The rivalry between the Golden State Warriors and LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers dominated the second half of the 2010s. By far the most memorable moment came in 2016, when the Cavaliers completed a 3-1 comeback in the NBA Finals against a Warriors squad that set the single season record for regular season wins at 73. Many people forget that it wasn’t the only time there was a shift in momentum in one of their matchups.
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The Warriors and Cavaliers met in the NBA Finals for four consecutive seasons. Their first duel came in 2015, during LeBron James’ first season in his second stint with his hometown team. Unfortunately, in that series, Cleveland experienced crucial injuries to Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love earlier in the playoffs.
As a result, their roster paled in comparison to the Stephen Curry-led Warriors. That didn’t squash Cleveland’s heart. The Cavs were able to jump out to a 2-1 lead, and could feel the NBA championship within their grasp.
But that was not to be.
Golden State turn the tide against LeBron’s Cavaliers
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr made one key adjustment in Game 4, with Golden State’s back against the wall. LeBron reflects on that series and highlights the pivotal lineup change as the turning point favoring the Warriors.
“In Game 4, [Draymond Green] started at the five and [Andre Iguodala] at the four,” James said on his Mind the Game podcast. “It changed the whole landscape of the game. They start to play with more pace, more speed.”
The Cavaliers didn’t have an answer for the Warriors’ newfound small-ball lineup. To make matters worse, due to the Cavaliers’ roster depletion, they didn’t have the ability to make a big change to their lineup without drastically lowering their talent level.
Golden State went on to win three straight games en route to capturing the 2015 NBA championship. Of course, the Cavaliers got their revenge the following season, but the Warriors found a winning formula with their small-ball lineup. The Warriors weren’t the first team to adopt a non-traditional small lineup.
Steve Nash was the star guard of the Phoenix Suns teams that popularized the style of play. He believes that the Warriors’ rendition took it to heights never seen before. “They went to the future,” Nash said. The Suns played Amar’e Stoudemire at center during their pace-and-space era, who was undersized at the time at 6-foot-10. Green is comparably very undersized at only 6’6″.
Green’s playmaking, along with the shooting of Curry and Klay Thompson, unlocked a unique style of play that no other team could replicate. The next season, the Warriors expanded on their small-ball success en route to that famous 73-9 record.
Golden State focused on that style of play throughout their dynasty. Even when the team acquired Kevin Durant, it only pushed their small-ball philosophy to legendary feats. The Warriors changed how teams play basketball in the modern era. To the dismay of LBJ and the rest of the Cavaliers roster, that shift won the Warriors the 2015 Finals.
