Should the Cavaliers just let Kevin Durant score?

Game 1 of the NBA Finals was dominated by Kevin Durant. The most obvious new face in this third NBA Finals meeting between the Cavaliers and Warriors wasted no time in making his presence felt. Durant posted 38 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists in the Warriors 113-91 win.

When Golden State pursued Durant in free agency last year, nights like Thursday is exactly what they had in mind.

Combining Durant’s versatility as a scorer with the shooting prowess of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson creates all types of conundrums for opposing defenses, especially in transition — which the Warriors live for.

The Cavaliers started off Game 1 focused on limiting Golden State’s looks from the perimeter. The result was Durant walking through the defense for wide open dunks. Giving Durant easy looks like that allowed him to get into a rhythm, build momentum, and shed pressure. He finished with 23 first-half points.

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Yet, for all the scoring and impact Durant was having on the game, a crazy thing happened, Golden State held just an eight-point advantage at the half (60-52). It was an offensive onslaught in the third quarter led by Curry (14 points in the quarter) that broke the game open for the Warriors.

What was the difference between Durant’s hot 24 minutes to start the game and Curry’s scorching 12? Flow and movement.

The Warriors built the behemoth they’ve become off of a motion offense that highlights their players’ ability to make plays off the ball. This philosophy — and the fact that he’s the greatest shooter of all-time — are what helped make Curry into the superstar he is today. When he’s going it doesn’t matter if he has the ball or not, just his presence on the floor is a threat that teams have to constantly worry about it. This gravity forces defenders to overcompensate for him and often leave other players open in an effort to keep Curry from getting good looks.

Durant is new to this. For most of his basketball life, he’s played in isolation or coming off screens. If nothing presented itself Durant could always find a way to get a bucket on his own. While he has openly accepted the ways of Golden State in his first season with the team, there are times when Durant reverts back to his specialty: one-on-one basketball.

These examples from Game 1 all have one thing in common, attacking a mismatch (and usually getting a good look), but also a lack of off-ball movement from the other Warriors. Cleveland isn’t going to magically stumble upon a defensive scheme that completely thwarts Golden State. There is, however, an adjustment they could make for the remainder of the series — Let KD get his.

Durant is arguably the best scorer in the NBA today (maybe even in the league’s history). In 2012, when Durant faced off against James’ Miami Heat — a MUCH better defensive team– he casually dropped 30 points per game over the course of the five-game series. If prime LeBron, with better defenders, couldn’t slow Durant down it’s unlikely that James will have a better chance this go round.

Now, parting like the Red Sea in the paint on fastbreaks is not what I’m advocating. The Cavaliers aren’t going to beat the Warriors under any scenario where Durant is getting a half-dozen untouched dunks per game. Durant can make tough shots. Players like Richard Jefferson, Iman Shumpert, and J.R. Smith should make sure that the shots he takes are tough, and that those shots are the ones that are available — not wide-open looks for Curry and Thompson.

Thompson has been in a postseason-long slump, but he had open looks and at some point they’re going to start going in. Curry, like Durant, will make some tough shots. But it’s the wide open ones that can finish the obliteration of a defense.

If Golden State is left with Durant isolations as their best option they will definitely exploit it. Yet, for all his accolades Durant taking over a game can be withstood. KD has scored 30-plus points five times in the 2017 playoffs, the Warrior’s margin of victory in those games were: +12 (Game 1 vs POR), +11 (Game 3 vs UTA), +2 (Game 1 vs SAS), +12 (Game 3 vs SAS) and +22 (Game 1 vs CLE).

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The Warriors have also won five games by 20-plus points this postseason. Durant’s scoring totals in those games were: 0 points, DNP (Game 2 vs POR), 10 points (Game 4 vs POR), 18 points (Game 4 vs UTA), 16 points (Game 2 vs SAS), and 38 points (Game 1 vs CLE).

It’s a small sample size, but some of Durant’s biggest scoring games have come in Golden State’s closest games. It sounds crazy, but Cleveland’s best chance might be letting Durant score at the expense of his talented teammates.