CLEVELAND -- All three leading rebounders in the NBA Finals play for the Cavaliers.
That, folks, is how the Cavs will continue to give themselves a chance against the mighty Golden State Warriors, with the 1-all series shifting to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4.
Leading all finals board-snatchers is none other than Cavs power forward Tristan Thompson, who's pulling down 14.5 entering Tuesday's third game. After that, it's LeBron James (12.0 rpg) and Timofey Mozgov (9.0 rpg), respectively.
How important is it for the Cavs to crash the glass? Well, they're 13-0 in the playoffs when they out-rebound the opponent. Overall, they're 13-3 in the postseason -- so do the math, and you can see things don't go nearly as well when the Cavs are beaten on the boards.
Granted, rebounding is a big part of defense, and overall defense is another area in which the Cavs have done very well through the first two games. Both times, the Cavs held the Warriors below 100 points in regulation. And yes, it counts for a lot that the Cavs rarely give the Warriors an extra shot.
That's a good thing, since the Warriors have a reputation for not missing much on their first try. Behind league MVP Steph Curry, versatile shooting guard Klay Thompson and even underrated small forward Harrison Barnes, the Warriors can exhaust you just by pulling up from 25 feet.
If you stop them on that first attempt, it really is quite an accomplishment. But if you let them get a second chance on the same possession -- well, it typically spells doom.
The Cavs were out-rebounded in Game 1. They lost. Barely, of course, as Iman Shumpert's last-second gasp skimmed off the rim. But a loss is a loss.
Then the Cavs won the war of the boards in Game 2. They won the game, too. Barely, of course, as the Warriors used a late-game run to tie it and force a second straight overtime game (a Finals first).
So what was different about Game 2? How did the Cavs out-hustle and out-muscle the Warriors on the glass?
The answer is to get position, box out, and is so often the case with Thompson, chase down the ball as if it's a brick of gold. Again, it starts with defense near the basket, and near the basket is no place for the meek. Not at this stage.
"Our mentality is to be physical," Thompson said. "We felt Game 1 we wasn't as physical. We let them get to their spots, into their comfort levels. We wanted to play physical (in Game 2), get into their bodies and let them know we are here."
Of course, one of the biggest plays in Game 2 was when scrappy Cavs guard Matthew Dellavedova grabbed a James miss on the offensive glass, then drew a quick foul. Delly had to make the free throws (he did) -- but it was a rebound that started the whole winning process.
As Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "Matthew Dellavedova planted himself in precisely the right spot at precisely the right time, as usual. This happens too often to count as coincidence."
You could often say the same about Thompson, James and Mozgov. In fact, throw in Shumpert and J.R. Smith, as each of the Cavs guards have the potential to hurt opponents not just by erupting via jump shots, but by occasionally cleaning the glass.
There are a lot of things that need to go right for the undermanned Cavs, who lost Kevin Love earlier in the playoffs and Kyrie Irving in this very series. They need to keep defending like they've been, and perhaps now that they're back home, hit a few extra shots.
