LeBron James said it himself: It's impossible to slow down superstars like himself and Stephen Curry.
LeBron when asked how do you slow down Steph Curry: "The same way you slow me down ... You can't."
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 29, 2015
Nevertheless, that's the task before the Golden State Warriors, to somehow slow down the King. With Kevin Love injured and Kyrie Irving hobbled, the Cavaliers' Big Three has been reduced to a Big One. Stop James and the Warriors win the title.
But stopping James has indeed proved to be impossible. The four-time MVP has carried the Cavaliers through the postseason: LeBron is averaging 27.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 1.8 steals per game after series wins against Boston, Chicago, and Atlanta.
Related: Why Cleveland's East triumph is one of LeBron's finest moments
The Warriors are no slouch defensively, though. Golden State is stocked with premier defenders and boast the league's top defense. The Warriors grounded the New Orleans Pelicans, caged the Memphis Grizzlies, and defused the Houston Rockets.
Building a strong first line of defense is key. James only played the Warriors once this season (an emphatic 110-99 win for Cleveland) and was checked exclusively by Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala.
James dropped a season-high 42 points on 15-of-25 shooting.
The biggest concern with Barnes and Iguodala is size. James feasted against them in their meeting in February, tossing them around like rag dolls. Single coverage did not work whatsoever:
(Courtesy: TNT)
Stopping James on the block starts with the catch. The Warriors' perimeter defenders need to be diligent in denying the entry pass. The Cavaliers will prioritize delivering to James down low, but they will look elsewhere if the set up takes too long.
Fronting James in the post while sending a help defender to guard the basket would help. It requires careful coordination between the two defenders, but Barnes' athleticism and Andrew Bogut's size should be enough to give James pause. At the very least, it will shave precious seconds off the shot clock while Cleveland sets up.
Playing James in a high pick-and-roll will be much more difficult. The Warriors tried to take away both the shot and the drive by climbing over the screen while sagging a big back. James blew up that plan with ease.
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The Warriors should let James fire jumpers while taking away the drive. Going under screens frees up James to explode off his first step, but the hope is to catch him before he gains entry inside the paint. James is shooting 35 percent from midrange and 17.6 percent from deep. Coaxing James into shooting a jumpshot – or passing – would be a win for Golden State.
The Warriors should double James liberally. The Cavaliers' bigs can't shoot, so sending help with a big shouldn't be a problem. Catch James off guard and they can stunt the Cavaliers' entire offense.
(Courtesy: TNT)
However, doubling also concedes a 4-on-3 elsewhere. It also gives Cleveland (who lead all playoff teams in offensive rebounding percentage) more latitude to crash the glass.
The truth is that it's impossible to stop James. He's seen every scheme and he'll punish whatever the Warriors throw his way. But if Golden State can take away the paint and force James into jumpshots, that should be enough.
