Warriors can't afford to keep playing the Cavaliers' game

For all the teeth-gnashing over the Cleveland Cavaliers' prehistoric, isolation-heavy offense, there's no denying the strategy has worked in the NBA Finals.

By purposing LeBron James as a relentless battering ram, Cleveland has been able to dictate pace. In turn, the strategy has kept the Golden State Warriors from playing their preferred style of full-court, high-octane basketball.

"It definitely isn’t fun," Warriors guard Klay Thompson lamented after Game 3.

"We have to get out on the fast break and we’ve got to make them play from behind and see what they are about if they have to play from behind, and if that slow pace is going to work if we have a 12-point lead."

Thompson is right. The Warriors have slowed down. They're overthinking decisions and playing tentative. Credit James and the Cavaliers for dragging things to a crawl, but it's a trend that has plagued the Warriors throughout the playoffs, while the Cavaliers are chugging along at a familiar tempo.

In turn, the Warriors' lethal fast-break attack has suffered. The Warriors are netting half the points they normally do off turnovers.

Again, credit goes to James and the Cavaliers. Despite his astronomical workload, James is doing a remarkable job of holding onto the basketball. His turnover rate clocks in at a minuscule 6.4 percent.

But the Warriors aren't exactly pressuring James in a way that might create turnover opportunities. They're allowing him to post up, then sending a help defender at the last second to contest his shot. That's not nearly enough pressure.

The Warriors have stubbornly stuck to their gameplan of "allowing" James to get his at the expense of the rest of Cleveland's depleted roster. But what's more dangerous: James's 41 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists per night, or a host of clunky bigs and inconsistent jump shooters?

Pressuring James by trapping pick-and-rolls and sending hard doubles in the post will force him to pass, creating chances to pick passing lanes and grab steals from less skilled ball handlers.

But Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is right to be leery of such strategies. James is a fantastic passer and will find ways to beat any defensive look.

Netting more points off turnovers is a start, but the Warriors need to fix their half-court offense, too.

They can't be tentative. Players like Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green are struggling with their shots, but they need to find ways to make plays when Cleveland doubles the Splash Brothers. Frustrated by their teammates' struggles, Thompson and Stephen Curry have forced up needlessly difficult shots.

The trick is to find a balance. Playing fast, mistake-free basketball is difficult, but that's the pillar of the Warriors' offense. Leveraging pressure - spacing and speed - to create open looks is their bread and butter.

"The whole point of the season and the playoffs to the point we’re at now is you establish an identity as a team," said Warriors forward David Lee. "Our identity is we’re fast, we’re loose and we’re also technically sound. So why change it now?"