Live Thread: Cavs vs Warriors

It’s here: the Cavs’ only remaining chance to enact some measure of Finals vengeance until a possible Finals rematch. The Dubs are in town on a cold Cleveland night. And Cleveland appears to be at full strength with Mo Williams rejoining the team after a death in the family. Mo and Draymond Green though, are still listed as day-to-day on the injury report. LeAndro Barbosa is out for Golden State.

The Cavs are coming off a drubbing off the Rockets, and the Warriors are coming off a tough loss to the Pistons. To say that there’s been a lot of chatter leading up to this would be underselling it. Kyrie Irving noted that the Cavs have to “make a statement.” Steph Curry’s comment the other day that he hopes the visitor’s locker room “still smells a little bit like Champagne” rubbed some Cavs the wrong way.  Meanwhile national hyperbole cages this as a “must win” for the Cavs to be taken seriously. I hope they play like it, but as long as they play hard and smart all game, I’ll be happy.

But in reality, the game pales in comparison to the holiday, Martin Luther King Day, the day we can come together and celebrate how much we’ve grown as a country since the civil rights leader’s life and death, and how much farther we need to go. I for one am happy that I get to watch two teams of exceptional young men play a sport against each other and get paid exorbitantly to do it. What matters in the NBA is not what color, nationality, or religion you are, but how well you play and conduct yourself on and off the court. I  hope both teams take the occasion to remember that we all can improve as people and work harder to be better people and to lift up those around us. Hopefully this game, regardless of the outcome, uplifts each of you. “Keep moving forward.”