NBA Finals 2015: Golden State Warriors Can Take a Lot of Positives from Game 3

Stephen Curry's rediscovery of his groove, the emergence of David Lee and the Golden State Warriors’ experience give the team some positives to build on after Tuesday’s Game 3 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2015 NBA Finals. 

Cleveland stifled Golden State with tenacious defense en route to a 96-91 win. However, the Warriors started to find some offensive rhythm in the fourth quarter, showing they still have plenty of life left in this series.

Here is a breakdown of what head coach Steve Kerr and his team have to feel good about following Game 3. 

Curry Starting to Look Like Himself 

It was starting to look like Cleveland had figured out how to stop the NBA MVP after Curry finished a dismal first half with three points. The Cavaliers made Curry uncomfortable by consistently pressuring him on the perimeter with scrappy guard Matthew Dellavedova and then executing perfect switches off pick-and-rolls to not allow Curry any space. 

The second half was a different story. Curry exploded for 24 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter, and went 6-of-9 from three-point range.

For Curry, the turnaround came courtesy of a change in mentality, according to Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk: “We became the aggressors. Just like the last three minutes of Game 2. For us to win this series, we have to play that way the whole game.” 

Curry also said he may have found a way to counter Cleveland’s defensive strategy. 

“I think I found something when it comes to how I’m going to be able to attack their pick-and-rolls and even certain iso situations,” Curry said postgame, via Helin. “I’ll keep that in the memory bank going into Game 4, and hopefully it has a trickle-over effect into the first quarter of the next game.” 

The biggest change, which Curry alluded to, is that he became extremely aggressive. It is no coincidence that when Curry took the initiative by forcing his way to the rim and creating more shots for himself, Golden State was more successful.

The better Curry plays, the more confident his teammates become. Look for Curry to come out in attack mode against the Cavaliers’ defense.  

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Lee Gives Warriors a Spark  

It was only 2013 when Lee was named a Western Conference All-Star and was a double-double machine for Golden State. 

Injuries and the emergence of forward Draymond Green have contributed to Lee’s decreased role. Despite being the team’s highest-paid player at $15 million annually, Lee has been a reserve this season. 

After playing zero minutes through Games 1 and 2 this series, Lee came off the bench and helped spark Golden State’s second-half comeback with 11 points and four rebounds in 13 minutes. 

Lee’s biggest impact was his presence in the pick-and-roll game with Curry, a staple of the Warriors’ offense that the Cavaliers have disrupted thus far. Just look at Golden State’s offensive improvement in Game 3 with Lee on the floor, as noted by NBA.com’s John Schuhmann:  

Lee also gave the team a lift when Golden State was facing the same series deficit against the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round. After playing nine total minutes in the first three games, Lee averaged over 15 minutes the next three games, all of which the Warriors won. 

Kerr will need to give Lee the minutes Festus Ezeli is getting in this series, which is around 12. While Ezeli may be better defensively, Golden State’s problem right now is offense.

Lee is more mobile and more of a scorer, which softens up Cleveland’s defense and gives more space to Curry and Klay Thompson. It leaves Cleveland forwards Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov more reluctant to help against Curry on screens if they cannot leave Lee open. 

Golden State Has Already Been in a 2-1 Hole 

When Golden State was down to Memphis, many of the same questions about the Warriors’ offense were asked.

As CBS Sports’ James Herbert notes, the Warriors were in a rut thanks to the Grizzlies’ rugged, high-pressure defense, one similar to Cleveland’s current strategy. 

While Memphis trapped Curry off ball screens as well, the Grizzlies were also able to clog the lane with Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, which left elite defenders Tony Allen and Mike Conley to swarm Curry and Thompson. 

Facing this type of adversity gives the Warriors an advantage over a Cavaliers team with little playoff experience beyond that of LeBron James. They should be able use a similar strategy to overcome Cleveland’s defensive strategy by going back to Lee to space out the floor, encouraging Curry to beat Dellavedova off the dribble to draw defenders away from his teammates. 

Golden State already triumphed over more athletic defenders like Allen and Conley. In addition, Cleveland may be wearing down, as Dellavedova was taken to the hospital with severe cramping, according to ESPN.com.

Look for the Warriors to use this past experience to get back into this series when they take the floor for Thursday's Game 4.