CLEVELAND, Ohio -- As the Cleveland Cavaliers spent much of the year learning how to cope without Kyrie Irving, forced away from the Big Three era because of his off-season trade request, they also spent plenty of time and resources trying to come up with an answer to a pressing question that likely foreshadowed how this season would end.

Who is the third scoring option?

The answer varied. It was usually dependent on the night. Oftentimes the matchup dictated the most logical response.

When asked about it during the regular season, Lue often admitted there wasn't a singular answer, recognizing the reality of the roster he was trying to steer back to the NBA Finals. Unlike some other teams -- Golden State in particular, which is oozing with star power, the Cavs needed a committee of players to fill that role and complement Cleveland's All-Star duo of LeBron James and Kevin Love.

Isaiah Thomas? Dwyane Wade? Jae Crowder? Derrick Rose? Jeff Green? Rodney Hood? Jordan Clarkson? JR Smith? George Hill? Someone? Anyone?

As the Cavaliers got deeper into the playoffs, Kyle Korver started to emerge. Averaging 14.5 points in the conference semifinals and then shooting better than 42 percent from 3-point range against Boston, the 37-year-old sniper became that de facto third wheel and a surprising barometer to measure Cleveland's success.

In the regular season, the Cavs were 23-8 when Korver reached double figures in scoring. They were just 20-22 when he failed to hit that benchmark.

That trend has continued in the playoffs, going 8-1 when he hits double digits and 4-8 when he doesn't.

So how are the Finals going, you ask?

Korver is last on the team in scoring -- unless, of course, you count the stats accumulated by Cedi Osman and Ante Zizic during garbage time.

"They're switching out on me so there's not a lot there," Korver told cleveland.com Thursday afternoon following the team's practice session at Quicken Loans Arena. "I got a couple good shots in the fourth quarter (of Game 3) that it's like you're finally open and, man, I thought they were in, but when I'm out there they are talking where I'm at and they know when and where I'm going to come off and they're telling the guy who is up on top to be ready to switch out."

In Cleveland's must-win Game 3, Korver went 0-for-4 from the field and 0-for-2 from beyond the arc. Going scoreless was just the fifth time he's done that in a game while playing double-digit minutes since joining the Cavaliers in a midseason trade in January 2017.

The game before Wednesday night when he was held scoreless? Also a Game 3 loss -- in Round One against Indiana.

Not surprisingly, Indiana's switch-everything defensive approach had the Cavs -- and Korver -- flummoxed early before making the necessary adjustments to avoid a first-round upset. It's that same switching strategy from the Warriors that has again neutralized one of the league's best shooters.

Switching isn't new. Indiana felt it was the best tactic. Boston used it effectively. But as Korver admitted Thursday afternoon, some teams are simply able to do it at a higher level. The Warriors are a unique force.

"They have some really good individual defenders first of all and they have a great team scheme," Korver told cleveland.com. "It doesn't feel like they really change what they do defensively. They know who they are and they do it every night and they've done it for a bunch of years together. They're always on a string it feels like. They know where they are strong, they know where they are weak. On the offensive end they always play with a lot of energy and that's a really big part of defense too.

"Golden State is in the Finals for a reason and they've won a bunch of championships. Their execution level at both ends is just a little bit better."

This has been a frustrating trend for Korver. He was expected to be a key piece of the rotation thanks to his movement, gravity, floor spacing and outside shooting -- all skills that seemed to match what the Cavs needed against the Warriors.

Instead, he's in the midst of another forgettable Finals.

"I think you saw it last year as well," Love said. "Some of their other wing defenders, and particularly Klay (Thompson), he's just so good at shutting that stuff down and forcing (Kyle) into tough shots, not letting us get to that pin down action. So it's been, I think, a tough series for Kyle."

Last June, Korver averaged 4.4 points on 36.8 percent shooting and 31.3 percent from 3-point range in 19.4 minutes against the Warriors. He's been even less effective this time around. He's averaging 1.3 points on 10 percent shooting and 16.7 percent from 3-point range.

His four points in 44 minutes match Jose Calderon's output in his four minutes. It's just two more points than end-of-bench regulars Osman and Zizic have in their four and three minutes respectively.

"A lot of the plays and triggers that worked during the regular season, especially as a series goes on and the later you go into the playoffs, the better the teams are and the more disciplined they are," Korver said. "The disciplined teams are the ones that continue to win. A lot of those plays, triggers, sets that we have, they don't work as well. It's just the way it goes. It's not about me getting up a bunch of shots, it's about us scoring and doing well."

Korver said he learned long ago about the value of being a decoy. Shots aren't always going to come. The number per night will fluctuate, especially on this team, with a LeBron-centric system.

Sometimes it's about making other contributions, finding other ways to make a difference.

"If our team is scoring and I'm on the court that's as good as me scoring," Korver said. "I want the team to be doing well and a big part of my role here in the year and a half I've been here is I'm in the spot where they don't want to help from so that our guys can do what they want to do."

The non-stop movement that usually gets him open hasn't been there. The Warriors deserve some credit for that. But it's also caused by Cleveland's approach.

"I'm not complaining about this at all, I'm just trying to answer your question, so I'm not darting around as much as I had been in previous series because they're switching things and we're trying to attack certain things," Korver said. "It's about us winning so we're trying to attack certain things. There hasn't been quite as much running around as usual."

The space he usually gets to fire coming off screens is closed. Those sets involving Korver and Love that tormented the Raptors have been squashed. The Cavs are nervous about playing those two together because of the defensive issues and in the rare instances when it happens, the Warriors are on high alert, with Draymond Green usually barking instructions.

It's all led the Cavs to this point: staring at a disheartening 0-3 series deficit. And given Golden State's smothering, disciplined defense, Cleveland is once again forced to search for a reliable third fiddle.

The Warriors won't let it be Korver.