Five Big Questions For The Cavs And Warriors Heading Into Game 7

This article is part of_ VICE Sports' 2016 NBA Playoffs coverage_.

Just one week ago, Golden State's NBA championship parade seemed inevitable. Cleveland hadn't found anything that worked consistently on offense, while the Warriors looked like they wouldn't even need their best performance to run away with the Finals. But Draymond Green's suspension in Game 5 provided an opportunity for the Cavaliers to gain some momentum on the road, and breakout performances by LeBron James and Kyrie Irving have breathed new life into the Cavs.

During Cleveland's 2-game Finals winning streak, new battle lines have been drawn, ones that will be key in Sunday night's Game 7. James had rediscovered his jumpshot, Andre Iguodala has tweaked his back, and Dhantay Jones has crashed the series. (OK, some unexpected developments are more important than others). Over six games, we've seen a series of blowouts, yet somehow, the series has been completely even in both wins and points scored.

Let's take a closer look at five big questions going into Game 7.

The most important development in this series has been the return of James' jumper. In Games 5 and 6, James averaged 21 points per game on shots outside of the paint, up from just eight points per game in Games 1-4. Those numbers represent a deliberate shift in the way that James has attacked the Warriors' defense, a decision to take over games by accepting what the defense gives him rather than trying to impose his will.

Had James' hot shooting come in Games 3 and 4, Golden State might be more inclined to attempt going over screens when James has the ball in pick-and-rolls or sending help defenders a half-step sooner when he blows by his defender around the arc. But now it's Game 7, and there is no room for experimentation. The Warriors face an unenviable predicament: should they continue to let James take wide open jump shots, even though he has torched them for two straight games, or should they adjust and risk allowing an easier lane to the basket?

Statistically speaking, it would be more prudent to stay the course, and hope that James regresses toward his regular season and playoff shooting mean. A two-game hot streak shouldn't outweigh a whole season's worth of data. On the other hand, by allowing James to shoot, the Warriors are taking control out of their own hands and putting it squarely in James', hoping that he'll miss.

I suspect Golden Stat coach Steve Kerr will begin Game 7 by sticking to the established plan, but if the Cavs grab another early lead, the Warriors won't be able to sit back and watch James shoot open jumpers. Moreover, it might not be up to Kerr—game plans set early parameters, but player instincts take over as games unfolds. In Game 6, James managed to get Warriors players to bite on pump fakes, something that didn't happen in Games 1-4 when he wasn't making jump shots.

During the last four Finals games, Cleveland has refined its game plan and improved its execution. Gone are the stagnant post-ups for Kevin Love against Draymond Green and the confused isolation sets that waste all 24 seconds on the shot clock. To coach Ty Lue's credit, the Cavs have figured out what works for them in this series, and have gone to it over and over again. The 1-5 high pick-and-roll that helped lead to Irving's breakout scoring performance in Game 3 is now firing on all cylinders, as is the same action fo James. Cleveland also done a nice job of looking for early offense through ball movement while using floor balance and isolation as a fallback:

Here's a great example of the Cavs' at their best. Notice the precise timing of every action in the sequence: the flare screen for Irving arrives just as James receives the entry pass, followed immediately by Richard Jefferson's cut to the basket. When that action fails, Tristan Thompson's screen is perfectly timed, creating a third option for James. The three actions are coordinated perfectly, and result in Thompson drawing a foul on a roll to the rim:

Here's how you know Cleveland is rolling: Thompson has found rhythm as a playmaker on rolls to the rim. In Games 1-4, Thompson would catch the ball on the roll and then barrel out of control toward the basket, making himself easier to stop. By Game 6, Thompson was instead slowing himself down—knowing that if he's open, he'll have the time to gather himself before going up for a shot, and that if he isn't open, a help defender has come from the corner and there's an open shooter.

The Cavs' defense has also improved over the course of the series, and likely for the same reasons—scouting, film sessions, and the sheer familiarity that comes with playing a team six straight times. All of this has given Cleveland an edge when it comes to anticipating Golden State's passes; in Games 5 and 6, the Cavs deflected twice as many passes and contested more shots than the Warriors, per NBA.com. Combine that ball hawking with renewed energy and focus, and the Cavs have done something that hasn't happened a whole lot over the last two NBA seasons. They've made the Warriors look uncomfortable.

Cleveland's improved defense also has tilted the battle for fast break points. Coming into the Finals, transition points were a major battleground, since both teams are deadly in the open court—and outside of Game 1, the team with the most fast break points in each game has won.

Yet while both teams like to run in transition, they have different approaches to pace. The Warriors like to push in transition, and keep pushing until they find a shot, whereas the Cavs prefer to attack in transition but slow things down if they can't find a quick shot.

In Games 5 and 6, the Cavs outscored the Warriors 47-19 in fast break points. That's a lot! Cleveland's advantage was especially evident at the start of Game 6, as the Cavs outscored the Warriors in transition 9-0 in the first 10 minutes. Part of this disparity is due to Golden State's increase in live ball turnovers over the last two games—giving Cleveland extra opportunities to break out—but most of it comes from the Cavs deliberately pushing the ball up the court after every defensive rebound or steal. James in particular has pushed the pace, which is awfully impressive given that he's played over 40 minutes in all but one game of the Finals.

As James jumper has returned, Harrison Barnes' jumper has gone into witness protection: the Warriors swingman is shooting just 2-for-12 on uncontested jump shots over the last two games. That slump has allowed the Cavs to play off Barnes quite a bit, making him the lowest priority when they are forced to rotate on defense. This has been a major drag on Golden State's offense, since their attack is predicated on ball movement and taking the first open shot.

With Barnes struggling, who can Kerr turn to for a spark? The Warriors ended Game 6 with Leandro Barbosa taking Barnes' spot in their acclaimed "death lineup." Barbosa has hit some shots in this series, and provides a slightly different, more chaotic wrinkle to the Warriors offense. However, he hasn't been relied upon for heavy minutes all season, and lacks the defensive size and versatility that makes Barnes so valuable. Counting on the veteran guard to be the difference-maker in the biggest game of the year is dubious at best.

Shaun Livingston was the MVP of the first game in this series, using his height to get easy jump shots in his sweet spot. He could do the same in Game 7. Conversely, Livingston saw plenty of great looks in his favorite spots in Game, but only converted on one of them, a contested pull-up jumper in the first half.

As for Golden State's traditional big men? Andrew Bogut is out. Fetus Ezeli has been a disaster on both ends of the court and may have lost Kerr's trust. Meanwhile, Anderson Varejao may have lost his good grace with the referees. In Game 4, Varejao made several key hustle plays, drawing charges and off-ball fouls. In Games 5 and 6, it appeared the refs caught on to the sneaky, veteran tricks that he uses to draw foul calls, including one play where he dragged Iman Shumpert to the ground. One of those two guys will need to play significant minutes in Game 7, and the Cavs undoubtedly will attack whichever one is in the game on nearly every possession. For Warrior fans, it's a bit unsettling that a team which set the NBA's all-time regular season wins record may have to relay on Varejao's defense to defend its championship/

There's no debate if you watch the film: NBA MVP Curry clearly isn't completely healthy. He has been inconsistent by his standards on offense, and has been flat-out abused on the defensive end. The Cavs are actively picking on him, putting him on an island against Irving, James, and even J.R. Smith. All have had some luck scoring against Curry, but more importantly, they've worn him out and put him in foul trouble. At the same time, Curry knows that he is far too valuable to pick up early fouls and that factors in to how aggressively he can defend, especially in the first quarter.

Iguodala's health is equally as important to the Warriors. He looked like he was in considerable pain in Game 6, twice having to go to the locker room with an undisclosed back injury. His impact is two-fold. Iguodala is the first line of defense against James, and Golden State's their best hope for keeping James out of the paint, where his size and skill makes him almost unstoppable. On offense, an ailing Iguodala givens Cleveland one less player to worry about—and with Barnes slumping, the Warriors can ill-afford another player that the Cavs can sag off of.

After watching the film from Game 6, the Cavs may decide to attack Iguodala early in Game 7, hitting him with off-ball screens and then placing him in isolation to see if his back can hold up. They may also look to put him on an island against the quicker and shiftier Irving. If Iguodala looks like he did in the second half of Game 6, Irving should have no problem creating space.

There will be other battlegrounds in Game 7, including the fight to grab an early lead—both teams play significantly better with a cushion. There's also the question of how tightly the game will be called. Foul trouble played a role in Game 6 as both Love and Curry picked up cheap fouls early.

This series has lasted seven games, but if you take last year's Finals into account, the storylines at play have been developing for two years. As such, it' s only fitting that the current chapter in what has become a terrific (and increasingly testy) rivalry comes down to a single game. Golden State's legacy is at stake—a victory would solidify their place among the very best teams in NBA history. But James' legacy is at stake, too: if he follows up his historic, back-to-back 40-point games with one final masterpiece, it would cap off one of the greatest team comebacks and most brilliant individual Finals performances the league has ever seen, and also deliver a much-desired title to Cleveland.

If you love the NBA, it's almost impossible to overstate the significance of tonight, It's probably the biggest game the league has had in a generation, and whatever story ends up being written figures to be told for generations to come. For basketball fans, this is as good as it gets.