Cavaliers hope to be more physical against Warriors in Game 3

Sam Amick | USA TODAY Sports

Show Caption Hide Caption NBA Finals: Warriors in control after Game 2 rout Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and the Warriors are in the driver's seat after taking a 2-0 series lead on the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.

CLEVELAND — Some rivalry, huh?

Two games into the "three-match" between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers in these NBA Finals, the competition has not only been one-sided but, frankly, a little boring when it comes to the fiery factor. No hard fouls. No hard feelings. Just one team that, so far, appears to be far superior to the other.

But judging by Kevin Love’s perspective on the Cavs’ Game 3 strategy, things might get a whole lot more physical Wednesday night at Quicken Loans Arena.

“Physicality, staying to bodies, and making sure that they feel us,” he said when asked what needed to be different this time around. “We're hoping that we can kind of slow them down at our place and get into them a little bit more, and I keep saying play 48 sustained, solid minutes of basketball.”

“Nobody is trying to take each other out. Everybody is trying to just play ball and let the game decide itself. Will there be hard fouls the next several games? Probably, but we’re not playing into that and I’m sure they’re not either.”

The Cavs’ defense has been a major problem so far, as the Warriors’ offensive rating in these two games (115.2 points scored per 100 possessions) is even better than their league-leading mark during the regular season (113.2). More force might be necessary, in other words, even if it’s not the kind that qualifies as flagrant.

Cavs big man Tristan Thompson bears a lot of this weight, as he has gone from being a major difference maker in the last two Finals (10 points and 13 rebounds per game in 2015; 10.3 points and 10.1 per in 2016) to being rendered irrelevant so far (four points and four rebounds per game). Warriors center Zaza Pachulia, whose impact always goes well beyond the box score, has had plenty to do with it. And per his personality norm, Pachulia is just fine if this series gets a little more chippy.

“It’s been mild,” he told USA TODAY Sports of the physicality in this series. “(But) if you feel like you need to give a hard foul, we’ve played 96 minutes worth of basketball. You could’ve done that, and we’re going to have another 48 tomorrow. So again, talking is one thing but if you feel like you need to do something?”

He chuckled.

“Please.”

Tough talk aside, slowing Thompson has been a priority for the Warriors and will remain so in Game 3.

“I saw the stats, that he averaged a double-double against this team the last two Finals,” Pachulia said. “And going into these Finals, we talked about the keys, what their strengths are, and what really helped them to win the games and put them in a situation where they can beat us.

“He’s one of the top focus for us, besides other things. His presence on the glass and second-chance points really helps the team to get the energy, and the crowd gets involved and all of that. Me personally, we’re both starting at the center position, so it’s my job to take that away.”

And if they have to get physical to achieve that goal, so be it.

“Basketball should be physical, and it is physical,” Pachulia said. “Now, there are some guys who like the physical game, there are some guys who (don’t). They feel the physicality, and they try to step out and shoot from outside. Everybody is different. Now when you’re talking about the Finals, you don’t want to give up anything. Nothing easy, right?

“That one little thing might cost you a game, might cost you a championship. You’ve seen that throughout the years, throughout the series. So giving a hard foul as far as just a hard foul, and not something dirty or something crazy, I’m fine with it.”

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