I hate the Warriors
June 6, 2017New Balance, Pepsi, and Rawlings team up for Francisco Lindor “Gold Glove” Pack (Pics)
June 6, 2017Facing a team as impossibly well constructed as the Golden State Warriors tests the limits of our ability to analyze what we see. The temptation whenever a team loses is to find fault in what they are doing. The premise of any sporting event is that either team could win if they play to the peak of their potential. This Warriors squad may have changed the math, or maybe more accurately, erased the math for one side of the equation.
The Cavaliers are a “Super Team” by any sense of the word. They have three legitimate All-Stars and a handful of high-quality role players. But our traditional sense of a Super Team is this Cavaliers team: One generational player surrounded by an additional All-Star or two, and then some role players. I’d argue this Cavaliers squad ranks among the best Super Teams to ever grace the NBA.
But Golden State is not a normal Super Team. They are a team with two legitimate MVPs; arguably the second- and third-best players in the NBA. Behind them is the likely Defensive Player of the Year. Any one of these players could anchor their own Super Team, let alone be the second or third cog in one.
And then there is Klay Thompson. Maybe no one helps outline this incredible collection of talent better than Thompson. On any given night, he can be the best player on the court. He has secondary skills that make him unguardable. Forget that a 6-7 shooting guard is already on the longer endThe difference between Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant or Stephen Curry is not their ceilings, it’s their consistency. What Klay can give you every third or fourth game, Curry and Durant are giving you nightly.
That’s the difference in this series. Kyrie Irving has struggled. Tristan Thompson has struggled. J.R. Smith and Kyle Korver have struggled. These are all players that can reach incredible highs, but can’t do it every single night. For the Warriors, a stretch of two or three games where Klay struggles barely registers. They are getting what he can give them from three other players every single night.
For the Cavaliers, this variance didn’t matter against nearly any other opponent. LeBron James is going to be the best player on the court against any team. As long as Irving or Thompson or Kevin Love show up, the Cavs likely win. Higher-variance players like Smith and Korver add another option that again has very high highs, but with less consistency.
That doesn’t work against the Warriors. You’re going against two MVP caliber performances and a Defensive Player of the Year every night. It would take herculean efforts from the entire roster for the Cavaliers to overcome those odds. When you throw on their higher-variance players like Thompson, Andre Igoudala, Zaza Pachulia, or Shaun Livingston, the math stops mathing.
The same goes for Tristan Thompson. While Kyrie has only been slightly below his normal play, Thompson has been a shell of his normal self. In his role as the fourth best Cavalier, this would normally be a concern, but not a catastrophe. Against the Warriors, it’s a death sentence.
I’ve seen people calling the Cavaliers soft or questioning if some of the guys on this squad, the same guys who won a ring last season, have what it takes. They do. They proved they do last year, and should live above any of this sort of criticism. They could very well find a few wrinkles that work and flip this whole series around. If Kyrie comes alive, if Tristan dominates the boards, this team can absolutely make a run, even against the Warriors’ loaded squad. We’re only 12 months removed from them showing us exactly that.
But if not, it shouldn’t be viewed as the Cavaliers failing to live up to their side of the bargain. What changed was who sat on the opposing bench, and even the Cavaliers’ best may not be enough to overcome that.
93 Comments
I’m glad we got our championship before KD pulled the most gutless move in the history of the NBA and ruined our chances.
I’ll never turn on these guys. After breaking the curse, they’ve got a lifetime pass with me. And as an extra benefit, their title kept us all from massing at the 480 bridge after the Tribe blew a 3-1 WS lead. Finally, they might be playing one of the best teams ever. So I’m good with them regardless.
The Warriors didn’t see a way past LeBron.
Durant didn’t see a way past the Warriors.
Marriage made in hell.
God I hate that Jeff felt it necessary to write this article.
To know there are fans out there right now thinking they can just put the blame on the Cavs “not playing with heart” or “Lue needing to change his lineup/scheme” without acknowledging how just absurd this iteration of the Warriors are is maddening.
Agree with Marty that LeBron, Kyrie, Kevin, JR, Tristan, Lue, Griffin, etc have a lifetime pass.
I mean hell, if this town can give that abomination of a football franchise the amount of rope they do, surely there’s some goodwill left for the basketball team that actually delivered.
(godammit now i made this about the Browns).
Actually, I see Klay Thompson almost as central to the two blow outs as Durant. In that he has neutered Kyrie with his intense and consistent defensive harassment.
If Kyrie keeps playing so hesitantly, doesn’t matter much what Love does. If Kyrie can’t get off and draw extra attention, nobody’s standing out there waiting to shoot easy 3s, no one’s losing track of Tristan and LeBron in desperate hero mode quickly grinds himself into dust.
Also, far as I’m concerned LeBron can opt out and leave any time, with my best wishes. He didn’t owe us anything, but he shattered that invisible wall. And if by chance the Indians get themselves one they owe a nod toward LeBron. Just for the removal of the nagging, self-fulfilling narrative of self-doubt.
News Flash to the outside world: The Warriors don’t have to double team anyone on the Cavs with the addition of Durant.
They can literally feel free to leave Durant on an island with LeBron and Klay on an island with Kyrie and the Cavs aren’t used to that.
Bingo. I said this to the WFNY guys earlier today:
“I think the Cavs’ biggest problem, honestly, has been that they can’t figure out how to get Kyrie away from Klay. It’s amazing how Kyrie can get any other player in the league on their heels, but Klay just sticks to him step-for-step. And with his size, Kyrie can’t get good shots over him. It’s a huge problem and Lue needs to come up with something in the gameplan to get Klay off Kyrie.”
Kyrie hasn’t exactly been lighting up non-Klay defenders, either, for what its worth. But when Klay defends Kyrie, it just seems like Kyrie truly has no chance to make an impact. And not having Kyrie be Kyrie is having a huge negative impact on the team overall.
Ugh. While I agree wholeheartedly from a personal point of view, I just hate the national narrative that inevitably rains down after his departure. Not to mention how quick the slide back to mediocrity could be for the team . . .
Hey, the Cavs were underdogs in all three finals. I’m just glad they won one. Looks like the Warriors are just too good, with 4 all-stars (incl 2 MVPs) in their prime.
If we did a school yard style pick, the Warriors would have the next four guys taken after LeBron. They’re just better. Nothing we can do but tip the cap
Lebron comes to play with all stars in our town – we love it.
Durant goes to play with all stars on our rival – gutless.
the one time in game 2 Kyrie juked free for an open jumper … Durant helped and blocked him from behind with those gumby arms. The worst thing is Kyrie’s facial expression. He needs to access his Game 7 attitude, stat. He needs to remember that Klay is susceptible his own crises of confidence.
“Lue needing to change his lineup/scheme”
He does though. This team is awful in transition defense, while the Warriors are the most efficient transition offense in the league. And our plan, after being a middle of the pack pace-wise team alls season, was to try and run with them.
Lebron was the slowest guy on court in game two. We need to limit the possessions, just to give him a chance to keep his legs under him all game.
Realistically, for the Cavs to match the star power of the Warriors, what would they have to do? After coming up short, they’d have to add an MVP candidate. That means adding Westbrook, or even someone like George, without giving anything significant up. I don’t see that happening. But I also don’t see LeBron blowing it up and going elsewhere (where? and with whom?). I don’t think he really believes that he, Wade, Melo & Paul could team up somewhere and knock off the Warriors
They’ve always been awful in half court and transition defense. Add that to the Warriors being significantly longer than us and I don’t know what you do to scheme any different on the defense.
My gut tells me to keep up the switch with Shumpert on Durant to rest LeBron on that end. We’re at our best when he’s playing free safety which you just can’t do against the Warriors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6S1JoCSVNU
I swear to you I screamed “Harrison Barnes doesn’t make that block” at the TV during that exact play.
agree with all. My point was more psychological than anything: he did his very difficult job for us. He should play and live wherever he is happiest. But I certainly won’t mind watching his game morph as Father Time brings him earthbound. It will probably be the best Old Man Game anyone’s ever seen.
Well, he’ll be here for at least one more season. I’m not looking forward to all the crazy trade rumors of the offseason (like trading Kyrie, Love, etc)
Circumstances were entirely different.
But, if you want to simplify it in order to satisfy your vulcan rage for logic, go ahead.
We need to get our GM situation in place to even enable the possibility of rumors
The circumstances were that both guys felt it was their best shot to win a ring. Not much more than that.
On the money. Last year I had all kinds of ideas of how the Cavs could come back from their 2-0 deficit. My ideas this time around start and end with “shameful and disgraceful injuring of Kevin Durant and Steph Curry.”
Yeah, that whole situation smells fishy
Durant joined an historically good Warriors team that went 73-9.
Lebron joined a pathetic Cavs team that went 33-49.
They are qualitatively different decisions
Hey … Hey! No competing anxieties! Let’s fret about one thing we can’t control at a time.
The main difference is the KD joined at a time when GS could take advantage of the cap spike, allowing them to get FOUR in-their-prime all-stars on the team at the same time. The precedent had been three all-stars. In essence, it was a loophole. And it’ll likely never happen again
This year’s half court defense wasn’t great, but it was still a step up from the transition defense. But they can definitely bog the game down to give themselves a chance to set up the defense more often.
Agre that Lebron has to play free safety. I’m not sure how else you do it besides Shumpert. Smith has been bad at both ends.
Maybe this offseason’s move should not be to trade away more draft picks for guys on the wrong side of 30, but to find a young, long, athlete.
Rumors are that Shump is going to start in place of JR in order to at least play a speed-bumps worth of defense on KD.
I disagree about the draft. These guys come in and aren’t ready to contribute until their second contracts. That would be too late for us. Example: remember how sure-fire Anthony Davis was? Still, zero playoff games
It seems to me that they need to do whatever is necessary to get better two-way players
and then they strode out on the floor and lost to the Knicks.
Right. They have a ton of two-way players, and the Cavs have what, one and a half? James & JR?
TRADE LUV 4 GRABAPABLO!!!
That feels about a lifetime ago, doesn’t it?
Still get chills from that commercial; it *almost* transcends corporate propaganda
The records from the preceding years were different, but it doesn’t change the thought process. Joining Cleveland with Love gave Lebron his best chance at winning more rings.
It’s always about he Browns.
Always.
There was certainly rational self-interest in both cases, but you wouldn’t argue that Lebron’s decision was just as cynical as Durant’s, right?
https://media.giphy.com/media/sBl8Fowq0ErFC/giphy.gif
FWIW, I think the majority of people see KD’s move as a “chump move” whereas James was going home, and joining two all-stars who had never even sniffed the playoffs. I don’t think most people view that as a chump move
If we’re saying that Davis’ youth is what is holding the Pelicans back . . .
Deron Williams, Andrew Bogut, Chris Andersen, Korver, and Frye are not helping us against the Warriors. It doesn’t have to be draft picks, but we need better athletes against this team. The draft just seems like a much easier way to get younger legs.
The difference is all those guys are past their primes. And aren’t two-way threats
If we look at the bigger picture, the Warriors have had a substantially better record, and have been favored to win the finals, three years in a row for a reason. Cavs are the best team in the East, but seem to be a distant second nonetheless
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/28693eed126dcf8abc2a74407955893810b65503374352a419f5b726ef5b5d20.gif
Don’t forget that Steph Curry is taking less than the max because he signed his extension before he blew up into the god that he is now.
“The only Superteam in the East” Knicks.
http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/subcultures/bronies
Lebron wasn’t coming here if there wasn’t an all-star already in place, and another just waiting for the trade to go through. He could have been born on the site that became the arena, we could have built a Lebron the Redeemer statue for him. He wasn’t coming unless we had the stars to put next to him.
Right– great point. That was a crazy coincidence too. Now he & KD will explode their cap this summer. I’m not sure if the Warriors owners are crazy rich enough to pay the tax. I’m guessing they are.
Do keep in mind about Curry that he’s older than most people realize. But of course with KD he won’t suffer the same wear and tear of carrying a franchise
Relevant note: Don’t search “group hug” on Giphy. The top of the page is splattered with celebrations from that wretched rainy November night.
In fairness, “stars” that had never led their teams to the playoffs. He didn’t join a winning culture. Huge difference
I think this overvalues opinions in this town compared to elsewhere. Lebron has been seen as a guy who does the exact same thing as Durant after doing it twice now.