It sounds contradictory to say aloud, but the first meeting of the season between the souped-up Golden State Warriors and the throne-occupying Cleveland Cavaliers both revealed new wrinkles and reminded us not much has changed since June.
The Finals rematch lived up to the hype, serving as the deserved showpiece of an always-appealing Christmas Day schedule. The game itself was a microcosm of what we saw six months ago, namely the Cavaliers overcoming the odds, or the Warriors blowing it.
Regardless of the perspective, the facts remain: Golden State surrendered another lead, this time of 14 points in the fourth quarter. Stephen Curry was again outclassed by Kyrie Irving and LeBron James. Building a reputation for seizing the moment, Irving hit another dagger in the final minute.
The parallels are easy to draw, but far more than the specific patterns, the Christmas epic reminded us just how good and closely-contested these two teams are. While Cleveland have now claimed the last four meetings, that by no means suggests they’ve created significant separation in this rivalry.
It’s clear they bother the Warriors more than any other team and there is something to be said for their mental and physical edge, but at the end of the day, Golden State have the talent to overcome those factors. That talent was already at an incredibly high level, but with Kevin Durant now on the roster, it’s off the charts and he’s easily the single biggest reason the Warriors could be just fine come June.
Time With Lead
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 26, 2016
Warriors - 41:11
Tied - 6:07
Cavs - 42 seconds pic.twitter.com/iuxxlAbQnG
He looked unstoppable for most of the contest, going toe-to-toe with LeBron and playing him, at worst, to a draw. His 36 points and 15 rebounds were a monster effort and the Cavaliers had no real answer against him.
However, the final five minutes saw Durant fade as he went 0-of-2 and failed to convert – due to what was likely a missed foul call – on Golden State’s final possession. Had the whistle blown, maybe it would have been the Warriors walking away with a one-point win.
The ‘if’ game is a dangerous one and mostly fruitless, but aside from Cleveland having starting shooting guard J.R. Smith out to a thumb injury, things certainly went the Cavaliers’ way. All three of Cleveland’s triumvirate – James, Irving and Kevin Love – had strong performances.
LeBron James (31p, 13r, W) & Kevin Durant (36p, 15r) duel on Christmas Day! #NBAXmas pic.twitter.com/wVYx4W5FZJ
— NBA (@NBA) December 26, 2016
It wasn’t close to the Earth-scorching levels James and Irving can reach if needed, as they did in the final four games of the Finals, but at least their stars performed, whereas there was much to be desired for Golden State’s foursome thanks to a no-show by Curry.
He’s too good to be as passive as he was. There’s an assortment of weapons for him to defer to and making the ‘right basketball play’ is commendable, but that alone might not be enough. And yet, for all of Curry’s struggles, the Warriors held a 14-point-lead in the fourth quarter.
That, despite being outscored by nine points from the 3-point line, being outscored by 12 in the battle of the benches, turning the ball over seven more times, and yes, playing a third contest in four nights to conclude a three-game, cross-country road trip.
The final two minutes of @Warriors/@Cavs! #NBAXmas pic.twitter.com/uHPTv6eCJt
— NBA (@NBA) December 26, 2016
Simply put, the wider margin of error resides in the Bay, not Cleveland. Thanks to LeBron’s greatness, Irving’s ability to rise to the occasion and the team’s overall dedicated focus, the Cavaliers are able to whittle that margin down.
In this case, the team that has more of an uphill climb actually benefits from their self-awareness, which allows them to play as if their backs are against the wall.
Golden State don’t need to reach a similar mindset to win, but in such an even match-up, getting closer would maximise their talent and tip the scales.
