Iguodala injury gives Cleveland much-needed reason for optimism vs. Warriors
Three years after he was named NBA Finals MVP largely for making LeBron James work, Warriors forward Andre Iguodala — at 34, well past his prime — may still be the league’s best James-stopper not named Kawhi Leonard.
Thanks to an encyclopedic knowledge of James’ tendencies, quick hands, an elite basketball IQ and a muscular 6-foot-6, 215-pound frame, Iguodala does what few can: make life difficult on a player whose physical gifts border on superhuman.
Now, as James prepares for arguably the biggest challenge of his professional career — trying to upset the heavily-favored Warriors in the teams’ fourth straight NBA Finals matchup, he can take comfort in the fact that Iguodala has been ruled out for Game 1 on Thursday night with a left lateral leg contusion/bone bruise.
With a defensively-deficient roster loaded with new faces, the Cavaliers’ championship hopes seemingly hinge on James delivering a string of Herculean performances. That will only be easier the longer he doesn’t have Iguodala shadowing him.
“What he brings to us on the defensive end, it will definitely be missed,” Draymond Green said of Iguodala, who was sidelined for the final four games of the Western Conference finals. “That just means a lot of guys have to step up. Other guys have done that thus far, and the task gets even harder.”
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Photo: Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 10 Caption Close Image 1 of 10 Golden State Warriors' Andre Iguodala guards Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James in the second quarter during Game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena on Thursday, June 1, 2017 in Oakland, Calif. Golden State Warriors' Andre Iguodala guards Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James in the second quarter during Game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena on Thursday, June 1, 2017 in Oakland, Calif. Photo: Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle Image 2 of 10 Golden State Warriors' Andre Iguodala guards Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James in the second quarter during Game 5 of the 2017 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena on Monday, June 12, 2017 in Oakland, Calif. Golden State Warriors' Andre Iguodala guards Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James in the second quarter during Game 5 of the 2017 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena on Monday, June 12, 2017 in Oakland, Calif. Photo: Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle Image 3 of 10 Buy photo Andre Iguodala of the Golden State Warriors answers questions from the media during practice at the Rakuten Performance Center on Monday, April 16, 2018, in Oakland, Calif. Andre Iguodala of the Golden State Warriors answers questions from the media during practice at the Rakuten Performance Center on Monday, April 16, 2018, in Oakland, Calif. Photo: Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle Buy this photo Image 4 of 10 Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala high fie in the third quarter during game 1 of round 2 of the Western Conference Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the New Orleans Pelicans at Oracle Arena on Saturday, April 28, 2018 in Oakland, Calif. less Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala high fie in the third quarter during game 1 of round 2 of the Western Conference Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the New Orleans Pelicans at ... more Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle Image 5 of 10 Image 6 of 10 Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James dunks over Golden State Warriors' Andre Iguodala in the first quarter during Game 2 of the 2017 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena on Sunday, June 4, 2017 in Oakland, Calif. Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James dunks over Golden State Warriors' Andre Iguodala in the first quarter during Game 2 of the 2017 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena on Sunday, June 4, 2017 in Oakland, Calif. Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle Image 7 of 10 Golden State Warriors' Andre Iguodala forces a turnover by Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James in final minute of Warriors' 118-113 win in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, on Wednesday, June 7, 2017. less Golden State Warriors' Andre Iguodala forces a turnover by Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James in final minute of Warriors' 118-113 win in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, on ... more Photo: Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle Image 8 of 10 Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala double-team Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James in the first quarter during Game 7 of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena on Sunday, June 19, 2016 in Oakland, Calif. less Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala double-team Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James in the first quarter during Game 7 of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena on Sunday, June 19, 2016 in Oakland, ... more Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle Image 9 of 10 Buy photo Andre Iguodala (9) talks with Marc Spears of ESPN during an off day practice and media day at Oracle Arena before the Golden State Warriors play the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals in Oakland, Calif, on Wednesday, May 30, 2018. less Andre Iguodala (9) talks with Marc Spears of ESPN during an off day practice and media day at Oracle Arena before the Golden State Warriors play the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals in Oakland, ... more Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle Buy this photo Image 10 of 10 Iguodala injury gives Cleveland much-needed reason for optimism vs. Warriors 1 / 10 Back to Gallery
Iguodala’s emergence as one of James’ biggest nemeses is well-documented. After Golden State lost two of its first three games to Cleveland in the 2015 NBA Finals, Steve Kerr put Iguodala in the starting lineup. The Warriors won out as he helped hold James to just 39.8 percent shooting for the series.
Anyone who still questions Iguodala’s value needs only to look at how Golden State performs without him. In the last three NBA Finals against the Cavaliers, the Warriors are plus-141 with Iguodala on the court and minus-68 when he’s out of the lineup.
Iguodala, who has started 12 of the 13 games he has played in these playoffs, is hopeful that he’ll return at some point in the Finals. Until he does, Golden State will rotate a slew of players — Green, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Kevon Looney, Shaun Livingston and Jordan Bell — onto James.
The problem is that each of those options comes with major drawbacks.
If forced to guard James, Durant will have less energy for the offensive end. The Warriors would have to do without Green’s exceptional help-side defense if the reigning Defensive Player of the Year is on James. Looney and Bell lack experience, while Livingston and Thompson are far from ideal physical matchups for James.
Iguodala’s absence also helps a Cleveland defense that ranked No. 29 in the 30-team NBA during the regular season. With Iguodala sidelined, Looney, Bell and Livingston — all of whom are lesser shooters — figure to have expanded roles. That should free up James to leave his man, roam into passing lanes, nab steals and kick-start fast-breaks.
“They’re all doing well individually, but none of them play at all like Andre,” Kerr said of his options to plug in alongside the Warriors’ four All-Stars with Iguodala out. “So, we’ve had to adapt our style a little bit.
“I think one of the reasons we were a little scattered in the end of that Houston series was we didn’t have Andre playing that familiar point-forward role, getting us settled, getting us into our offense.”
To get Cleveland to this point, James has had to almost single-handedly overcome a flawed supporting cast. His league-leading 3,769 minutes this season are 802 more than Durant and 1,745 more than Stephen Curry. The longer this series wears on, the more likely it is that James’ cumulative workload will take its toll.
However, the talent gap separating these two teams could make it tough for the Cavaliers to even force a Game 5 in Oakland.
The Warriors, though more vulnerable than last season’s group that cruised through the playoffs with a 16-1 record, are still a two-way juggernaut adept at parlaying big third quarters into convincing wins. Meanwhile, Cleveland is a mish-mashed crew that may open the Finals without All-Star forward Kevin Love, who missed Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals after being placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol.
Given such long odds, few could fault James for grasping at silver linings. That he won’t see Iguodala in Game 1 — and perhaps, longer — is reason for much-needed optimism.
“At the end of the day, his athleticism allows him to play some of the premier perimeter players in our league,” James said of Iguodala. “He’s a guy that’s (6-6), long wingspan, athletic. He’s been like that since he was at Arizona. He’s just added to his game every single season he’s been in the NBA.”
Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @Con_Chron