Mystery Men

   by  nikk_la 

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It’s the names you don’t know that will win the NBA        Finals

Steph Curry can hit shots from anywhere at a ridunkulous rate.  LeBron can outmuscle forwards and outrun centers.  Klay Thompson has a masterful balance of outside shooting and slashing ability.  Kyrie Irving seems to move in slow motion to everyone…..except the dude guarding him.  We all know these players and what they’ll do.  Like we know Charles Barkley will say something random and Shaq will say something no one can understand.  These have all been constants throughout the playoffs.

It’s what we don’t know that’s going to make the difference in this series.

Golden State seems like a perimeter team on the surface.  It seems like Steve Kerr has given everyone the green line from outside the arc.  The reality is the Warriors are 8^th in points in the paint in the playoffs and Festus Ezeli has been a huge part of that.  He’s averaging 4 rebounds in just 11 minutes and also providing solid interior defense.  Cleveland will need to know where he is on the floor or the Splash Brothers will penetrate and leave him some beautiful lobs for rim-rockin’.

On the flip side, Mozgov could be the X-factor in the middle for the Cavs.  Tristan Thompson has been the hot ticket in the playoffs, but Timofey’s girth might match up better against Bogut in the trenches.  The Aussie likes to throw his weight around and is great at leaning in and creating contact with defenders.  Thompson is strong but is better at using space to slide into rebounding position……and battling with Bogut might also lead to foul trouble.

Draymond Green is going to guard King James a lot, but Harrison Barnes will spell him at times and his ability to make LeBron work for baskets and on defense will be key.  Barnes has hit some big threes in the playoffs and can get in the lane off the dribble.  That could mean fouls and fatigue for BronBron.  The former Tarheel won’t shut him down, but any chance at slowing him will help.

JR Smith and Iman Shumpert are going to be tough for the Warriors to match up with when the second unit is on the floor.  Smith can kill you from the perimeter when he’s on…….but he can also kill himself when he’s not.  JR has reigned it in for most of the playoffs and make pretty good decisions.  He can be a real problem for defenses when he decides to attack the lane because he’s solid physically.  I don’t see Livingston or Barbosa able to contain him.
Shumpert is even more of a wild card than Smith.  He can rebound well for a guard and really gets after it on defense.  Dude is long and active and throws all kind of crazy at offenses.  He’s also been pitching in 10 pts a game, much of that from deep.

And finally, my man Delly.

Dellavedova scores 7 points and dishes out 3 assists a game, but bruh leads the league in aggravation, hustle and grit.  He will D up anybody and dives for every ball within sight.  Some have called him dirty.  Others say he’s a throwback to when G’s were playing the game.  I like to think of him as a white, Australian Charles Oakley.  This is the guy harassing Curry or Klay or maybe even Draymond and I bet he baits on of them into a technical foul in the first game.  If he’s able to play his game and not get tossed, look for the Cavs to steal one in San Fransisco.

This will be a grinding series, even with the up tempo of the Warriors.  Whoever gets the most out of their 3^rd and 4^th options will force the other team to play reactive basketball.  And that’s when the grimiest players make a difference.