Sunday Shootaround

Are the Warriors too good?

by Paul Flannery

OAKLAND — The very first question lobbed at NBA commissioner Adam Silver during his annual state of the game press conference prior to Game 1 of the Finals concerned the lack of competitive playoff series that led to this unprecedented third consecutive meeting between the Warriors and Cavaliers.

The Warriors had pulled a Fo’, Fo’, Fo’ in sweeping their way to the Finals, while the Cavs dropped only one game to the Celtics along the way. Neither team was challenged on their journey and there were only a handful of games that could have gone either way. We all expected this would be the ultimate result of the 2016-17 season, yet the ease in which both teams advanced destroyed any semblance of competitive balance that may have existed.

Even more troubling was the notion that both teams treated the regular season like a warm-up act. The Warriors quickly established that they we would not be gunning for 73 wins again, while the Cavs coasted through large chunks of the calendar with nary a care in the world. The ratings may suggest otherwise, but that doesn’t seem like a sustainable way to carry out a season that stretches almost nine months.

Silver, who came into his post preaching the gospel of parity, has presided over four Finals matchups. Three of them have involved the Cavs and Warriors and the other featured LeBron James in his final season with the Miami Heat. They have all produced great theater even as a generation of marketable stars have never seen the main stage.

Parity may be the NBA’s Holy Grail, but it has rarely been proven to exist and it’s not at all clear that it would be good for the league. The one decade that saw the most fluctuation from year-to-year — the 1970s — was marked by low attendance and scant attention from television networks and sponsors.

Great players have always defined the NBA, and by extension, so have their teams. We mark the eras by their career arcs; whether they be Larry Bird and Magic Johnson who dominated the ‘80s or Michael Jordan in the ‘90s with brief cameos from Isiah Thomas’ Pistons and Hakeem Olajuwon’s Rockets.

The preceding decade of the Aughts was slightly more diffuse, but was still dominated by Kobe Bryant’s Lakers and Tim Duncan’s Spurs. All the way back in the beginning, it was Bill Russell’s Celtics who ruled for as long as he played. This current era is not unique, even if it feels like some kind of outlier in our world of hyper-speed consumption and mass dissemination.

“From a league standpoint, you always want to see great competition,” Silver said. “It’s what our fans want to see. It’s what we provide in this league. But having said that, this is real life. It’s not scripted, and it happens. So, sure, the fan in me would love to see more competition at times, but on the other hand, I’ve said it before, I think we should also celebrate excellence.”

Excellence works. It’s what drives ratings and maintains attention spans. If you care at all about basketball you’ve been waiting patiently for this Finals’ match-up, and if you have even a passing relationship with the game, you are intimately familiar with LeBron’s Cavs and the Warriors’ constellation of stars. It needs no hype or build-up, a rare commodity in this day and age.

If this season felt like little more than a way to pass the time before the inevitable resumption of this trilogy, then that was a bargain many of us were inclined to take. A seven-game epic would quell all but the most inane of dissenters and even a six-game slugfest would satisfy the masses.

Eras routinely establish themselves in the NBA as great players find their comfort zone and smart management teams stock the roster with complimentary All-Stars and capable role players. They are more fleeting than one assumes, however.

A 3- to 4-year window is large enough to collect a trophy or two, but then adjustments need to be made as contracts come due and players age their way into new situations. The Warriors have major contract issues to resolve involving Kevin Durant and Steph Curry and the Cavs have been footing an enormous luxury tax bill to cite two looming examples.

This particular period of time may feel like an eternity at the moment, but at the risk of stating the obvious: things change and shit happens. Nothing lasts forever in this league, not even dynasties. The idea of a trilogy, as unprecedented as it is, feels more like the peak than a lasting set of circumstances.

After Game 1, an even more troubling thought bubbled to the surface: After all the anticipation, what if it’s not close?

Much like last year’s Game 1 resulted in a decisive Golden State victory, this year’s opener was also a blowout. The Warriors also won Game 2 convincingly last June and we all know how things unfolded after they took a commanding 3-1 lead back to Oakland. No one should ever write off a LeBron James team and no one will until the series shifts back to Cleveland.

But this felt different, mainly because this year’s Warriors come equipped with Durant, a former MVP who is arguably one of the three best players on the planet. There was no argument about who the best player was in Game 1 on a floor that included 11 former All-Stars and three MVPs.

Durant was brilliant and the Warriors were unstoppable. With 38 points in Game 1, KD is already more than halfway toward reaching Harrison Barnes’ 65-point total for the seven games last season. With Durant in place of Barnes on the wing, there’s nowhere to hide a defender and no space to allow LeBron to roam as a free safety.

“You know how scary things can be, especially when that 7-footer [Kevin Durant] is coming at you full speed with his ball-handling ability and shooters spread across,” Andre Iguodala noted. “It’s pick your poison.”

By and large, the Cavaliers chose poorly. They ran to shooters and allowed Durant to fly down the lane for uncontested dunks. Even if it was a miscommunication, it’s not like there were good alternatives to be found. In the aftermath, Cavs coach Ty Lue was asked a long, winding question about the seemingly impossible task of beating the Warriors.

“Yeah, they’re the best I ever seen,” Lue shot back.

Asked to elaborate, Lue repeated his answer. Pressed further, he sighed and offered the facts.

“I mean, no other team has done this, right? So 13-0, and they constantly break records every year, last year being 73-9, this year starting the playoffs 13-0,” Lue said. “So they’re playing good basketball. But we can play better.”

They can, and they probably will. We didn’t come all this way for a sweep, even if the closest the Warriors have come to a loss in these playoffs was a nailbiter against the Spurs that was notable for including the largest conference finals comeback in 15 years. That’s the kind of firepower they have in reserve, which the Cavs got to experience firsthand right away.

“There’s no way can you simulate the Warriors offense,” Kyrie Irving said. “So, when you come out here, and no matter how greatly prepared you are, you know going against them and being in a game is totally different.”

Adjustments will be made and shots will either fall or rim out. Strange bounces will happen and a call or two may swing a game. We’ve seen enough over the years to know that an opening game blowout between two highly-competitive teams is less of a harbinger than a random occurrence.

And, yet … man, the Warriors are loaded.

If it’s excellence that we’re witnessing, than excellence shall be rewarded and revered, however grudgingly. That’s the nature of sports and competition at the highest levels. The question of whether the league will be sustained and buoyed by that excellence or drowned in double-digit losses and eroding interest by the public has yet to be determined.

These are fascinating times for the NBA. They may also be precarious.

The List Consumable NBA Thoughts

Adjustments and tweaks are all part of the process as we move from one game to another. After a blowout in Game 1, the onus is on the Cavs to change things up heading into Game 2. Here are a few things to watch.

Limit transition

All teams feast in the open court, but the Warriors gorge themselves on fast-break opportunities. The Cavs played right into their hands with a ton of missed shots and turnovers. Taking better care of the ball in Game 2 will obviously help, but as our Mike Prada pointed out the Cavs’ defensive issues were mainly a function of their sputtering offense.

Take advantage of cross matches

For anyone wanting to see a continuation of the Steph Curry-Kyrie Irving duel they got half their money’s worth. While Irving had to deal with Curry on the defensive end, he mainly saw Klay Thompson as a primary defender on the other. The Warriors switch everything anyway, but getting Irving into one-one-one sets against Curry would be a good start.

Draw Draymond Green out to the perimeter

Based on preliminary voting results, Green is likely to win his first Defensive Player of the Year award when the results are announced after the Finals. What makes Draymond so good is his ability to control that end of the floor away from the ball. He routinely snuffed out Cleveland sets before they had a chance to reach their intended result. They did have some success attacking him off the dribble, which is a decent place to start.

Find offense from non-creators

Neither LeBron James nor Kyrie Irving had memorable games in the opener, but their overall production was fine. The issue was that they had very little help. The Cavs destroyed the East with small-ball lineups that spaced the floor with shooters around LeBron. That didn’t materialize at all on Thursday as J.R. Smith, Deron Williams, and Kyle Korver shot a combined 1-for-10. Getting good looks and knocking them down would help stem some of the Warriors’ offensive firepower.

A return to caveman ball

If the Cavs are going to get their split, they’ll have to make a it a halfcourt game. That’s easier said that done, especially at Oracle, but one way they can try is to effectively isolate LeBron in the post and run everything through him. That kept them in the Finals in 2015 and has worked at times in later match-ups. It’s not what they want to do, but they may not have any other choice.

By The Numbers The stats that explain the week

1

Klay Thompson had a bad night shooting the ball, making just three of his 16 shots. Yet, Thompson still had a brilliant game, allowing just one field goal when he was the primary defender on 12 shot attempts. Klay’s primary matchup was Kyrie Irving and he handcuffed Irving all night. He also defended Kevin Love at times and worked his magic there, as well.Despite his poor shooting night, his efforts in Game 1 did not go unnoticed.

2

At first glance, Andre Iguodala’s stat line was perfectly fine. He accounted for seven points on just four shots with three rebounds, a couple of steals, and a block. The Warriors didn’t need much offense from Iggy anyway, but what they got was 24 minutes of controlled defensive aggression and two explosive dunks. One came in transition when he sprinted the length of the floor and the other came in the half-court when he shook Richard Jefferson and flew to the rim. Questions about his overall health were answered in the affirmative.

4

If the Warriors have an Achilles heel, it’s their penchant for throwing the ball away and creating unnecessary turnovers. They’ve been much better throughout the postseason with a minuscule turnover ratio that rates barely a tick behind Memphis among all playoff teams. The Warriors have clearly taken ball control to heart and their four turnovers in Game 1, against 31 assists spoke to their precise plan of attack.

20

And then we have the Cavaliers. Whether it was rust, nerves, or excellent Golden State defense, the Cavs were clearly off their game in the opener as their 20 turnovers will attest. Those turnovers led to 21 Golden State points and 20 more field goal attempts from the Warriors. They’re hard enough to beat without giving away points and possessions.

22

One of the things to watch coming into this series was the amount of minutes Kevin Love could stay on the court. It’s no secret that when the Warriors go small with their death star lineup that K-Love is in their crosshairs. What was interesting about Game 1 was that it was Tristan Thompson who was run off the court after only 22 minutes. Part of that had to do with the deficit — Love is obviously a better offensive player — and part of it had to with Thompson’s ineffectiveness. He’s been fantastic throughout the playoffs and the Cavs need more of that in Game 2.

Say What? Ramblings of NBA players, coaches and GMs

“But it just goes to show that racism will always be a part of the world, a part of America. And, you know, hate in America, especially for African Americans, is living every day. And even though that it’s concealed most of the time, even though people hide their faces and will say things about you and when they see you they smile in your face, it’s a life every single day. And I think back to Emmett Till’s mom, actually. It’s kind of one of the first things I thought of, and the reason that she had an open casket is because she wanted to show the world what her son went through as far as a hate crime and being black in America.”

— LeBron James.

Reaction: If you don’t like your sports to mix with ‘real life’ this is not going to be the series for you. Actually, if you don’t like anything to mix with real life this is not your time either.

“The law was changed. Sufficient is a tough — the answer is yes, I felt that they made incremental progress. And I felt in part related to my response to the last question, I think there is a role that the league can play in demonstrating what equality looks like to a community. I think there that a new governor came in, certainly he made the request directly to us that if they could make progress with the legislature, would we be willing to bring the game back.”

— NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on awarding the 2019 All-Star Game to Charlotte.

Reaction: Much was made of Silver stumbling for his answer and anyone who has followed the HB2 saga in North Carolina knows that changes to the law are superficial at best and damaging at worst. Silver and the NBA seem to be striving toward a third way through this quandary, where they lead by example. It’s a difficult case to sell at the moment.

“Don’t think that your question is too nuanced for a guy. Don’t feel like you’ve got to dumb down a question. If you’re seeking an answer, ask the question that you think will get to that answer as opposed to, ‘I don’t think this guy is that intelligent’, so you throw softballs. Some guys can articulate themselves plain as Jane, so don’t assume that they can’t.”

— Warriors forward David West to SI’s Chris Ballard.

Reaction: David West is one of my favorite players in the league and if I have to explain it to you, then I’ve already lost you.

“People have asked, ‘Are you guys pressuring?’ There’s no pressure here. When that day comes, and he says I’m ready, I think we’ll say, ‘Go coach.’

— Warriors GM Bob Myers on Steve Kerr.

Reaction: It’s rather remarkable how Kerr’s absence from the bench has been such a minimal distraction. Kerr’s been involved and winning certainly helps, but it turns out that transparency is a pretty good way to minimize issues.

“I was a 21-year-old kid, just trying to lead a franchise, and he was a new head coach that I had to get introduced to a new offense, new players, as well as new system. So it was a learning experience, to say the least. It wasn’t — something that I look back on and I kind of regret being part of that because he was just trying to teach me a lot of things that I didn’t necessarily understand as a 21-year-old in the NBA.”

— Kyrie Irving on his relationship with Mike Brown.

Reaction: If you were to tell Irving or Brown how things would unfold to the present-day, would they have believed you?

Vid of the Week Further explanation unnessecary