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?

#3 Communicate on defense

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Boston Celtics vs Cleveland Cavaliers, 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals
Cleveland players didn't communicate on defense at all on the road

One of Cleveland's biggest problems in their series against Boston was poor communication on defense. As ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy put it, "they roll their eyes at each other more than a couple in a bad marriage". In an attempt to defend themselves, Cavs players claimed that the noise from the fans at the TD Garden made it difficult for them to hear each other.

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This excuse won't cut it this time. Golden State's off-ball screen scoring is the most prolific in the league by far, and they turned it to one of their trademark plays.

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Steve Kerr's down screens in the corner in addition to The Splash Brothers' off-ball movements makes it one of the most lethal weapons in the entire NBA.

Considering Steph's struggles against Houston with his pull-up three point shooting (32.4% in that series, compared to 40.7% in the regular season), we should expect him to look for those open looks off his teammates assists.

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Cleveland can't let him have that so easily. Preferably, they should stick to their jerseys and not let them have space. If they switch, they will have to be more aggressive than they showed in the past.

Noise complaint will not be a viable argument in the finals, even though Oracle Arena is probably the loudest arena in the NBA.

But this is not a problem of hearing, it's a problem of concentration. Ty Lue should get his players' head in the game, because eye rolling each other is not a good defensive tactic.

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Edited by Alan John
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