5 ways the Cleveland Cavaliers scripted the most improbable Finals comeback in NBA history

#2 Impact of Tristan Thompson’s presence on the floor

Tristan Thompson - A beast on the boards

The only significant weakness that the league can exercise on the Warriors and their small ball lineups is rebounding, and you can hurt them on the glass with athletic big men. Golden State had problems with Steven Adams and Kevin Durant during their Western Conference Finals series with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and in the Finals it was Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson causing problems.

Despite having a depleted roster, Thompson made it really hard for the Warriors even during the Finals last year. His tenacity and outstanding ability to grab offensive boards negates the Warriors’ strengths of getting stops on offense and running on offense.

Guarding him becomes an issue as there is nobody of his size and length on the Warriors that can contain him. More importantly, Thompson’s defensive prowess is what makes an invaluable asset to the Cavaliers, especially in their match-up with the Warriors. On switches during pick and rolls, Thompson is among few big men in the league that can keep the opposing guard in front of them and not lose track.

Although James deservedly was named the Finals MVP, Thompson’s impact by the numbers seemed far larger. Through the first six games of the series, Cleveland are been +38 when he is on the court and -38 when he is on the bench. His defensive rating of 99.2 is the best by any player on both teams.

He averages 10.5 points and 11.3 rebounds on 61% shooting. Thompson also has a double-double in 3 of the 4 Cavaliers’ wins in the Finals.