The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers have split the first two games of the NBA Finals, with both winning in overtime. Hoops junkies are drooling over the idea that this could be a long, hard-fought exciting series.
Keep in mind, however, that the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat split the first two games a year ago on the heels of a seven-game classic in 2013. That series quickly turned as Kawhi Leonard caught fire and was over a week later, ending in a run of blowouts by the Spurs.
With the Finals shifting to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4, we thought it would be a good time for another edition of the Three-Man Weave, where we have three Sheridan Hoops staffers answer three questions.
Here goes.
1. Through two games, who has been the most disappointing player in the Finals?
CHRIS SHERIDAN, PUBLISHER: Definitely Andrew Bogut, with apologies to J.R. Smith (PER of 3.0, which is off-the-charts bad). Looking at the center matchup, it is hard to explain how Bogut was a former overall No. 1 draft pick and Timofey Mozgov was undrafted out of Russia. Mozgov has been the second-best offensive player for the Cavaliers, and he would be even more of a force if David Blatt would stand up to Steve Kerr and force the Warriors to play big instead of going small because that is what Golden State is doing. The pivot position is the one place where Cleveland has a dominant advantage, and Blatt needs to milk it for all its worth to take some of the pressure off LeBron James.
CHRIS BERNUCCA, MANAGING EDITOR: Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith, whose erratic style of play is no longer acceptable and could end up costing Cleveland a coveted championship. It’s bad enough that Smith is shooting 8-of-26 from the field when 
the Cavaliers need him to be their second-best offensive player in the absence of the injured Kyrie Irving. He had three utterly moronic fouls down the stretch of Game 2 that even he admitted nearly cost his team the game. Cleveland’s deliberate style of play is the only way it can win and reduces the number of possessions it has over 48 minutes. The Cavaliers cannot afford to have Smith giving away 8-10 of them every game with bad shots, turnovers, defensive lapses and dumb fouls. He has to get with the program.
JIM PARK, BLOG EDITOR/COLUMNIST: The easy answer would be Smith, who is shooting poorly and not doing much of anything else. Still, we all know Smith can be a volatile presence, so I’m going with Draymond Green, who has been uncharacteristically ordinary and not doing the things that make him a unique talent. He is defending, averaging 3.5 steals and 2.0 blocks – including the incredible potential game-saver in overtime on LeBron James in Game 2 – but has been largely absent on the offensive end, averaging 11 points on just 6-of-20 shooting with no 3-pointers, the first time he has gone without a 3-pointer in consecutive games in the postseason. Green is Golden State’s most important playmaker after Stephen Curry but is averaging just 2.5 assists and has been clumsy with the ball, throwing lobs that maybe Wilt Chamberlain could catch. His lack of assertiveness and non-existent shooting presence has been a major issue.
2. Through two games, who has been the most surprising player in the Finals?
SHERIDAN: Pardon me for pointing out the obvious, but I am going with James. Yes, we already knew he was the best player on the planet. And yes, we already knew he was playing with an elevated level of confidence after going to the Finals four straight times and winning two titles in Miami. But seeing this level of leadership of a depleted team combined with championship round 
scoring prowess that rivals Jerry West and Michael Jordan is a sight to behold. Mesmerizing, as I wrote after Game 2.
BERNUCCA: Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov. When the series began, the best Cleveland fans could have hope for in the center matchup was a slight edge for Mozgov over Golden State’s Andrew Bogut, who was Second Team All-Defense and a bellwether for his team’s success this season (58-9 when he plays). But Mozgov has torched the supposedly stout defense of the Warriors for 16.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in just 31.5 minutes, forcing Steve Kerr to go to his small lineup earlier and for longer stretches. Of course, that also has forced David Blatt to match up and pull Mozgov, who has become his second-best offensive player. When Blatt goes small, he needs to try Mozgov instead of Tristan Thompson as a counter that could boost his offense.
PARK: It has to be Mozgov, who has been an incredible presence on both ends of the floor. Mozgov’s multiple skill sets have been on full display in the Finals: finishing in traffic with ease, punishing the defense when smaller players are put on him (something no team utilizes more than the Warriors), showing outside touch when his man sags off him, and being a gigantic issue on the offensive boards (even if he’s not necessarily the one to grab them directly). With Bogut too busy trying to constantly provide help defense against James, Mozgov has been able to hurt Golden State in a way no one thought possible coming into the series.
3. Which team has bigger issues entering Game 3, and why?
SHERIDAN: Definitely the Warrriors, who are not playing or scoring at anything near the pace they had been accustomed to. Curry is displaying just a fraction of the confidence that LeBron is showing, and that is not what you would expect from the 
reigning MVP — although this is the type of thing that can happen when a player is in the Finals for the first time in his career. When the lights shine brightest, the pressure ratchets up enormously. LeBron learned that the hard way. Curry is learning it now.
BERNUCCA: The Cavaliers have found an alternative style of play which as LeBron James said may not be “sexy or cute” but has effectively kept them in a series very few thought they could win, especially after Irving went down. They may be more susceptible to a blowout because they lack overall firepower, but this isn’t the Tour de France. The next game always starts 0-0. On the other hand, the Warriors have grumbled about being unable to establish the pace and rhythm they like and have been almost stubborn about it, giving away possessions in their attempt to set tempo and refusing to look at alternatives. They should use Curry more as a screener, especially given Matthew Dellavedova’s shadowing principles. They should also give Leandro Barbosa’s minutes to Shaun Livingston, whose size helps switching on defense and provides an advantage over any Cavs guard on offense.
PARK: Both. Cleveland continues to heavily rely on James because they have to, while Golden State often has strayed from what made it such a great team all season – an unselfish, talented group that moves the ball and plays for each other. It felt as though the Warriors were playing against themselves in Game 2, reverting to the “Mark Jackson Way” of settling for isolations and chasing mismatches rather than moving the ball, screening everywhere and getting quality looks at the rim. Part of that is Cleveland’s defense, but the Warriors have made themselves easier to guard with an ill-advised game plan and quick triggers. These are fixable, though, and it’s safe to say Curry won’t struggle as badly as he did in Game 2. What happens to Cleveland if James doesn’t have a 40-point triple-double? He has been historically good against talented defenders, but at some point his scoring will drop, and someone else is going to have to step up alongside Mozgov. That will be a tough task against the NBA’s best defense.