#4 The Cavaliers game plan against Curry on both ends
Coming into the Finals, everybody knew the Cavaliers needed to find a way to stop league MVP Stephen Curry and although they went down 3-1 after four games, they still did make it really tough for Curry to get going. Not in a single game these Finals, did we see the Curry do ‘Curry like’ things.
Part of the reason is the MCL sprain he suffered in Game 4 of the first round of the Playoffs against the Houston Rockets. Missing close to two weeks in the middle of the post-season certainly put him off rhythm. Having said that, at the grandest stages of them all, the NBA Finals, there are no excuses and credit must be given where it’s due.
Cleveland were physical with Curry, closing down on him and not allowing him any airspace. They fought hard through the screens to not give any room or time to have a clean open long range shot.
On offense, the Cavaliers repeatedly looked for Curry and the mismatch involving him. They would make the player guarded by Curry screen for either Irving or James, thus creating the mismatch. The screening would basically make it easier to score, given Curry’s lean and relatively short stature.
Sometimes the aggressive offense also put Curry in foul trouble, forcing him to play limited minutes.
Guess the Lakers players!
