4 Things the Golden State Warriors MUST Do To Win Game 7 and Avoid an Epic Collapse

Kerr has probably been on the phone with Pop and Phil these past couple days.  He has to find the right mixture to get his team back to looking like the one that won 73 games.

Keep Steph Curry out of foul trouble.

Not sure how much zone defense the Warriors have played this year but it probably wouldn't hurt them to use some in Game 7.

The Cavs are putting LeBron James in pick and roll situations with whoever Curry is guarding in order to get Curry switched on to James.

Curry guarding LeBron is probably the most physical mismatch between any two players that could occur in this series.

The Warriors can't afford to have Curry on the bench and it is utmost to find a way to keep the Cavs from exploiting this matchup.

Also, Curry needs to stop reaching and play defense with his feet.  

Foul or not, the more you reach, the higher the chance of you getting the whistle blown.

Barbosa over Livingston.

Shaun Livingston was arguably the best reserve guard in the NBA this season, and brings unique versatility both offensively and defensively because of his size and length, but Leandro Barbosa needs to be the first player off Kerr's bench.

Barbosa is more similar to Curry in style of play in that he is aggressive on offense and forces the tempo.  Too many times has the Warriors offense gone on a scoring drought (11 first quarter points in Game 6) and Barbosa has proven on many occasion that he can provide that intensity.

Exploit Kyrie defensively.

Games 1 and 2 were blowouts in favor of the Dubs, and much of it had to do with Cleveland's ineptitude as a team on defense, and also the fact that Kyrie Irving is a great offensive player but also a notorious defensive liability.

If the Cavs are successful exploiting Curry's defensive ineffeciencies then why not do the same to Cleveland's weakest defender?

What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

Iguodala is good in many positions...this ain't one of 'em.

Who's gonna do the Iggy?

Andre Iguodala was the MVP of the 2015 NBA Finals, not for his greatness as a scorer, but for the job he did defensively on Lebron. 

Iggy's lower back was clearly bothering him during Game 6 and it's difficult to think that he will be able to contribute much of anything in Game 7.

Problem for Kerr is that as deep and talented the Warriors' bench is, there is no player that can replicate the physical tools and skill set that Iguodala provides.

Kerr may be forced to use Klay Thompson as the main LeBron-stopper, which could also hinder his offensive production, but it's basically pick your poison at this point. 

NBA Breakdown: 'The LeBron Rules'

Kerr has masterminded a gamplan, but will it work?

Heard a lot of, "We just have to stick with the gameplan" coming from the Golden State Warriors players after their 108-100 Game 1 win in the NBA Finals over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday. Head coach Steve Kerr when asked about the team's plan on defending LeBron James, who dropped a Finals-career-high 44 points, he said, "If I tell you, will you promise not to share it with anybody?" It all seemed obvious what the Warriors gameplan really was by that point. Clearly, they are content with allowing James as many isolation situations as he would like, and will rotate multiple defenders on him to give him different looks, but they WILL NOT double or trap him and allow him to be effective as a play maker. This is ultimately the gameplan or 'rule' that Kerr has devised to contain the 'Chosen One'.

How do you stop LBJ? Don't let him PASS.

44 points from LBJ combined with only six assists is a formula that the Warriors look willing to "stick with". Who ever would think that this is the best way to defend LeBron? Kerr, who was not yet a teammate of Michael Jordan when the Chicago Bulls were battling the 'Bad Boys' Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference playoffs in the late 80s (ironically, he was on the Cavs) was a witness to a successful method of stopping an elite scorer. The method was originally to stop Jordan at all costs and physically wear him down.  The opposite scheme worked in Game 1 for Kerr and the Warriors against LeBron, although Kyrie Irving (23 points) had a solid game, J.R. Smith (3-13 FG, 9 points) was virtually ineffective. But on the downside, LeBron did have the ball in his hands on the final possession of regualtion with a chance to win the game. If he makes that shot, hard to say if the Warriors would be willing to continue with that strategy after losing Game 1 at home.

MJ took a beating vs. the Pistons but eventually broke through

There's gonna be adjustments made, and James, normally a model for effeciency, won't normally take 38 shots to get to 44 points. He's probably gonna try his best to get other guys in a rhythm earlier in the game so that when the 4th quarter rolls around, everyone won't be standing and watching just waiting and expecting for him to make a play all by himself. If there's any indication from the Warriors comments following Game 1 however, the 'LeBron Rules' will be in effect for the duration of the series. Klay Thompson summed it up best by saying, "He's gonna have to beat us four times playing like that. Hopefully he wears down."

'No Ring . . . No Love?'

LeBron still searching for that first ring.

Hate is a strong word . . . unless of course, you're talking about LeBron James.  Many basketball fans use that term loosely when referring to him, and there are legitimate reasons as to why James, once one of the most beloved players in the NBA, has gradually turned into the league's top villain.  His biggest and most flagrant PR mistake: the sanctimonious departure from his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers in order to join forces with superstars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in South Beach.  The knock ever since is that James will never be as great as his idol, Michael Jordan, because of his inability/unwillingness to close in crunch time and carry a team to an NBA title. 
Last year, James' contribution in the Finals was considered marginal at best for a player of his caliber, and much of the blame for the Miami Heat failure to finish once again fell on his shoulders.  But in this 2012 postseason, James has been the clear-cut catalyst for the Heat, who are two wins away from a championship for the second year in a row.  LeBron put in two career performances in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics in Game 6 and 7 when facing elimination that for most players would be career defining.  Even in the Finals against the ever-so-likeable Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder, James has carried MIA on both ends of the floor and has not disappeared in crunch time, and the Heat hold a 2-1 series lead. 
But for most LeBron critics, it all won't mean a thing unless he gets two more wins.  It's probably unfair the amount of pressure put on James to win a ring --pressure from the media and pressure he put on himself -- because the longer it takes to get that ring, the greater a burden it becomes on a player who is not yet 30 years old and is a 3-time league MVP.  And then there is the possibility that he won't get love until he wins more than one championship (since LeBron was the one that promised Heat fans multiple championships).  Nowhere in sports history has a player needed to win more than one title to validate an already Hall of Fame career . . . but of course, we are talking about LeBron James.

'Who's Next?'

I don't think anyone outside of the state of Texas had the Dallas Mavericks winning it all this year and certainly no one could've predicted the absolute clinic Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki put on along the way to said championship.  You probably won't get very accurate predictions (atleast I called that the Heat wouldn't win a championship though) out of me but nevertheless, my list of players who I think have what it takes to be the 2012 Dirk, but still need work on certain aspects of their games.

Rondo can drive and dish, but his J is AWOL.

Derrick Rose - Chicago Bulls

MVP or not, Rose still needs work on his perimeter jumper.  He shot 33-percent from 3-point during the 2010-11 season and a wretched 25-percent during the playoffs.  The guy is unstoppable off the drive already, imagine what will open up for himself and his teammates once a few more J's start falling.

 

Rajon Rondo - Boston Celtics
It's pretty clear that if Rondo could shoot the basketball worth a ball of yarn, we would all be looking at the second coming of Isiah Thomas.  Rondo has played four years in the NBA and is a two-time All-Star, the starting point guard on NBA Championship team, and boasts some historical individual playoff performances (29 points, 18 rebounds, 13 assists against Cleveland in the 2010 Eastern Conference semis), despite being a career 24-percent 3-point shooter and 62-percent from the free throw line.

Time for Melo to show he's more than just a scorer.

Carmelo Anthony - New York Knicks
We know he can score, but what can he do to make his teammates better?  Melo needs to take a cue from what Kobe Bryant went through in the post-Shaq L.A. years and save the offense for down the stretch.  Get the teammates involved and their confidence up because they are the ones you are going to have to rely on to make shots when the double and tripple teams come.  Also, Anthony is a physical guy on offense but doesn't really translate that mentality on the defensive end.  He needs to be more assertive on that end of the floor, it will go a long way in showing your teammates that you are sold out to doing anything it takes to win.

Russell Westbrook - Oklahoma City Thunder
Very talented and athletic point guard that needs to better understand his role as Kevin Durant's teammate in this current Thunder offensive system.  A first time NBA All-Star in 2011, Westbrook has elevated his offensive game to the point where he commands double teams now.  But what killed Westbrook and the Thunder in the playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks was poor shot selection down the stretch and lack of ball movement.  Westbrook was benched for the whole fourth quarter in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semis for being the main contributor to the two aformentioned maladies.  Westbrook's main job is to help get Durant going by creating space for him by penetrating and kicking out and continue to find K.D. when he's hot.  His offensive game is most effective when he is under control in the half court and when pushing the ball in transition.

Griffin is the second best player in L.A. already. 

Blake Griffin - Los Angeles Clippers
There is no way the Clippers find a way to screw this one up.  Griffin is two post-up moves and one face-up move away from being a player who is perennially in the conversation for league MVP.  All the hype is not an exaggeration either; not when you win Rookie of the Year honors by averaging 22.5 points per game and 12.1 rebounds per game in 82 games after missing the entire 2009-10 season from a knee injury that required surgery.  Who knows if Griffin will end  up staying in Los Angeles though as the Clippers are a franchise known for everything in the world that is the opposite of 'good'.  The Clip roster is pretty young and talented (see DeAndre Jordan, Eric Gordon and Al-Farouq Aminu) but who is to say that they can't make strides like the OKC Thunder have over the past few seasons?

Dwight Howard - Orlando Magic
In a league that is known historically for dominant big men equalling playoff success and championships, Howard has experienced very little of the former and none of the latter in his career which began in 2004.  Rumors are swirling that Orlando might not be the right fit for the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and four-time All-NBA First Teamer.  No matter what team he plays for though, Howard needs to develop as a playmaker when he has the rock with his back to the basket, a-la Hakeem Olajuwon.  When the ball goes inside to him, defenses know that he is probably going to put up a shot since his post game is not smooth enough yet to find open teammates off the double team with any sort of consistency.

The Lake-Slow



Bryant can't do it alone

  "We get behind early on in the third quarter on some stupid plays -- poor passing, poor transition defense -- and then Kobe has to screw up the game and start energizing the team by going one-on-one and that takes the rest of the guys out as a consequence." Lakers coach Phil Jackson after 104-85 loss at Staples Center against the Memphis Grizzlies.

We're almost halfway through the 2010-11 NBA season and one thing that is very apparent to me about the 2-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers is that they don't have the same speed and energy from the supporting cast as they have had on the teams that reached the Finals the three previous seasons.  The problem is not Kobe. (and Phil knows that, he's just doing that Jedi post game presser talk he always does.)  The reality is, it's like everyone besides Kobe and Shannon Brown are playing in slow-motion right now.  Lamar Odom has had sparks of brilliance but has often looked lethargic (crash from sugar high) and disinterested (wishes he was with the other Kardashian sisters).  Pau Gasol looks about 10 years older than he did last year (Miguel Tejada?).  They can still light up the score board on any given night but they don't play with the same intensity and urgency as those other teams.  Bottom line: It's an old team with not much to prove.  We all know in sports that teams experience a 'hangover' after winning a championship and get complacent, but many people believe that the will of Kobe Bryant to be the G.O.A.T., and the manipulative mind-game modus operendi of master-motivator Phil Jackson, would be enough to get the Lakers where they need to be and in position for a three-peat.  It's still early but the guys they have lost and the guys they have replaced them with have either lost motivation or have been quite vast downgrades.

Trevor Ariza - Ron Artest

Odom is dissapointed; he chose the wrong Kardashian

Ariza was an O.K. NBA player when he was with the New York Knicks (and a little less good with the Orlando Magic) but became the most important 'glue' guy for the Lakers for those first two Finals teams.  An L.A. guy through-and-through (Westchester H.S. and UCLA), the then 22-year old Ariza was an athletic defender that grew in confidence with his jumpshot from what was obviously a combination of hard work, and the motivation that can be inspired when playing for a player like Kobe and being coached by a coah like Phil.  His game improved so much from his time in Los Angeles that he was basically given the 'green-light' whenever he was in the game and became the designated team defensive stopper.  The culmination of Ariza's career in L.A. came in the 2009 Playoffs where he shot 48% from three in 23 games and had a 13 points in a crucial third quarter run against Orlando in Game 4 of the Finals to help lead the Lakers to an overtime victory.  When Ariza signed with the Houston Rockets the next year (five years, $33 million), it left the door open for L.A. to sign a seasoned player who was known for his defensive tenacity, Ron Artest.  But Ron-Ron didn't come without controversy.  In fact, many wondered when the eccentric 29 year-old forward from Queensbridge (who signed for . . . five years, $33 million) would transform back into his semi-psychotic side and make the Lakers rue the day they signed him.  For the most part, Artest was majorly motivated to win a championship and kept the antics under wrap, and hit memorable game-winners in the Western Conference Finals against the Phoenix Suns and the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.  But what is left on the plate for Artest now? 

Artest is ready to move on to different things

We all know that The Tru Warier can't stay focused for long.  He's always been into music and is now talking about possibly trying out for the NFL or going into boxing.  The lack of focus for Artest has been very noticeable this year, with his point total dropping to 7.5 points per game through 34 games this year after averaging 11 ppg (77 games) a year ago.

Jordan Farmar - Steve Blake (30 years old, 6 different NBA teams in 8 seasons)

Farmar may have been the single most motivated player on the team during this Lakers run not named Kobe Bryant.  Farmar, who like Ariza went to UCLA and played high school ball in the L.A. area, felt like the starting point guard position was in his reach and worked like a mad-man to try and get it.  While he never captured the starting role (two starts in four years), especially with the return of longtime Laker point guard Derek Fisher in 2007, the 24-year old Farmar was probably the fastest player on the team and often the spark for the Los Angeles transition game and, along with Sasha Vujacic, became a key part of the second unit.  With Blake coming in (with a $4 million contract no less) its hard to believe that the Lakers improved their second group, nor did they get bang for their buck.  Blake is a better shooter from the perimeter, shooting 41% from three so far this season, but he doesn't force the tempo the way Farmar did.

New additions: Matt Barnes and Devin Ebanks

Barnes balls on and off the court; but mostly off

Barnes, 30, was known as a runner and gunner when he played for those exciting Golden State Warriors teams a few years ago and again in a stint with the Suns.  He tried to reprise that role last year with the Magic but was mostly just known for getting under Kobe's skin and Basketball Wives.  Now that he plays with Bryant, I guess all he has to be known for is Basketball Wives.  Ebanks came out of West Virginia with high-praise and displayed much of his raw skills and athletic ability in the summer league and pre-season.  However, the 21-year old Queens native has been mostly subjcted to the D-leauge so far this year.