However, Curry was the focal point of the Warriors offense for huge stretches of the game, and most interestingly, the Splash Brother was cold from deep. Curry finished at the rim at will, snaking through the defense and roasting mismatches in the pick-and-roll. Steph nearly finished the Finals averaging a triple-double with 26.8 points, 9.4 assists, and 8 rebounds per game.
Draymond Green is the superstar of role players. Draymond put up a 10 point and 12 rebound double-double, in addition to five steals, however, his work on sealing off lanes for Curry to finish at the rim was exceptional. This was the first game of the Finals that Green was able to stay out of foul trouble for the most part, and the difference in how the Warriors played was evident. Golden State was able to stay aggressive on defense with their defensive anchor present, and they scored 21 points off 13 Cleveland turnovers.
The Warriors bench play was exceptional. Andre Iguodala alone outscored Cleveland’s entire bench 20–7. Add in the contributions of David West, Shaun Livingston, and rookie Patrick McCaw, and that margin increases to 35–7.
Lessons Learned:
One could point out that Golden State finished with a lower shooting percentage, less points in the paint, and less points in transition than the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, considering that Golden State never relinquished the lead after a huge 28–4 run in the 2nd quarter, en route to their second Finals victory in three years, that seems silly.
What the Golden State Warriors have done in the past three years, regardless of where you stand on super-teams has been sensational. They’ve won 207 out of 246 regular season games. They’ve revolutionized basketball. They beat LeBron James, who’s “never played on a superteam”, a ridiculous claim by James, and who’s apparently chasing the ghost of the GOAT, Michael Jordan , twice in the Finals.
Everything about Golden State is impressive, from the top of the organization forming this team to how beautifully they play on the court. All four of their stars are under 30 years old, and it seems the best is still to come for this team.
They were even able to turn their lowest point into a positive, as noted by Draymond Green: “If Kevin Durant was the consolation prize, thanks for the loss.”
It looks like we’re witnessing the birth of a dynasty.
Cavaliers Analysis by Brendan Vogt
What Worked:
The Cavaliers played a bad basketball game. They turned it over 14 times, they were out-rebounded by Golden State, they finished with less assists than Golden State, and they shot just 65.2 percent from the line. Somehow though, they were still in this thing right until the final minutes. That can really only be chalked up to one thing:
LeBron James
The King will be forced to relinquish his status as a defending world champion after a breathtaking postseason from the Warriors. But make no mistake, it’s the trophy that LeBron is handing over, not his crown.
Heading into Game 5 the Warriors were up 3–1 with a massive point differential, and yet they were a -6 when LeBron James was on the floor, and +31 in just the 26 minutes that he was off.
That changed tonight, as LeBron finished -12 in this game, and the Warriors put their foot on the throats of the Cavaliers with a 22–2 run towards the end of the first half. The Cavs would make it close, but they wouldn’t regain the lead.
This can be blamed on a lot of things: those turnovers, missed free throws, poor decisions to foul, and of course the sheer greatness of Kevin Durant and the Warriors.
But it can’t be blamed on LeBron.
He finished with 41 points on 63.3 percent shooting, while racking up 13 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and a block. LeBron James may have blazed the trail that led to his own downfall when he joined the Miami Heat in free agency, but he did not go down swinging.
He was magnificent, and perhaps the best player in the Finals for the third straight year. That’s obviously up for debate, and the fans of the 2016–17 NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant will probably disagree. But this series was as much a testament to LeBron’s greatness as anything else he’s accomplished.
Lessons Learned:
It doesn’t matter what perspective you’re viewing this game from: Kevin Durant solidified himself as one of the greatest players to ever pick up a basketball.
Seemingly every time the Cavs came knocking on the door, KD responded with ice-cold buckets. No star has ever had it easier than Durant has in these playoffs, but a lot of those shots came late in the shot clock with a man in his grill. It doesn’t matter who one’s teammates are in those moments — he hit those shots all on his own, and he was the difference in this game.
But there was another lesson learned tonight. The Cavaliers got rocked in this series, and months from now no one will remember how close this game could have been, or how close game 3 actually was. LeBron said it himself after game 4: “We’ve got Championship DNA too.” Golden State is better, and it’s not that close. But the Cavaliers were closer than we’ll remember, and LeBron James might actually not be a human being. Golden State is the new standard, but they aren’t invincible, and there’s no guarantee that the final chapter of this rivalry has been written.
The Cavaliers should run it back. We might all be surprised by the results.
Parting Thoughts:
It’s been a wild ride covering these playoffs for 16winsaring.com, and it’s allowed me to stay focused and engaged in a postseason in which many fans were genuinely wondering aloud if the league had been ruined.
It hasn’t. Competitive balance is important, but a lack of it will never be enough to “ruin” or topple this league. There are no greater fans alive than NBA fans, and we’ll all prove it as we spend the next few months obsessing over offseason rumors and hypotheticals in spite of the dominance displayed by both conference champions.
What the Celtics do this offseason will be fascinating. The decision in front of Chris Paul is still a massive one. The exciting futures of Denver, Minnesota, and Milwaukee are still intact. The 76ers have another lottery pick, Joel Embiid might return for a full season, and we still haven’t seen Ben Simmons play.
Don’t give up on this league.
It’s basketball, it’s the best, and it’s not going anywhere. Remember that when your explaining to your grandkids what it was like to watch this Warriors team play ball.
Neutral Analysis by Tamberlyn Richardson
Why Warriors Won:
In truth this game was much closer than the final score shows. The Cavaliers won most of the key categories, but a few factors allowed the Warriors to close out the series.
Kevin Durant produced another solid effort connecting on two in your face clutch shots along with a point guard like drive from the top of the key for an easy lay in. A pivotal moment came in the second quarter when he wasn’t called for inadvertently hitting LeBron in the head. At the time it would have been his third personal foul. From that moment the Warriors went on a 28–4 run which the Cavaliers never fully recovered from.
With his 39 points, KD moves to third all-time with 32.9 points per game finals scoring average(minimum 10 games played) behind Rick Barry (36.3) and Michael Jordan (33.6)
Steph Curry was sublime producing a stat line of 34 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists and 3 steals. Notably only 6 of his points came off 3-point shots as he worked the pick-n-roll to perfection.
Once more the Warriors depth played a factor as each of Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, David West and Patrick McCaw brought tangible results to the court. Iggy’s game may be pinpointed as the x-factor, but that would be to ignore how much Draymond Green did that simply won’t show up on the stat sheet. Time and again, Green set key screens or occupied LeBron James under the basket. I’d love to know how many of his hockey assists led to scores as it seemed like he was involved in more scoring efforts than any other Warrior player. Green finished the evening with a game-high plus +19.
One particular offensive tactic which stood out in Game 5 was the paint passing. Time and again Curry and Co drove the ball at the basket to simply pass off for an easy dunk. Obviously Steve Kerr recognized something between games as this move was frequently utilized.
Moving forward, there are multiple questions to be addressed this offseason. Clearly, Kevin Durant will want to stay put now that he’s won his first title. Curry will also finally get paid appropriately via the designated veterans extension given he’s been on an extremely cost effective contract (read: under paid).
But, the Warriors also have to address their two key reserve cogs in Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston. Iggy in particular presents an interesting situation since recent reports indicate the Warriors were willing to trade him to ensure Durant came on board last summer. I’m not sure how that should sit with Iggy who was the final player to speak with Durant in the Hamptons, due to their strong relationship.
Other contracts to be sorted include both bigs JaVale McGee and Zaza Pachulia as well as Ian Clark, Matt Barnes and David West. In essence the only players under contract are Thompson, Green, Kevon Looney plus their two rookies Damian Jones and Patrick McCaw. Fully two-thirds of the Warriors roster has to be addressed. In comparison to the Cavaliers the big difference for the Warriors is figuring out salaries is a far easier task as champions since more players will be open to making concessions.
Why Cavaliers Lost:
To be clear, LeBron James was a beast in this series. Although many will point to his three title wins, it could be argued this series was his most complete of his eight opportunities. He becomes the first player to ever average a triple-double in the Finals.
Kyrie Irving had a good game with 26 points and 6 assists, though he was hampered by a sore knee and back stiffness. In the end, debate will ensue over his slow series start and how much it played a factor over the course of the finals.
Kevin Love had a sub-par scoring evening which is disappointing given he was arguably the most consistent Cavaliers player throughout the postseason (other than LeBron).
As for the remainder of the roster, two others brought their A games; Tristan Thompson had his best game of the Finals and J.R. Smith was hitting crazy threes with players draped all over him.
That said, ultimately, the Cavaliers ‘others’ couldn’t measure up to the Warriors. As a team the Cavaliers were hampered by a few key factors which inevitably caught up to them. Specifically being older, lack of overall defensive ability and their ‘others’ not being as talented as the Warriors ‘others’.
Digging into the box score shows the Cavaliers won most categories, but if there is one definitive weakness it was probably the fact the Warriors were used to playing on both sides. Cleveland didn’t ramp up their defense until the playoffs began and that took a toll in other areas like hitting free throws. To wit, the Cavs had 5 less attempts, but shot a poor 63.8 percent from the charity stripe. Forming solid habits through the season pays dividends and the Warriors superior defense was critical to their successful championship run.
Moving forward, now the pundits will begin to assess what the Cavaliers can do in the offseason to alter this roster. Clearly, Cleveland needs to get younger and either make a more concerted effort to play defense throughout the season or make trades to get younger and add defense. Yet, the money Gilbert gave to Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Channing Frye does hamstring the Cavaliers somewhat.
Entering the 2017–18 season the Cavliers have 8 players under contract for the amount of $125,214,716.00. Two additional contracts in rookie Kay Felder and late season D-League signing of Edy Tavares equal just under another $2.79 million with both on team options. So, the Cavs have to sign five to seven players knowing if they retain the two youngsters they are already over the luxury tax apron of $127 million.
The other big debate which will no doubt arise is LeBron’s place in history beside the GOAT Michael Jordan. LeBron has now lost five of his eight finals (the only MVP to lose 5) whereas Jordan won all six of his opportunities (winning the Finals MVP each time). It feels like an inappropriate argument based on how different the two players are, not to mention the differences in the era they played in. Personally, LeBron James has always reminded me of Wayne Gretzky in terms of his ability to read the game and the copious assists he generates.
Yet, the fact LeBron is seldom willing to be the guy taking the clutch shots is also relevant. In fairness, he has to do so much to keep his squad in the game through the first three quarters. But, he’s also the one pulling the strings of who he wants on his team.
Looking back, how much better could this Cavs squad be with Andrew Wiggins starting at shooting guard and moving up to small forward in small ball? Cleveland would have more salary leeway, be younger and probably far better defensively. Hindsight is 20–20, but it sure seems like the Cavaliers would be far closer to the Warriors and in better financial shape than their current iteration.
Bottom line, an interesting summer lies ahead for David Griffin and the Cavaliers brain trust. As do 28 other franchises who now chase the benchmark set by the Warriors.
