NBA scores 2016: The Warriors and the Cavaliers are too good for their weaknesses to matter

They’ve met in the Finals for two straight years and a third one seems like it’ll be here before we know it.

Dec 8, 2016, 2:00 PM UTC

NBA: Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

On Wednesday, six days after the Warriors and the Cavaliers lost on the same evening, they both annihilated opponents on national television. Cleveland won so handily that they were playing water bottle games by the fourth quarter, while Golden State beat the Clippers for the seventh straight time in a blowout larger than the 17-point final margin.

Last Thursday, I said a Warriors-Cavaliers Finals was no longer inevitable. To be specific, I wrote it “doesn’t look inevitable” although the “odds are it’ll happen” — hardly something I expected to land in hot take territory, and yet still maybe a slight overreaction all the same.

That’s because of how good the Warriors and the Cavaliers are, and how many light years ahead they look to be over everyone else. Los Angeles was the team we had pined for as a legitimate challenger, a long and athletic roster with a streaky bench that could come alive at just the right times. They did beat Cleveland last Thursday by 19 points, but Golden State dismantled them. It was a beatdown, and it could have been even worse.

The losses last Thursday did confirm the two team’s weaknesses — a streaky Cavaliers bench and one lacking competent big men for Golden State. But both teams know that, and they compensate in the best way possible: not caring that you’ll take advantage of their one weakness since they have a devastating advantage in nearly every other aspect of any game they play.

Calling a Warriors-Cavaliers Finals “inevitable” is a disservice to the actual definition of the word inevitable. But yes — if you’re looking for a mea culpa from me, then let me concede that any other outcome has a terminal outlook for this year. Unless we have new evidence to work with, it’s best to assume the outcome that seems all too likely.

Those weaknesses still exist, and we’ll see them occasionally throughout the year. Golden State isn’t on a 73-win pace, after all, and the Cavaliers already have a three-game losing streak. But the strengths are just so overwhelmingly better than the other teams around the league. That’s why we felt comfortable calling the Finals before the year barring injuries, and it’s why nothing much has really changed.

The NBA has lacked parity before, and there are a dozen other compelling storylines unfolding as we speak throughout the league’s other 28 squads. It’s OK if one storyline that ends in June doesn’t catch us by surprise, even if it’s the most important one.

The Mavericks are finally bad

Enron was still scandal-free the last time the Mavericks had a losing record — a 40-42 year in the 1999-00 season before the team rattled off 11 straight seasons with 50-plus victories. That will finally come to an end this year, and Dallas knows it.

After losing 120-89 to the Kings at home, Rick Carlisle’s post-game press conference lasted 39 seconds as he left before answering questions. The team followed up with a 35-minute closed locker room meeting, while everyone who did talk to media used words like “inexcusable” and “disservice.”

The loss dropped Dallas to 4-17, and while the way the team is reacting to it says a lot about why they’ve been so successful this past decade and a half, the biggest problem isn’t effort or bad performances — it’s that they’re not good enough. They’ve had key players miss time, but they were already a team that needed near-perfect health from an injury-prone roster to even approach a .500 record. Now, that’s not going to happen.

A great draft pick in an even better draft — plus another first rounder from whatever team they trade Andrew Bogut to — puts them right back on the path to success. But whether the team says they’re tanking or not, their league-worst record paints a clear picture.

The Cavaliers are a high school senior class now

They’re so happy you can’t even be mad! (I write this sentence knowing full well people are gonna be maaaad today at athletes having fun.)

Wednesday’s best play

WE SEE YOU, Jaylen Brown!

More from Wednesday

Here’s a legitimate 80-foot outlet pass from Kevin Love to LeBron James.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was called for a 10-second free throw violation, which a) is a thing that exists and b) has actually been a long-time coming for Giannis. Here’s why!

Gorgeous Warriors basketball.

The Clippers did have *one* highlight play.