Namely: The Cavs are at full strength as they try again for the franchise’s first championship after losing in six games past year. Timofey Mozgov gave the Warriors fits last season, but now he’s not even in the Cavaliers’ rotation.
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Anderson Varejao is the first player to play for both NBA Finals teams in a season. I think it’s great for the sport.
The Cavs learned in last year’s finals they can’t leave Curry and Thompson for a millisecond. That’s a huge difference. “I’m a Warrior. That’s what I want to focus on now”. And a huge difference is [being] healthy and whole. “I didn’t expect it and it happened”. Love was out with an injured shoulder and Irving sustained a season-ending injury in Game 1 against the Warriors. Last year, Kyrie Irving played one game [in the finals] and that was the game the Cavs lost in overtime and he fractured his kneecap and that was the end of him. He has three flagrant fouls in the playoffs. But the presence of Irving and Love comes at a cost.
SMALL FORWARD: Harrison Barnes or Andre Iguodala vs. LeBron James. They can shoot from all over the place and they are playing at a faster pace. Curry and the Warriors got the best of James and the Cleveland Cavaliers last June, but make no mistake who holds the upper hand in the long run. “To me, he was clearly the MVP of that series….” I’m trying to chase rings. “I think it can’t be easy for him, but I don’t know if there’s anybody on the planet who could handle it as well”.
The differences between the Warriors of 2015 and those of 2016 are more subtle but equally impactful. Thompson is an All-Star and better all-around player, though Smith is a much-improved defender. I think Green continues to struggle or gets in some sort of altercation, or perhaps Curry tweaks his knee again. Curry and Thompson are two of the best perimeter shooters in National Basketball Association history.
Curry eclipsed James this season in both jersey sales and All-Star votes, but ultimately the only category that matters is championships.
“He’s this thin, nearly weak-looking guard who is as tough and as strong as anybody and plays the game in a way we’ve never seen”. “Blessed to be healthy, help my teammates out”.
Golden State: As a player, Steve Kerr won three championships with Michael Jordan and two with Tim Duncan. Around here, he’s known as the guy Allen Iverson famously stepped over after draining a jumper in Game 1.
The Cavs move the ball on offense, shoot the three-pointer with a high rate of success, get to the rim and are a high-scoring team.
The Warriors turned back the Cavs in their two meetings in the regular season, holding down James and his team to only 92.3 points per 100 possessions.
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That’s even more true when opponents react by taking quick, ill-advised shots, which the Thunder did several times in Games 6 and 7. So we have to be able to do other things to stop them, but it’s hard to contain them. “We’ve still got to go out and do it. We’ve still got to go out and prove ourselves and be as great as we can be every single night we hit the floor”.
