NBA Finals: 3 questions for Game 2
By Ian Levy
3. What do the Warriors get from Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry?
In Game 1, Thompson and Curry combined for 20 points on 27 field goal attempts. In the playoffs to that point, they had been averaging a combined 52.9 points per game on 39.7 field goal attempts per game.
Golden State was able to take Game 1 because of enormous contributions from their bench players — Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala, and Leandro Barbosa combined for 43 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists, shooting 18-of-24 from the field. Obviously, the strong play from that group buoyed the Warriors’ offense, keeping Curry and Thompson from having to press, and holding down their shot totals.
Golden State does not want to have to rely on that formula again. Their bench is phenomenal but the healthiest scenario for the team is when their contributions are simply filling in the gaps around Thompson and Curry. The pair missed some shots they would normally make — they were just 3-of-9 on three-pointers classified as “open” or “wide-open” by NBA.com. But Curry also looked less than aggressive at times off the ball, meandering instead of smashing his defender into screens with hard cuts.
The Warriors are good enough to win even when their two best players aren’t quite firing on all cylinders. However, trying to pull that off again certainly leaves the door open for Cleveland.
Next: 2. What does Cleveland's offense look like?