It’s going to be a tough ask for the Cleveland Cavaliers to stop the Golden State Warriors offense in the 2017 NBA Finals. In addition to 3-point shooting, a tough transition game, and offensive rebounding, stopping halfcourt cutters within the Warriors offense will be key for the Cavaliers.
There are a few specific things I expect the Cavaliers to gameplan for when it comes to stopping a halfcourt offense that is one of the most confusing to guard in the NBA.
First the Cavaliers need to understand when the Warriors like to cut and what it looks like in their offense when they are trying to set up a backdoor or split cut.
Second they need to have their second help position on rotations dialed in. This means guys who might not expect to get sucked into plays need to understand rotations on plays away from their side of the ball just in case.
Third the Cleveland defense needs to have their switches locked in and called out. Tyronn Lue’s team needs to know how switches are affected by Golden State personnel changes as the game goes on.
Fourth Lue and his staff will likely need to have a gameplan for who it is OK to leave and when as it relates to the halfcourt offense. The choice between leaving Shaun Livingston and David West open on the elbow will be clear when the alternative is Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, or Stephen Curry at the 3-point line.
This is an outline for how Cleveland can counter a Warriors offense that likes to get you overplaying the 3-point point line in order to get easy buckets down low.
Watch the full video breakdown above to get the full plan.