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Here are three thing watch in tonight’s Game 6 NBA Finals matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors
The Three-Point Line
*Photo via USA Today
Anytime you talk Warriors, you have to talk threes. This series is no different. Other than Game 1 (when both teams shot 33 percent from three) , the team who shot the better percentage from three has won the game. Not to mention, the percentage differential between the winning team and the losing team has not been very close. The winning side is shooting 43.14 percent from behind the arc and the losing side is shooting 27.92 from behind the arc. So defending the line will be crucial in this game. For the Cavs that means keeping a body on the Splash Bros AT ALL TIMES.They also must make multiple defensive rotations on every possession, no plays off. For the Warriors, it means prevent the penetration that sets up the Cavs open threes, and don’t allow guys to get hot early with wide-open looks.
Andrew Bogut
*Photo via Warriors Central
It was announced yesterday, that Andrew Bogut will miss the remainder of the series. No doubt this will have an impact, the question is who will it benefit more? How would the absence of the starting center of a 73 win team benefit the Warriors? Well, Bogut’s +/- for this series is -25. And with him out of the lineup the Warriors will likely elect to go small. Which has allowed them to put the Cavs bigs in compromised positions more easily. As well, the extra spacing hampers the Cavs ability to help defensively. On the other side the Cavs might try to take advantage inside. Bogut hasn’t had a huge impact, but he was still a big body inside. So, the Cavs will likely try to get to the rim early and attack the boards.
Super Saiyan LeBron
*Photo via SLAMONLINE
In the two games the Cavs have won in this series, LeBron James is averaging 36.5 points , 13.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 2.5 blocks, while shooting 53.5 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the arc. These are big time numbers from a big time player. If the Cavs want to win Game 6, let alone the series, they are going to need another saiyan like performance from their King. He has to be aggressive scoring the basketball and needs to finish strong in the paint. With that, he also has to protect the ball and avoid getting caught in difficult mid-air situations. The Warriors will try to prevent all of this from happening by sending an extra defenders LeBron’s way, especially when he gets in the paint.