West Coast Trip ends in a 1-1 series tie for the Cavaliers, can they take the advantage?

You wanted an NBA Finals that would be exciting, down to the wire, and unpredictable? Well, looks like you got one.

In two games, we have now seen a theme that could be consistently present in this year's NBA Finals. That theme is don't buy into the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd quarters. This potential seven game series will be won in the 4th, and potentially overtime.

In Game 1, it looked like the Cleveland Cavaliers had the advantage. Despite some mistakes, at halftime the picture that the Cavs are going to adjust to whatever Golden State throws at them started forming. However, the Warriors came splashing back, and eventually won in overtime.

After losing Kyrie Irving for the rest of the series, their chances looked to dwindle in terms of if they can win this whole series or not.

Game 2 came, and the Cavaliers continued to be the very definition of "Next man up." While the Warriors forced overtime, it was the Wine and Gold that persevered and came up on top.

Is there a favorite to win the series? In my opinion, no. I have always had the mindset that this series is going to be closer than people think.

While one side has the reigning MVP, the other side has the best player on the planet.

So, what are some key points if the Cleveland Cavaliers want to take the advantage?

1. Starting with the obvious, you have to continue to defend Steph Curry. Matthew Dellavedova did a fantastic job on Curry, causing him to shoot 5-23 from the field, while shooting 2-15 from beyond the arc. Whatever Dellavedova did, he needs to continue playing his style of scrappy defense to rile the reigning NBA MVP.

2. LeBron James needs to continue to be aggressive and attack the basket. While he may miss a majority of his shots, there is no other player on the court for the Cavs that has the skill set to match that of LeBron James, and a huge part of his success was attacking down low and driving to the basket.

3. Game 1 was the indicator that Cleveland will need production off of their bench if they want to be in position to outpace Steph Curry and Klay Thompson if they get on a hot streak. J.R Smith and James Jones will see the most minutes off the bench for the Cavs, meaning that they will have to provide some spark off the bench for the team. With the injury to Kyrie Irving, Mike Miller will most likely see some the floor as well.

4. Going back to J.R Smith, his shooting will need to be efficient for this team. There were times during the post-season that Smith was able to demoralize an opponent by being able to score from anywhere on the court. This is a huge key for the Cavs, especially against the Warriors, and even though Golden State has not been too efficient from beyond the arc so far, it’s only a matter of time that they become efficient again.

5. The Cavs have been better in collecting rebounds, especially offense boards. That is thanks to Tristan Thompson, who has become an absolute nightmare for opposing teams to box out. Offensive possessions are key for this series, as both teams entering the Finals are great defensively. Thompson will also need to contribute offensively too.

6. Defense, Defense, Defense. I'm not only talking about man-to-man defense. I'm also talking closing open lanes, going for the steal, blocking... I think you get the picture. The Cavs have been known so far this postseason as an absolute physical team. The Warriors struggled when the Memphis Grizzlies played physical on them.

7. Feed off your home crowd. Not many think much about the fans role during a game, but when you get your own crowd to stand on their feet and scream on top of their lungs for you, it energizes you as a player. In this series, both teams will need anything they can get, and now that Cleveland gets home court advantage by winning Game 2 in Oakland, they will need as much energy as they need.