The Cleveland Cavaliers are definitely not in panic mode, even after being blown out by the Golden State Warriors in the opening game of the NBA Finals.
Veteran forward Richard Jefferson was particularly bullish, telling reporters Saturday that the Cavs’ gameplan did not require a major overhaul — simply some basic cleanup.
A confident Richard Jefferson says Cavaliers don't need to make many adjustments, don't want to slow pace, halfcourt D was fine in Game 1 pic.twitter.com/bNbVk7CR9S
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) June 3, 2017
“They shot 42 percent from the field,” Jefferson said. “We turned the ball over 20 times and they had nine dunks and only shot 42 percent from the field — one of the best shooting teams in the history of the NBA. How far off are we? Not very far.
“We’re not far away from where we want to be. We just have to clean it up and pick up our intensity.”
The Cavaliers have to stay optimistic, though it was quite clear they were taken aback by Golden State in some aspects. Jefferson is right about certain points — the turnovers were a huge contributing factor — but the game really wasn’t that close, particularly in the second half.
