As always, Media Day was on the agenda before the finals. DAZN grabbed Cavs-Big Larry Nance Jr. for a chat and asked how the Cleveland Cavaliers wanted to crack the seemingly overwhelming Golden State Warriors. The finals start at 3 am in the night on Friday. DAZN broadcasts all matches of the NBA Finals.
DAZN: Mr. Nance, it’s your first finals. Can you even realize that and how do you feel right now?
Larry Nance Jr.: I’m trying to absorb everything. That’s what you dream about as a child. I’m enjoying this as much as I can.
DAZN: What is the difference between the Conference Finals and the Finals?
Nance: Look around – obviously the much larger media volume. It’s all a lot more public, there’s a lot more cameras.
DAZN: Before the trade deadline and before the playoffs, there was a lot of doubt about how good this Cavs team could be. Now you’re in the finals and everyone’s talking about LeBron James. What makes this team so special?
Nance: Everybody talks about LeBron, but we know it takes a whole team. We all get along very well, have a strong casual room. So people can talk all they want, but we all know what we have to do.
DAZN: They got more minutes in the last few games and played their part in the finals by generating second chances with their cough on the offensive board. Do you continue to focus on this or can you contribute in any other way?
Nance: Yeah, that must be my focus again. I’m not one to play 40 points, that’s not my role. I just want to be tougher than my opponent and surprise them with a lot of cough. When I’m open, I’ll be more aggressive. And who knows, maybe they’ll see some of my jumpshots in this show.
DAZN: That’s right, you’re surprised about the Celtics…
Nance: Exactly. I can hit such throws, but my focus is of course on the defense and on generating second chances for my teammates.
DAZN: Let’s talk about defense. The Warriors have a lot of dangerous shooters, including Stephen Curry, of course. What will the gameplan be like? Do you want to pressure him with traps or will you switch?
Nance: I’m not sure yet. We will discuss this again in training, but of course I won’t reveal any secrets of the team strategy here. (laughs)
DAZN: The team’s defense has improved during the playoffs, yet your opponents still score a lot of points close to the basket. Is Rim Protection one of the topics you and the team will focus on?
Nance: Definitely. The Warriors make the field very wide and constantly create mismatches. That is why we must be able to stay ahead of the ball. Of course there are also players, especially bigs, from whom we can sink a little. I have also made this my personal goal, so that I can make throws on the ring more difficult or even block them. The same goes for Tristan Thompson and the rest of our team.
DAZN: The pace could also be decisive. The Cavs have played very slowly so far, while Golden State prefers a bit more speed. Will it be important for you to control the pace?
Nance: I actually think we play a pretty similar tempo. It will be important for us that we don’t let their transition looseness get going, after our ball losses or after long rebounds. In such situations Curry and Klay Thompson are dangerous when they throw their long threesomes and then do their shimmy dance. This always makes the Oracle Arena boil. That’s why we have to avoid turnovers, take good throws and switch defensively quickly if we don’t get the offensive rebound.
DAZN: Obviously the Warriors have a home advantage again, so you have to win a game in Oracle. The past has shown that Game 1 plays an important role. So you’re going on the show to win your first game?
Nance: Absolutely. But this will apply to all games, because we believe in our chance. We have to make it clear to them right away that this will be a hard, figure-hugging series. We’re here to win.
DAZN: The third quarter is something like Warriors this season. Have you thought of anything special to prevent that?
Nance: We’re gonna have to think of something. Maybe we’ll all get some orange slices or something. No, seriously: we have to oppose this phase and we will also make the right adjustments for it.