Cavaliers Must Overcome This Challenge vs. Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors' defense will be a test for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Nov 11, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) steals the basketball from Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images / Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers' four-game West Coast road trip is easily their season's biggest test. The Wine and Gold got off to the road trip with a historic win over the Denver Nuggets, but nothing will get easier.

Next up for the Cavaliers is the Gold State Warriors, and this matchup presents an even bigger challenge for Cleveland.

The Warriors certainly have something to prove with how their last matchup with the Cavaliers went. Cleveland ran them off the floor with a 19-point victory, and their lead reached 41 points at one point.

A lot has changed since then, but one thing that has remained the same is the Warrior's reputation as one of the best defensive teams in the NBA.

Overcoming this will be Cleveland's biggest challenge in Monday night's matchup.

Nov 11, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots a three point basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) during the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images / Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

The Warriors currently have a defensive rating of 109.8, which is in the top 10 in the NBA.

Golden State does a fantastic job guarding the perimeter, and their opponents are only shooting 34.5 percent from behind the arc this season. A lot of this can be attributed to the lengthy wings of Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga.

The Cavaliers are leading the NBA with a 40.9 team three-point percentage, so something has to give here.

We've seen Cleveland struggle to generate offense this season when their long-range shots aren't falling. A great example of this would be their two games against the Atlanta Hawks.

The Wine and Gold must either find a way to create open three-pointers to establish that earlier or find other ways to get Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley active in the paint.

If Cleveland can't find a way to counter the Warriors' defense, they could be in for a long night. It will be interesting to see what type of game plan Kenny Atkinson and his staff developed for this unique challenge.