5 keys for the Cavaliers to win the NBA Finals

Cleveland Cavaliers v Boston Celtics - Game Seven
Can LeBron James do the impossible in his eighth straight finals?

#2 Supporting cast scoring

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Boston Celtics v Cleveland Cavaliers - Game Six
George Hill and J. R. Smith have to help LeBron in this series

Other than LeBron James, none of the Cavs players has been a consistent scorer. Kevin Love, who is still recovering from a concussion and is questionable for game one, is their only player to score in double digits in the playoffs other than the king. It doesn’t even start to compare to the Warriors' three players with more than 20 points per game.

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Kyrie Irving was their second-best scorer last year, and now that his gone the burden falls on their remaining backcourt.

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The Cleveland guards' three-point percentage in the playoffs ranged from 21.6% in losses to 41% in wins, almost double.

This is critical for the Cavs offense, which is reliant on three-point shooting. Cleveland has a 32% success rate this season in games in which they scored less than 10 threes.

A big part of the blame is aimed at J. R. Smith, who failed to score from beyond the arc in the first three road games against Boston.

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The former sixth man of the year was a consistent perimeter shooter for the Cavs in the previous playoff runs, shooting more than 40% from three.

Another key player in the Cleveland backcourt is George Hill. The veteran guard joined the Cavs at the trade deadline and quickly received a starting role.

Even though he was never considered a great scorer, Hill's scoring will be important in this series. Considering he will not draw much attention from the Warriors' defenders, expect Hill to enjoy many open looks, and he will have to convert at a high rate.

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Edited by Alan John
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