Hood Looks Good, but the Warriors Get the Dub

Photo via Sporting News

The Cleveland Cavaliers returned home for Game 3 of the NBA Finals, facing an 0–2 deficit. They were in need of a minor miracle, and that wasn't particularly likely to happen against the team widely regarded as the best in the league for the last four years.

Making matters even more difficult, forward Andre Iguodala returned for the Warriors, after missing the last six games with a left lateral leg contusion. Golden State had won their last four games, even without him, but his return provided them with a more dependable presence on the floor than they had otherwise. In fact, Iguodala gives them a boost over some of his fellow starters in many areas.

During this postseason, albeit in a small sample size, he enters the night with a higher three-point percentage (.355) than Draymond Green and Kevin Durant, the highest two-point percentage (.571), and the highest offensive rating (120). He also boasts the second-highest differential, per 100 possessions, in plus/minus between when he is on the court compared to when he sits (+8.2), trailing only Klay Thompson.

The biggest boost that Iguodala provides, though, is his ability to guard LeBron James. According to Second Spectrum, he had faced James on over 500 more possessions than any other player in the last four Finals, and had acquitted himself quite well. Among players who have guarded him at least 20 times during that span, the Cavaliers average the fewest points per 100 possession (104.9) when Iguodala is on him.

Sure, Andre is 34 now. He's not in his prime, like he (arguably) was when he won a Finals MVP in 2015, largely for his defensive efforts. Nonetheless, he is still about as favorable of an option as they have to place on LeBron, especially considering that he doesn't have the offensive demands placed on him that the core stars do.

On the other side, Cleveland turned to Rodney Hood to shoulder more of the team's minutes on the wing. The 25-year-old had averaged fewer than 14 minutes per game in the 15 contests in which he got onto the floor this postseason, and also never got off the bench five times, despite being healthy.

Hood, who was acquired in a three-team deal from the Utah Jazz at the trade deadline, was supposed to be a spot-up shooter who could play off of LeBron, while also possessing some playmaking ability of his own. Hood was averaging just under 17 points per game prior to the trade, but, although his rate statistics remained roughly the same, his attempts decreased. He was one of Utah's top options offensively, but he became one of a slew of wing players in the mix in Cleveland, where JR Smith and Kyle Korver were already in place, and George Hill and Jordan Clarkson were also added at the deadline to serve as combo-guards.

Hood has fallen out of favor, but every player they've looked to instead has struggled. Hill is barely making 30 percent of his three-point attempts, Smith and Clarkson have been complete offensive liabilities, and Korver (while shooting like himself) is the oldest and least-able defender of the group, so his minutes have to be restricted.

What did these lineup changes lead to? Initially, nothing. Iguodala didn't enter the game until halfway through the first quarter, and Hood sat until the 3:38 mark, when he replaced Kevin Love.

Unfortunately for Hood, he missed a three-pointer and picked up a foul in his first minute on the floor. Iguodala, on the other hand, made his first shot, seemed to play solid defense on LeBron, and made an cerebral play to set up Klay Thompson for a three. However, his minutes were clearly being monitored, as he checked back out of the game before the end of the quarter.

The Cavs led by as many as 12 points early in the quarter, but the Warriors trimmed it all the way to one, 29–28, by the end of the quarter. Kevin Durant led the charge, with 13 points on four field goal attempts and seven rebounds (the only seven the team had).

Hood converted on a midrange jumper in transition early in the second quarter, and began to look a bit more comfortable on the court, although it helps when Durant, Thompson, and Iguodala are all on the bench.

Both players performed well in the first half. Iguodala had four points in 11 minutes while also aiding in "limiting" LeBron to 14 points on sub-50 percent shooting, although he also had nine assists and six rebounds. Hood, on the other hand, made three straight shots after his initial miss, and also chipped in four rebounds and occasional defense, including a blocked shot, in ten minutes.

The shakeup to the Cleveland rotation may have lit a fire under JR Smith as much as anyone else. He scored ten points in the half, and was consistently (and abnormally) active on both ends of the court.

Kevin Love was also a matchup nightmare in the first half, putting up 15 points and ten boards. He was the main reason why the Cavs held a 58–52 lead at the break.

Their lead didn't last. The Warriors went on a 17–6 run to go up by five just over four minutes into the half. JaVale McGee had eight of the team's points during the flurry. McGee, of all people, was their second-leading scorer at the time, albeit well behind Durant's 29 (and 34 by the end of the quarter).

Hood tied the game at 83 apiece with a short jumper on the first possession of the fourth quarter, putting him in double figures. Two minutes later, he hit a layup to give Cleveland the lead, and another to tie it back up, as the game went back and forth.

Iguodala also played a major role down the stretch. His offensive screens frequently helped get Durant open, but he also scored two crucial points of his own. With Golden State leading 101–100 and under two minutes to play, Iguodala posterized Tristan Thompson. Durant hit a three-pointer on the following possession, effectively ending the game.

In a game in which Curry only made three field goals and one of his ten three-point attempts, the Warriors escaped with a 110–102 victory. Durant scored 43 points with 13 rebounds and seven assists, while LeBron had 33 points, ten boards, and 11 helpers in a losing effort.

Both lineup changes ultimately proved to be effective. Iguodala made three of his four shots while contributing his typical intangibles across 22 minutes, while Hood made seven out of eleven attempts, adding six rebounds, and made Ty Lue either look like a genius for turning to him or a fool for not doing it sooner.

The Warriors will have a chance to take home their third title in four years on Friday night on Cleveland's home court. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m., and the game can, once again, be seen on ABC.