Live Thread: Cavs @ Warriors
2015-12-25
(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
It’s Christmas, and Adam Silver has been a very giving man this year. NBA fans are finally getting the rematch they all wished for: Cavs Vs. Warriors. Although, neither team looks exactly the same since they last met on June 16th.
The Warriors are missing their small ball power forward, Harrison Barnes, and the Cavs are fully loaded for the first time in nearly six months.
The game today could be a preview of the Finals, as both teams sit atop their respective conferences. The Warriors have been insanely hot so far this season losing just one game, and winning by an average of 13.5 points (second in the league). The Cavs are are beating opponents by an average of 6.2 points (fourth in the league).
Here’s what I’m looking for today:
1. How will the Cavs cover Stephen Curry? Curry is averaging 31.2 points a night, hitting 4.8 threes a night! In game one of the Finals, Irving covered Curry and held him to 26 points on 10-20 shooting. Curry has scored less than 26 points just eight times this season. Is Irving up for the challenge today?
Once Irving went out with his knee injury in the Finals, the Cavs began trapping Curry pick and rolls, forcing a pass, and then rushing to whoever caught the ball to force one final pass. Whoever received that second pass was free to shoot it. Typically, Andre Iguodala was that guy. He started hitting his shots in games four, five, and six, which propelled the Warriors to a title.
2. What lineup will finish this game? Kyrie Irving is on a minutes restriction, but even if he wasn’t, it’s still questionable as to if he would finish the game out. The Cavs’ Warrior stomping lineup in the Finals was Dellavedova, Shumpert, James, Mozgov, and Thomspon. LeBron ran the offense and the other guys focused on defending and getting every single rebound possible. It flustered the Warriors small ball super group.
3. With Kevin Love back, the Warriors will actually have to defend the entire floor. When the Cavs played them in the Finals, TT and Mozgov were often on the floor together for long stretches of time. Shumpert and Delly couldn’t hit any of their 3s. This resulted in the King seeing at least three defenders in the paint at all times. He had to work his butt off. What’s gonna happen when he gets to face just two defenders in the paint?
4. Both of these teams can defend and play offense. What is each one going to focus on? Is this game going to be a grind it out defensive affair or will both groups just try to out score each other? For the sake of the Cavs, I really hope they turn this game into a rough defensive event. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are too dangerous from beyond the arc to try and out score.
5. TT or Mozgov are going to get guarded by Draymond Green at some point during this game. Can those two assert themselves as Bigs who can punish a smaller guy on the glass?
I’m predicting this game is won by less than three point by the Cavs. The Cavs (the King) have been waiting for this game all year. They’re going to play hard, and I’m sure it’s on their minds that they can deliver the Warriors their second L of the season.
Merry Christmas, let’s hope for a big Cavs win.
Please email Nate Smith, see the sidebar for his email address, if you would like a Cavs:The Blog shirt. He has two medium and two large shirts left for the first four people who contact him.
I leave you with the best holiday special of all time:
The Warriors really share the ball well…. Let’s hope the Cavs can keep up. LeBron is looking to pass early but maybe he needs to look for his first.
I think I’m gonna have nightmares about meeting the “Hoopers”
WOW… love this game. Super intense. CAVS have the advantage with pace and making it a defensive struggle.
I hope they keep it close to the last 5 minutes. I worry if the splash brothers get hot or go to the line there is no way the refs will call fouls for the cavs to score with clock stopped.
Delly puts two fingers on his back and gets called for a foul. Great
Yep and then a touch foul for Curry. Man I can’t stand this team!
Weak weak call… You gonna foul put him put him on the floor.
That’s funny, we just said the same thing. If you’re gonna foul, draw blood.
No. No flagrants.just short of that, though.
That was NOT a foul on Curry, come on.
Where was the foul?!
Yeah, that was a star call there…
When they can send the golden child to the line the will.
It did NOT take long for them to get winey. I hate the dubs.
HELLUVA STEAL BY JR!!!
Delly three point play… Curry can’t guard him…
Delly flob!
DELLY AND ONNNNNEEEE!!!!
Delly with GREAT D on Curry! Not gonna let him get an open three…
Non called illegal D on GS there.
Great defense by love on green
BLOCKED by Love!
Nice transition D by LOVE!!!
Gotta put Curry on the deck. No weak fouls.
I do NOT want Green being the hero in this game. I can handle Curry or Thompson torches us, but not effing Green.
Dang… great pass by LBJ, Mozerati can’t finish at the rim.
I know. His mouth was on the net he was so close.
Moz just has to be better…
He won’t be, so TT will have to play a lot of minutes
LBJ needs to be on Green. Or Shump.
Thompson fouls Kyrie. Just like last year. No call.
Curry not guarding kyrie cracks me up. Cmon cavs decent start
Yeah, he talks a big game. I hope he guards Delly and Delly torches him.
Feel like I’m hyper critical cause I want the the Cavs to play a perfect game.
I subscribe to this line of thinking as well… deeep breaths…
Good game so far by the Cavs. Tight D, getting good looks on offense. Really need Love to start hitting shots, though. This is where he needs to show he would’ve made a difference on the big stage last year. Get confidence for June.
Both teams are playing kind of scared of each other if you ask me.
Quite right.
Warriors know this is the team that can take the crown. Cavs know this is the team that stands in their way.
Mozzy is defending well though so far. Like the Cavs play right now, there a couple of dropped open shots from being up fairly big.
I like it…. Games going at CAVS pace, LBJ and KLOVE post ups galore.
Kevin got away with a travel.
Nice recognition with the KLOVE mismatch and KLOVE knocking down the lay up!
Moz is having a rough game so far… just cost the Cavs another possession with that rebounding mistake…
That was a pretty good defensive stand by him that time though…
Love deep in it right now
Great passing leads to the JR3!!!
Gotta close out on Draymond, Kevin…
Good foul. Moz needs to protect the ball on that layup.
Love had a mismatch with Thompson on him in the post… chose to pass it instead of shoot over the top of him.
That was baffling.
Moz… gotta put that one down dude…
Nice post up by LBJ.
JR SWISH!!!!!!!
Toooooo many steps Dray!
Love with an absolutely crappy defensive rotation on that first dubs bucket.
And the second one…
Nice play by JR…
absolutely…. great defense one on one
Yes, very good. Delladova-esque
After watching the earlier slate of games, it’s clear to me. Steph, LeBron, and Kawhi are the three best players in the NBA, and fourth may not be close.
Love missing 2 great looks.
He’ll get them soon.
Cavs nervous to start.
KLove will make that shot more than not…
Yeah, they need to settle down and it will go well. Like the defense and movement so far.
Timo wasn’t just out of bounds… he was like 5 feet out of bounds…
WE WON THE TIP!!!! /s
What’s Mark Jackson gonna do, now that he can’t shamelessly audition for the Cavs’ head coaching job, and is being boatraced by Luke Walton as a former GSW coach…?
Do you think they put Mark Jackson on Golden State telecasts as often as possible just so they can see that slight depression on his face as he tries to smile?
Digging the Cavs warmup sweaters… want one of those!
Let’s hope Blatt uses his timeouts wisely…….. Go Cavs!!!
Start the game already!
I know!!! I’m going to end up getting interrupted for Christmas dinner. Come on people! We have families we can only ignore for so long.
This just always sounds gross to me, Fred…
Okay, that made me laugh. Maybe someone should bring Fred up to date.
A lot! Including me!!!!!! Lol
Sooo, I”m not used to this because I never watch live. Why hasn’t the game started yet?
They gotta let the ABC/ESPN talking heads hype it up a little first…
Man… that’s a BIG onesie…
I was just discussing that with my sister in law. You have to really want him to have that to look for something that fits a 6’8″ dude. Unless someone knitted it. In which case…I love that person.
I love that Shump is salty about facing the Warriors…
Wonder if it’ll be weird for former Herculoid Luke Walton to coach against the Cavs today… I always imagined him having a soft spot in his heart for the Cleveland…
I think its probably just us with a soft spot for him.
That’s probably more true…
Good evening CtB! HEre are your numbers for this evening:
GSW is a 7pt favorite over CLE, with an o/u @ 206.5. Smart money is on a GSW cover and the UNDER.
I’ll take GSW over CLE 107-99. I think the Cavs just don’t have the continuity to come through when the game gets tight… but as the Cavs have said, it’s just one game out 82.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays y’all! Go Cavs!
I’m taking CLE to cover and the under. Defense locked in today.
The gambling public agrees with you on the CLE cover, JoeyB!
I think you’re right, CLE will have to win this game with defense, given all the pieces they’re trying to make work on the offensive end now that they finally have options with Kyrie/Shump/Mo.
Has anyone caught the “Meet the Hoopers” State Farm commercial yet? So strange…
Bizarre.
Sage Steele is so fine.
Let’s hope the Cavs can make today’s game a competitive one. With KI and the whole Cavs starting 5 trying to find a rhythm I think we’ll need to be patient with this game.
At the same time with the Warriors (and Spurs) playing the best basketball right now, this game could show the Cavs were they are standing right now against the elite.
Go Cavs!!
It’s not gonna bother me if the Cavs lose, I just want them to play smart and with great effort on D from the opening tap. I’m interested in seeing how many open 3’s we end up allowing. Limit them and they have a shot, but we just got our team all the way back and still are working on cohesiveness, as well as playing on their floor, so a L would be no biggie.
Agreed. I’m good with a smart, healthy game. We don’t need to empty our chamber for this one. Although I will not be upset if they play with their hair on fire and beat them by 10,000
It’s gonna bother me, but not too much… I just know there’s gonna be at least one or two times I yell at the tv at something Draymond does/gets away with…
Yeah. He drives me nuts.
Well he finally gets to play against our guy who does some of the same stuff in KLove, let’s see how he deals with it, lol.
I agree with you all. Play smart on th sides of the ball and we’ll live with the results. The Warriors like to hit first and rye Cavs hve to ready for that.
See the note above about xmas presents for our readers.
I already have one! I stupidly didn’t pack it for my Minnesota Christmas Trip so I’m not wearing it now. :(
That’s just a poor packing job… ;)
I hope this is a good game. I’ll be so bummed if we get our ass kicked.
Bulls/OKC game shows how one-dimensional the Thunder are…
I really like Bobby Portis for CHI… The Noah injury seems to be a blessing in disguise for Portis.
Portis is athletic, can shoot the jumper, and a high energy guy.
And his name rhymes with “tortoise”…
HAHAHA… I think you’ve christened his nickname for him!!!
No matter how fast he is… I’ll always think of him as slow now… ;)
I’m so pumped. I can watch this game on TV and be on the computer at the same time. First time this year.
So nice to not have the 30 second LP delay, right?
I KNOW. I feel like I’m a millionaire with all the latest technology.
Merry Christmas! Let’s get a big win today Cavs!
Happy Christmas, yo.