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*Photo via Reuters
Here are some stats and stuff for the NBA Finals matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors.
These are all based off postseason statistics.*
Passing
Passing is one area the Warriors have the upper-hand over the Cavaliers. In this postseason the Warriors have completed the fifth most passes out of any team, while the Cavs have committed the third least. So no surprise the Warriors averaged the most assist a game this postseason(25.1) and the Cavs averaged the second least assist a game this postseason(18.9).
The Warriors also averaged the most secondary assist this postseason with 8.1 while the Cavs averaged the third least secondary assists with 4.1.
So from this you can gather one of the differences in these two teams, one moves the ball around persistently and plays more team oriented (Warriors). The other relies more on specific players and isolations to create plays.(Cavs)
Rebounding
This topic has received some buzz this series with the recent dominance of Tristan Thompson on the boards. A lot of people have questioned the Warriors ability to rebound, but I say, not so fast.
This postseason the Cavs have averaged the third most rebounds per game with 46.9 rebounds per game, and the Warriors were not far behind, averaging the fifth most with 46.2 rebounds per game, not a big difference at all.
Next we look at offensive rebounding, oh, the Cavs definitely have a significant edge, right ? Nope. The Cavs averaged 12.1 offensive rebounds per game while the Warriors averaged 12 even. So not much difference here either.
Yes, the Warriors are undersized and Tristan Thompson is a beast, but it’s not like the Warriors haven’t dealt with big-time rebounder like Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, Anthony Davis, and Dwight Howard this postseason. I think the Warriors should be able to hold their own in this battle and the stats support that.
Not so different.
The Warriors and Cavs are both the top two teams in three-pointers made per game and three-point attempts per game this postseason.
3PM 3PA 3P%
Warriors: 11.5 Warriors: 30.3 Warriors:38%
Cavaliers: 10.4 Cavaliers: 29.1 Cavaliers:35.9%
It is evident both of these teams rely on three-point shooting with the Warriors shooting a slightly better percentage. There is no question three-point shooting will play a significant role in these finals. Who knows the three-point battle might be the deciding factor in this series.
Shoot or drive?
LeBron has received criticism over the years when he elects to settle for a jumper instead of driving to the rim. These stats back that up.
LeBron this postseason leads all players in team points scored off of drives to the rim, with an average of 18.3 points per game. (The Cavs score 18.3 points per game off LeBron drives.)So not only is he scoring for himself on drives(11.4ppg for himself on drives) , but setting up his teammates.Not to mention he also is shooting 60 percent from the field when driving to the rim. It seems a lot of good stuff happens when LeBron elects to attack the basket.
Can’t give the Splash Brothers an inch.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined to average 18.5 catch and shoot points per game this postseason with Curry leading all scorers in that category with 9.6 points a game. If you are defending these two you can’t take a second off or next thing you know - SPLASH.
Both of these teams have cruised to the NBA Finals.
It took the Warriors 15 games to get to this point and the Cavs only 14, with the two teams combining for 5 losses .
No wonder these two lead the postseason in plus/minus with Cavs coming in at number one (+8.8 per game) and the Warriors right behind them at number two(+8.1) .
With that said these are the two best teams in the NBA.
My Prediction
Warriors in 7
Stats via NBA.com