NBA Finals: How can the Warriors stop Cavaliers' LeBron James?

OAKLAND - Last week in Cleveland, Cavaliers megastar LeBron James was asked how his team might slow down the NBA’s most valuable player, the Warriors’ Stephen Curry, in the NBA Finals.

“The same way you slow me down,” James said. “You can’t.”

Can’t? As in impossible? Inconceivable?

“That’s a personal opinion,” Golden State reserve swingman Andre Iguodala said this week. “We’re all humans, I would like to think.”

In James’ case, we may need DNA evidence. There are times when the 12-year NBA veteran simply does not appear to be human. At a chiseled 6-foot-8, 240 pounds, he looks like a viable NFL tight end, yet he handles the ball and passes as well as some point guards. He can get hot from outside, or he can careen down the lane like a cattle truck on Highway 101.

So as the Warriors prepare for Game 1 at Oracle Arena on Thursday, LeBron has become their Enigma, and they have no Turing machine to spit out a defensive strategy. Coach Steve Kerr and his staff will have to draw up their own plans.

“Well, that’s a major dilemma for everybody,” Kerr said. “He’s obviously a great player. Physically, just so strong.”

James played against the Warriors only once this season, at Cleveland on Feb. 26. He had 42 points and 11 rebounds, and hit 15 of 25 shots from the floor.

The one thing we can count on this time around is defense by committee. The Warriors won’t ask anyone to guard James full-time. Instead, they’ll do what they did against Houston in the Western Conference Finals. James Harden isn’t James’ carbon copy by any means, but he has the same sort of offensive versatility.

The Warriors largely threw guard Klay Thompson at Harden, but they also employed Iguodala, backup guard Shaun Livingston and small forward Harrison Barnes at various times. The results were mixed. In the Game 5 clincher, with Iguodala doing the heavy lifting, Golden State limited Harden to 2-of-11 shooting and forced him into 13 turnovers, an NBA playoff record. But Harden missed a triple-double by just one assist in Game 1 and again in Game 2, and scored 45 points in a Rockets victory in Game 4.

There were stretches when Thompson played excellent man defense on Harden, to absolutely no avail.

The precise formula against James is yet to be determined, of course, and could be shaped by fouls, but power forward Draymond Green, Iguodala, Thompson, Barnes and Livingston figure to get their cracks.

“I know I’ll be on him some,” Green said. “But you gotta embrace and look forward to that challenge. It’s a very tough one. But I think at the end of the day that’s what you play this game for. They say in order to be the best you gotta beat the best. LeBron’s been a champion in this league multiple times, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

In truth, the Warriors figure they have a better chance than most teams to keep James in check. They led the NBA in defensive efficiency (an estimate of points allowed per 100 possessions) this year at 101.86, and they protect the rim well, especially when center Andrew Bogut is on the floor. The Warriors have a deep roster, and the defensive system installed by assistant coach Ron Adams relies on versatile defenders who can switch off of screens without getting caught in mismatches.

James, though, is a unique challenge. No player is stronger in backing down an opponent in the paint. And while he’s no Steph Curry from 3-point range - James is hitting just 17.6 percent from behind the arc in this postseason - you have to respect his mid-range jumper. What really makes him so effective is his passing. You double-team The King at your own risk.

“He kind of has that point guard mentality where he’s a few plays ahead all the time, looking to make an extra pass,” Iguodala said. “He knows his teammates, he knows his opponents and their tendencies as well.”

James is battle-tested, too. Heading into this series he has played 27 games in the NBA Finals over his career. The entire Golden State roster has played in - hold on, let’s add this up - zero.

Asked about James’ strengths, beyond the obvious, Livingston said: “His IQ. He’s a student of the game. He reads defenses. He has experience. He probably has the most playoff experience of anybody.”

With that kind of savvy to supplement his physical superiority, defending LeBron James - or more to the point, defending the Cavaliers with James in the game – becomes a test of discipline. His primary defender must anchor and stay between James and the basket, and the big men must be ready to wall him off. The other Warriors on the court will need to get a hand on the ball or take a step toward James to cut off drives, but can’t entirely abandon their men.

And though it sounds like a paradox, Golden State must be efficient on offense to look good against James on defense. If the Warriors get sloppy with the ball and give the Cavaliers fast-break opportunities, as they tend to do on occasion, it will get ugly.

“When he gets that head of steam, there’s not much anybody can do,” Kerr said. “Again, keeping him out of the open floor as much as possible, by taking care of the ball and not turning it over. The live-ball turnovers are just a killer. I mean, most teams will hurt you, but with LeBron a live-ball turnover is just death.”

Shutting down James entirely is not a realistic plan for the finals, and the Warriors acknowledge it. The goal is to make LeBron work hard for everything he gets, to keep him just a little off-balance and off-rhythm.

“Giving him dunks and layups, that’s not gonna work,” Livingston said. “That’s what gets the crowd going, gets the team going and most likely will have you on Sports Center.”

As a victim, of course. And that’s not a role the Warriors hope to play in the finals.

You can reach Staff Writer Phil Barber at phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com or on Twitter @Skinny_Post.