Cleveland
After the Warriors swept the first two games in Oakland with comprehensive victories before the Cavaliers did the same in Game 3 here Wednesday night, both sides are preparing for Game 4 tonight while weighing possible changes to their starting lineups.
“They’re all big boys,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of his players during Thursday afternoon’s media availability. “They get paid a lot of money not only to play but sometimes to sit.
“You have to accept whatever comes your way as a player, especially in the playoffs when everything is more easily changed because of matchups or lineups or whatever.”
For Golden State and Cleveland, the changes being contemplated are the result of a “whatever” — in this case, Cavaliers star Kevin Love missing Game 3 because of a concussion. When Love was struck in the back of the head by an inadvertent elbow by Warriors forward Harrison Barnes in Golden State’s emphatic Game 2 win, it seemed like a case of things going from bad to worse for Cleveland.
But with Love entered into the NBA’s concussion protocol, Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue was forced to consider a lineup change. He could have made a like-for-like switch and played Timofey Mozgov or Channing Frye more minutes, but he opted to go with 35-year-old small forward Richard Jefferson.
The result was a Cavaliers defense that proved quicker, more agile and better capable of slowing the Warriors down, particularly against Golden State’s starting lineup, featuring Andrew Bogut at center. Cleveland scored the game’s first nine points and the first seven of the second half, essentially creating the difference between the two teams in the meaningful portions of Cleveland’s 120-90 rout.
Love’s possible return, however, could complicate things. While he became an all-star with the Minnesota Timberwolves for his multifaceted offensive game and elite rebounding, Love has struggled to find his place with the Cavaliers. What’s more, Love’s defensive weaknesses are exacerbated against the Warriors, who systematically hunt out weak links in the opposition with lethal precision.
He practiced with the Cavaliers on Thursday, the latest step in his passage through the concussion protocol, but still wasn’t cleared to participate fully or speak to the media. But the questions he would have received were directed at Lue, who was asked in every possible way whether Love will return to the starting lineup if cleared in time for Friday’s game.
“Haven’t thought about it yet,” Lue said, a phrase he repeated multiple times while fooling no one. “Just trying to get Kevin healthy is the most important thing right now.”
But as Lue will spend the hours leading up to tonight’s game trying to handle what will happen if Love can return, the Warriors likely will be contemplating a lineup change of their own. If Cleveland stays small, it will be hard for the Warriors to justify staying with the lineup that was run off the court to start both halves in Game 3.
And Golden State is used to making key lineup changes. A year ago, with the Warriors trailing two games to one here heading into Game 4, Kerr moved Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup in place of Bogut. Golden State won the final three games of the series to claim its first title in 40 years, with Iguodala winning Finals MVP.
Then, in this season’s Western Conference finals, Kerr moved Iguodala into the starting lineup again, replacing Barnes at halftime of Game 6 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, helping the Warriors escape from a three-games-to-one deficit and make it back to face the Cavaliers for a second straight season. Given that the Warriors have been impressive whenever they have gone small in this series, it’s easy to wonder whether the Warriors should try to go small again.
Kerr, though, is never one to rush into massive changes. He takes his cues from the legendary coaches he played for — Phil Jackson and, particularly, Gregg Popovich — who both relied on the process and methods that propelled their teams to the height of the sport to come through when it matters most.
“First of all, none of this was an issue when we were up 2-0,” Kerr said with a wry smile. “Now we lose a game, and these become huge issues. This is what the playoffs are about: the spotlight and the speculation and the criticism and the dramatic change in perception about what’s happening.
“It’s a team game. We get out there, we compete, different guys step up and have big games, other guys may not shoot the ball as well, but we all compete and we all play our [butts] off, and whatever happens, happens.
“But all this stuff about, ‘Oh my God, what are we going to do?’ All we have to do is take stock. We’re up 2-1. We’re in pretty good shape. We haven’t played well. Let’s play better.”
And with that, Kerr got up and briskly left the podium, heading off to spend the 24 hours leading up to Game 4 pondering exactly how he was going to help his team do so.