The Warriors want to win the title in Cleveland because they’re ruthless

There’s nothing sweeter than winning a championship at home — at least, that’s what most teams want to do.

The Warriors aren’t most teams. They don’t just want to win the NBA Championship, but they specifically want to win it in Cleveland and make their victory as painful as possible:

It’s easy to write off Klay Thompson’s comments as just a guy who wants to win the title as soon as possible. But there’s more to this. The Warriors have a history of wanting to shove their victory in their opponents’ faces. Here’s what Draymond Green said on Thursday:

“It would be very satisfying to do that,” Green said at practice Thursday. “Obviously we’ve won it here before. It’s a good feeling. We’re celebrating on their floor, celebrating in their locker room, quieting their crowd. As an athlete, one of the best feelings is going into an opponent’s and enemy territory and just silencing their crowd.”

It’s cold-blooded, but that’s just how the Warriors operate. They don’t have time for niceties. They want to rip your still-beating heart out of your chest, especially if you’re the Cavaliers. All season long, players pretended like there was no rivalry between the teams.

But when things get down to the wire, Golden State proved time and time again how much they dislike Cleveland. The 3-1 jokes, LeBron wearing an Ultimate Warrior shirt during his victory lap — both teams know exactly what they’re doing.

Winning a title in Cleveland would be a familiar road the Warriors have already walked down, and Steph Curry said as much in 2016 when the teams met in January:

“Obviously, walking in the locker room, it’ll be good memories. Hopefully, it still smells a little bit like champagne.”

On Friday night, there will be that opportunity again, and after a year of jokes, Golden State wants to deliver its punchline.