The Golden State Warriors entered its Western Conference Finals matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder on cloud nine. The defending NBA champions had just completed the best regular-season in league history with an astonishing 73-9 record. Next, the Warriors waltzed over the Houston Rockets and dabbed past the Portland Trailblazers in the first two rounds of the playoffs, with back-to-back 4-1 series victories. Many of the victories had come without the reigning, defending, undisputed MVP Stephen Curry. The top chef was back and ready to cook. All that stood in his was an inconsistent Thunder team.
Despite boasting two of the top-five players in the league, nobody gave the Thunder a chance. The stars appeared to be aligned for the Warriors. The term “team of destiny” was bandied about. Fans and sportswriters acted like God sprinkled magic pixie dust on the Warriors and the team couldn’t lose. Apparently the hype made its way into the locker room in Oakland. In three of the first four games of the Western Conference Finals, the Warriors effort was so cavalier, you’d have thought the team came from Cleveland.
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook gashed the Warriors. The Thunder’s bigs owned the paint and the boards like they were running a hardware store. It seemed as if every offensive rebound, loose ball or hustle play was won by the underdogs from Oklahoma City. The Splash Brothers were drowning in the O-K sea.
Down 3-1, the Golden State Warriors squad was finally forced to dig deep and find the focus, inspiration and determination it needed after an easy breezy regular season. The comeback was epic. Curry and Klay Thompson strengthened their claim as the most-lethal backcourt in the history of the game. They took turns going thermonuclear on the nets. The Warriors hustled, defended, fought for rebounds, made the extra passes. In other words, they went back to doing the things that have made them the most dominant and exciting team in basketball over the past two seasons. Now they are back in the NBA Finals against a familiar foe.
For Cleveland, the Cavaliers route to the Finals was an expected Eastern Conference coronation. With a healthy ‘Big Three’ of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, the Cavs swept the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks in the first two rounds. During the midst of its destruction of the Hawks, the Cavs sent the Warriors a message. Cleveland’s shooters knocked down 25 buckets from behind the arc to break Golden State’s postseason record of 21 three-pointers made in a game, as well as the regular-season mark of 23 held by the Orlando Magic (2009) and the Houston Rockets (2013).
While Golden State fought tooth and nail for its postseason life with the Thunder, Cleveland blew out the Toronto Raptors in four out of six games. The only real surprise was that the Raptors team was able to steal two games against James and his crew of merry men.
In the playoffs, James has been his usual do-it-all self, posting averages of 24.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 7 assisters per game. With Love and Irving in the mix, James shouldn’t have to shoulder the entire load in the Finals. In 2015, he averaged an insane 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assist against the Warriors. His efforts weren’t enough though to beat the ultimate team but it wasn’t exactly a walk in the park for the Warriors against the undermanned Cavs. Now that the rematch is set, there are a few questions for each team to answer.
How much of a toll did Western Conference Finals take on the Warriors?
The Warriors were forced to expend a massive amount of energy in order to become just the 10th team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the playoffs. Curry suffered a significant injury earlier in the playoffs and while he’s played well, there’s always the possibility that he is not 100%. Can Curry and Thompson survive another tough matchup with James, Irving and Love after fighting off a tough challenge from Westbrook and Durant?
Will Draymond Green return to form?
The absence of Draymond Green’s in the Western Conference Finals was a major part of the team’s overall struggles. Green was not his usual self. He shot poorly, disappeared on the boards at times and made an unusual amount of mental mistakes on the court. Additionally, he’s one flagrant foul and/or two technical fouls away from being forced to sit on the sidelines. Was Green’s substandard play just a result of a bad matchup or is the Warriors’ Energizer Bunny running out of juice?
Can Cleveland forget the regular season?
The Warriors beat the Cavaliers by 6 points on Christmas and by 34 points in Cleveland in January in the team’s only regular-season matchups. Both defeats took place with the ‘Big Three’ present. Regular season results don’t always hold water in the playoffs, but in order to stage an upset, the Cavaliers will have to get over the mental hurdle of losing to the Warriors in the Finals last season and being pulverized at home earlier this season.
How much better are the Cavs at full strength?
There’s very little doubt that Irving and Love are upgrades to Matthew Dellevedova and Timofey Mosgov on the offensive side of the basketball. However, neither is considered a strong defender. The Cavs gave the Warriors problems last year because of their tough and gritty style. Can they get similar results with Love and Irving on the court?
Prediction:
To answer the questions, I believe the WCF did take a significant toll on the Warriors but it also awakened a team who entered the playoffs on cruise control. Many of Green’s struggles were due to effort and a bad matchup against the Thunders tall, athletic bigs. Against Love, Green should return to form as a utility knife type of player.
Cleveland’s January beat down will inspire the Cavs, as will the Warriors’ vulnerability. However, Cavs fans will find out that all that glitters is not gold when Irving and Love get exposed on the defensive end by Curry, Thompson and Green. Additionally, Cleveland has been winning with small ball with Love and Thompson starting together in the frontcourt. However, nobody small balls like the Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors will repeat as NBA champions in five games.
Follow Ishmael on Twitter @IshmaelSistrunk
