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[av_heading heading=’ FEEL THE GAME | Warriors’ slate: 14-0 and counting?’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY BOBBY MOTUS
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Thursday, June 8, 2017
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Up until the tenants of Oracle Arena changed the landscape, the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers’ 11-0 playoff run was the best of all time. Losing to Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, with the rest of an inspired Laker crew, won the next four games for their second straight NBA crown. That 15-1 record on the way to the league championship has never been matched.
With the best assembly of talents so far, enter the 2016-2017 Golden State Warriors. Since the playoffs began, they are a perfect 14-0 and will be shooting for their 15th win today in Cleveland. With the way they’re playing, a 16-0 sweep is a real possibility.
Another third quarter uprising took the fight out of Cleveland in Game 2. This is getting to be a Warrior habit, burying a Cavs unit with mediocre defensive rotations. Like a boxer delivering body blows to knock the wind out of a tired opponent and then connecting with a wicked uppercut to the jaw. Bam! Games 1 and 2 had Golden State with too many open looks that Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson fired at will. If we go back to the series between Indiana and Boston, Cleveland prevailed because they have superior talent. Their defense was just complimentary. The Pacers and the Celtics had plenty of scoring opportunities but they just failed to convert.
Curry, with a Game 2 triple-double performance, had been doing ankle-breaking moves one after the other, highlighted with an exasperated LeBron James scrambling a step or two behind. That play should have been called a double dribble but was just too humiliatingly beautiful that the refs themselves, just like the fans, were stunned.
There is no stopping a ridiculously good KD as he can pour in the points from anywhere, even a few feet from behind the three-point line. He’s so shifty that he can slip past defenders for a slam, stop and pull up for a quick jump shot or whip a pass to an open teammate. Together with Curry, they compiled a two-game scoring average of not less than 63 points.
Cleveland must do something today to prevent a Warriors win. LeBron will always be himself. Kevin Love is having the performance of his life since his coming over from Minnesota but the rest of the Cavaliers’ starting unit had become stale. Kyrie Irving, JR Smith and Tristan Thompson must submit good numbers if they really need a victory or two. Likewise, the bench mob must contribute. During the last two games, Coach Tyronne Lue already gave up in the early stages of the fourth quarter by sending in the reserves. This should not be the case.
A championship series is supposed to be a battle between two of the best teams in the league. What is happening now is that only one team is flexing its muscles while the other one is having muscle atrophy. Losing by a combined two-game average margin of 20.5 points is not title game, it’s a tune-up match.
Golden State had a record-breaking season last year. They were 73-9 but blew a 3-1 series lead and lost the championship. Curry was then playing with some foot issues and they had Draymond Green suspended. This year, they’re on a mission to exorcise the painful ghost of 2016 and they’re doing it with clockwork precision. They are healthy and the biggest plus of all, they have Kevin Durant.
The Warriors are on a roll and are just two games away for a new NBA record. It’s now up to Bron and company to frustrate them. Dammit, at least make the NBA Finals interesting and win the next two games at Quicken Loans Arena./PN
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