Cleveland's Defensive Strategy Is Reminiscent of the 2004 Patriots

Thus far in what have been an extraordinarily entertaining NBA Finals, the Cavaliers have comparatively stifled the historically great Warriors offense. Part of it has been uncharacteristic missed shots — Stephen Curry was just not himself in between when he fell on his head against Houston and the fourth quarter last night — but a lot of it has also had to do with how Cleveland’s physicality has disrupted Golden State’s precise ball movement and timing.

This is far from a perfect analogy, but the way that LeBron, Matthew Dellavedova, Tristan Thompson, and Timofey Mozgov are indefatigably bumping and hustling and clogging passing lanes and protecting the rim reminds me of what Ty Law, Rodney Harrison, and the Patriots did to thwart the Colts in 2004. Chippiness was less enforced in the playoffs — leading the NFL to amend its rules in the offseason —  and the well-oiled machine of Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison bogged down. (Like Dellavedova, Rodney Harrison’s defensive tenacity strayed from cleanliness from time to time.)

However, despite the apparent belief of the Cavs faithful screaming and dancing with jubilation in the streets, this series is far from over. Stephen Curry awoke from his slumber in the fourth quarter, where he scored 17 of his 27 points for the night, including five three-pointers. David Lee was also thawed from his cryogenic freezing, which proved to be a formidable adjustment for Golden State.

Cleveland’s depth (have you heard they’ve suffered some injuries?) could be a bigger issue as the series goes on, especially if it reaches six or seven games. But, they’ve got the best player in the world, and maybe ever, almost playing with house money as an underdog, and a rag-tag group of hard workers whose confidence is skyrocketing. Hopefully the rest of this will be as fun as the first three games have been.