MELBOURNE (Paulo Kennedy's View from Downunder) - If you're a fast-paced team, you've got to dare to win or you're in trouble.

It's a lesson the Australian Boomers learned on both sides of the coin at last year's FIBA Basketball World Cup, and it's a lesson the Golden State Warriors have learned the hard way in these NBA Finals.

While you can't be critical of Steve Kerr's ultra-impressive rookie coaching season, it is incredible it took him three grinding games to change the way his team went about it.

Not only did the move to a small line-up change Game 4 in terms of Xs and Os, but it changed the way his players went about it.

The energy of their smaller frontcourt players racing down the court was contagious, and instead of their guards facing five sets of eyes for the full 24 seconds, they looked up and saw the Cleveland Cavaliers bigs scrambling to cover their aggressive opponents.

All of a sudden Steph Curry was attacking early in the shot clock instead of passively giving the ball off and then battling the stronger Matthew Dellavedova and some very disciplined help defense trying to get it back.

Defensively, the hardly-revolutionary idea of doubling LeBron James not only forced lesser players to make plays, but the resulting ball movement lessened the Cavs' predictability to themselves, weakening a transition defense that had been rock solid the first three games.

Curry simmers
A big part of the Warriors' turnaround was also Curry putting his ego aside and getting back to the team plan.

I'm not talking ego in terms of taking too many shots, he needs to be shooting plenty, but he got sucked into trying to prove he could beat Dellavedova's relentless pressure.

That resulted in him trying to do things he doesn't usually do, and it meant Delly's pressure got further and further under his skin with each miss.

Come Game 4, he was back to playing instinctive basketball. 

Delly still had a number of moments where he forced the MVP into mistakes, tough shots or uncomfortable situations, but with Curry leading a high-paced offense, the meaning of each poor possession seemed to lessen.

The fact the Warriors were front-running no doubt helped that mental approach too.

Testing times
The test for Curry will be if Cleveland manage to create a grind-it-out contest again in the series whether he can keep the aggressive mindset to break that deadlock. 

The test for Dellavedova is a physical one.

It takes a lot more effort to shadow and dog someone defensively than it does being the offensive player who sets the terms. Multiply that when playing with the defensive energy of Delly.

With no real point guard reserve, Delly has to defend, hustle, make good decisions offensively and make shots while severely fatigued for most of the game.

I reckon he wouldn't mind having Damian Martin on the bench to give him a few minutes respite where Curry doesn't get the easy separation that Iman Shumpert too often allows.

Back to basics
Offensively, the Boomers floor general got the balance wrong in Game 4. Earlier in the series he played as a finisher, only turning playmaker when the clock required.

But come Thursday he too often tried to make things happen, rather than deferring to James, and a number of times got sucked into Golden State's tempo.

The extra day's rest, probably with a bit more time on the IV drip, will no doubt do Delly a world of good to continue his remarkable playoff performance that has Curry looking over his shoulder.

Bogut demolished
So what about Andrew Bogut? He doesn't seem to fit in the Warriors' new plan.

Seven game series have their own twists and turns, so expect to see the big Aussie get his chance, but the reality is he hasn't earned minutes.

Quite simply, he has been clearly outplayed by Timofey Mozgov at both ends of the floor, with the disappointing thing for Aussie fans being the obvious difference in effort, intensity and physicality between the two big men.

But analysed in the light of day, it's hardly surprising.

Bogut has spent most of his career on non-playoff teams, last played at the highest level at the 2008 Olympics, has only played in two knockout internationals - both one-sided losses to the USA - and has filled a role well for Golden State but never got outside his comfort zone.

Mozgov, on the other hand, has been hardened over the years with numerous do-or-die clashes for Russia - be they Eurobaskets or on the world stage - and many many desperate European club clashes.

His performance as the anchor for Cleveland's tough defense has been impressive, and hopefully when Bogut returns to the court he will be ready for the fight of his life.

Blatt in the thinking spot
Kerr has finally answered some serious questions about his coaching, and that means David Blatt's time in the sun is over for the time being, instead locked away in the think tank.

His defensive gameplan was superb for the first three games, prepared to pressure, switch, scramble and then rebound like an international team.

They were smart in who they wanted to chase off the three-point line and who they were prepared to leave open - not always easy to do in a switching, scrambling scheme.

There were some similarities to the Melbourne Tigers' defense under Chris Anstey in 2013-14, and indeed they were one of the top-ranked sides at that end of the floor.

But as the season wore on, better opponents realised that spreading the floor, moving the ball and attacking the gaps caused them issues, and that’s exactly what the Warriors did in Game 4.

So now the ball is in Blatt's court. 

Can he slow the tempo to allow his defense to get set? Certainly the Cavs regularly started attacking the hoop with 14 or 15 seconds on the shot clock, compared to single figures earlier in the series

Can he find ways to dent the Warriors' ball movement with a smaller line-up? Or will he back that Andre Iguodala won't get the hot hand again?

Perhaps most importantly, he has one of the world's best power forward in James, will he keep him at small forward?

I suspect some clever use of James at the four-spot might be the key to putting Kerr back in the thinking chair.

I can't wait to find out what comes next.

Paulo Kennedy

FIBA

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

FIBA takes no responsibility and gives no guarantees, warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, for the content or accuracy of the content and opinion expressed in the above article.