*** the official 2014-15 nba finals thread ***

[Mask]

2015 NBA Finals: Warriors-Cavaliers features an embarrassment of riches

BY BEN GOLLIVER


- Matchup: (West 1) Golden State Warriors vs. (East 2) Cleveland Cavaliers
- Season Series: 1-1
- Efficiency Rankings: Golden State (Off. Rating: 2, Def. Rating: 1, Net Rating: 1); Cleveland (Off. Rating: 4, Def. Rating: 20, Net Rating: 7)
- Playoff Performance: Golden State beat (8) New Orleans 4-0, (5) Memphis 4-2, and (2) Houston 4-1; Cleveland beat (7) Boston 4-0, (3) Chicago 4-2, and (1) Atlanta 4-0

The Matchup
After a season filled with injuries to superstars and a postseason that has been forgettable at times, the NBA gets a chance to salvage its 2014-15 campaign with a mouth-watering matchup in the Finals featuring the Warriors and Cavaliers.

The showdown is headlined by LeBron James (a four-time MVP and the league’s most dominant player) and Stephen Curry (the reigning MVP and the league’s most electrifying player). Joining perhaps the two most popular players in basketball—James and Curry finished Nos. 1 and 2 in jersey sales this year—is an embarrassment of riches: 2015 All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson, 2015 All-Defensive selections Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut, 2014 All-Defensive selection Andre Iguodala and 2013 Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith. There’s so much talent here that it spills over to the sidelines, where 2014 All-Star Kevin Love is out injured and 2013 All-Star David Lee rarely cracks the rotation.

Of course, there’s history on the line for both of these loaded rosters. Golden State is seeking its first title since 1975 and its second title since relocating to California in 1962. The 67-win Warriors are also pursuing a spot next to the greatest teams in league history: Golden State became just the eighth team to post a +10 point differential for a season, and six of the seven previous teams to accomplish that feat went on to win the title. A championship would also exorcise past demons for coach Steve Kerr and assistant Alvin Gentry, who couldn’t quite get over the hump with the Steve Nash-led Suns, who were the Warriors’ fast-and-loose predecessors.

Cleveland, meanwhile, is seeking the first title of its 45-year franchise history, as James looks to complete the circle by bringing a championship trophy to his home state of Ohio after claiming two in Miami. While James has officially matched Michael Jordan’s six career Finals appearances—and surpassed Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan by making five straight—he needs a victory to avoid a 2-4 career mark. A title, therefore, would bring James halfway to Jordan’s six rings and give him the trump card whenever anyone, in Ohio or otherwise, suggested that he needed to leave Cleveland to win.

There’s intrigue to be found in the coaching matchup, too, which pits Kerr, the ultimate NBA insider, against David Blatt, the ultimate outsider. Kerr’s history with the game runs so deep that he owns five rings, one of which he earned by taking a pass from Jordan himself and knocking down the title-clinching jumper. Upon his retirement, Kerr found success as a front-office executive and as a commentator, before sliding effortlessly into the coach’s seat. Blatt, on the other hand, enters the Finals with no previous NBA playing or coaching experience, having spent most of the last 30 years playing and coaching in Israel and Russia. Nevertheless, he guided Cleveland to 53 wins in his debut season, doing well to incorporate midseason additions (Timofey Mozgov, Iman Shumpert and Smith) and handle injuries (Anderson Varejao in December, Love in the first round, Irving in the second round) on the fly.
Storylines aside, the most important thing here is that these two teams clearly represent the best of their respective conferences. Since Jan. 23, the date that the Cavaliers fully formed, Golden State had the league’s best record (33-9), with Cleveland a close second (30-9). After that date, the Cavaliers closed the season with the league’s most efficient offense (109.6), with Golden State a close second (109.1). In the playoffs, Cleveland (12-2 in the East) and Golden State (12-3) both breezed through their conference brackets, while ranking No. 1 and 2, respectively, in offensive rating.

This series should produce good, pure, fun basketball, with plenty of strategic wrinkles. Both teams are guided by MVP-quality players that have enjoyed big late-game performances in this playoffs, both teams boast complementary stars and well-fitting role players, both teams love to shoot from deep, both teams have found success playing big and small, both teams have the capability of breaking their opponents’ back by stacking points in a hurry, both teams are unafraid to experiment with unconventional lineups, both teams have mostly avoided intentionally fouling the opposition, and both teams enjoy strong home-court advantages. In other words, this series can’t start soon enough.

 

[Mask]

The Case For The Warriors

The Warriors enter the series as strong favorites, and preparation stands as the most convincing reason to believe they will see their dream season all the way through to a championship parade.

To reach the Finals, the Warriors laid waste to the stronger Western Conference in the regular season before overcoming wunderkind Anthony Davis, outlasting the grit-and-grind Grizzlies, and out-shooting the fast-and-furious Rockets. Along the way, Golden State has proven that it can handle just about anything thrown at it, whether that’s Memphis’s slow-down style, Houston’s up-tempo approach, or the various individual problems created by the likes of Davis, Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, James Harden and Dwight Howard.

• MORE NBA: Media's take | Thompson healthy | Love expects to return

Although the Warriors’ key players are lacking in Finals experience, they aced a series of tough tests and are as prepared as any team can be for James and the Cavaliers. By comparison, Cleveland advanced through a below-.500 Celtics team, a Bulls team that faced injury issues and off-court issues, and a Hawks team that was depleted and playing well below the standard expected of a 60-win team.

Golden State will trust that its offense will find success against Cleveland, just like it did against Memphis’s elite defense. The Warriors will also trust that their own elite defense is capable of providing a much stiffer test to the Cavaliers than the Celtics, Bulls or Hawks, who were all good but not great on defense during the regular season.

The major matchups would seem to break in the Warriors’ favor. Much like the Western Conference finals, where Curry went nuts and a platoon approach succeeded in limiting Harden’s effectiveness, Golden State has more capable players to throw at James than the Cavaliers have to use on Curry (who is averaging 29.2 points, 6.4 assists, 4.9 rebounds while shooting 43.7% on threes during the postseason).

​​There’s no great answer for James, who hit for a season-high 42 points in his only regular-season appearance against Golden State this season, but the Warriors have good reason to believe that their continuity and depth advantages should guide them past the Cavaliers as long as they can prevent James from achieving his absolute best. The Warriors’ Game 1 starting lineup (Curry, Thompson, Barnes, Green, Bogut) logged 813 minutes together during the regular season and 204 more in the playoffs, while the Cavaliers’ projected starting five (Irving, Shumpert, James, Thompson and Mozgov) played just 13 minutes together in the regular season and 87 more in the playoffs.
Cleveland’s lineup scrambling due to injuries has a carry-over effect into its second unit, as both Shumpert and Thompson have been promoted, leaving Blatt to slap together a reserve corps that now includes Smith, Dellavedova and 34-year-old James Jones. On paper, that group looks to be at a serious disadvantage against an experienced, athletic and well-oiled Warriors second unit that includes Iguodala, Leandro Barbosa, Shaun Livingston and Festus Ezeli. (Note: Golden State’s full continuity advantage relies on Thompson, who suffered a concussion late in Game 4 against the Rockets but is expected to be ready to go for the Finals.)

Lastly, Golden State will count on Oracle Arena to continue to provide a huge edge: the Warriors are 7-1 at home during the postseason, with a +8.0 point differential. Because the NBA switched last season to a 2-2-1-1-1 format, instead of a 2-3-2 format, the Warriors will get to open the series in friendly confines and play host for Game 5, a potential swing game, and what would be a decisive Game 7.

 

[Mask]

The Case For The Cavaliers

Cleveland’s biggest advantage in this series is James, who combines elite scoring, brilliant playmaking, positional versatility, steady leadership and years of experience. That combination has been on display during the postseason, as James has averaged 27.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game while defending one through five and taking on added responsibilities when Love and Irving missed time.

James has personally delivered big wins (at the Game 4 buzzer against the Bulls and in overtime of Game 3 against the Hawks) and his unique gifts have helped pull the best out of Cleveland’s secondary and tertiary players. James’ assists have created 21 points per game during the playoffs, per NBA.com/stats, as Smith, Shumpert, Dellavedova and Jones have all cashed in on open spot-up looks. His ability to command extra attention has also helped open things up for Thompson and Mozgov to crash the boards.

This Cavaliers team certainly isn’t the superstar-laden Heatles, and it’s not even the “Big 3” that everyone expected as recently as April, but it has successfully recast itself as a scrappy, competitive group that welcomes conflict and takes full advantage of the opportunities it creates. Credit both Thompson, who relentlessly hits the glass, and Dellavedova, who has sparked controversy with his fiery play, for furthering that identity. “Since January, I don't know that there's a harder playing team than us,” Blatt proudly said after sweeping the Hawks. “That takes you a long way.” The Warriors have a way of making the game look easy, but they are surely bracing for a tough series against an unrelenting opponent.
If the underdog is going to prevail here, everything will need to fall into place. James will need to be exquisite, regularly, and he will need to be more efficient in his own scoring. Irving will need to be back near 100%, capable of taking his defensive turn on Curry and handling his share of the playmaking load on offense. Smith will need to avoid any major brain farts, especially those of the suspension-drawing variety, and deliver a red hot shooting night or two. Mozgov, Thompson, Shumpert and Dellavedova will need to defend aggressively and intelligently without courting foul trouble, while also picking their spots as release valves on offense. Jones will need to give minutes here and there, buying valuable rest time for the other rotation members. The Cavaliers, as a group, will need to steal a win in Oakland and then ride their own strong home crowd at Quicken Loans Arena, where they are 6-1 this postseason with a +9.6 point differential.

Yes, that’s a long list of things that must go right, but the Cavaliers are in the Finals precisely because James’ skills have set up his teammates for success. Cleveland winning the East this season, in James’ first year back, was an impressive feat given all the obstacles. So what happens if the Cavaliers take the next step and pull the upset on the Warriors? It will go down as the most impressive victory of James’ illustrious career, and also, surely, the sweetest.

 

[Mask]

Lebron James: "I'm Coming Home" Cleveland! 2015 Return

 

[Mask]

Stephen Curry 2015 MVP Tribute: "NOW AND FOREVER"



Stephen Curry - King Kong ᴴᴰ (MVP Season Mix 2015)

 

[Mask]

2015 NBA Finals Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Golden State Warriors

 

[Mask]

Telling Stat: 26.8%
As noted last week, the burden of carrying the Cavaliers without Love and with Irving limited or out has taken a toll on James’ efficiency numbers. His 24.8 PER is his lowest mark in the playoffs since 2011, his 49.2 True Shooting Percentage is the lowest mark of his playoff career, and his 36.2 Usage Rate is way up from the regular season and represents a postseason career-high. Statistically, as this chart comparing usage rate and true shooting percentage shows, James has been a totally different player in the 2015 playoffs than at any other point in his career. Much greater burden. Significantly less efficient.


The wear of playing 40+ minutes a night, too many isolation looks, injuries to his teammates, and ever-present defensive attention has combined to submarine James’ shooting numbers this postseason. All told, he’s hitting just 26.8% of his shots outside the paint and a decrepit 17.6% of his three-point attempts in the postseason. By comparison, Rockets forward Josh Smith, everyone’s favorite shooting percentage punching bag, managed to shoot 36.3% outside the paint and 38% on threes this postseason.

Here’s a look at how James’s postseason shot chart (left) compares to Curry’s (right).

It’s worth nothing that James was lights out against the Warriors when he scored 42 points in the regular season, shooting 15-25 overall, 7-for-15 outside the paint and 4-for-9 from deep. The Cavaliers will absolutely need that James—the one who was clearly in a good rhythm all night, stroking tough jumpers over anyone guarding him—and not the James whose postseason brick-laying has caused him to repeatedly joke that he needs to exercise greater discretion with his shot selection.

 

[Mask]

The X-Factor: Kyrie Irving

Irving’s selection here should be self-evident. The three-time All-Star has been sensational when healthy—he netted 57 points against the Spurs and 55 against the Blazers, marking the NBA’s top two scoring outbursts of 2014-15—and a shell of himself in recent weeks. Irving opened the first postseason of his career with a bang against the Celtics, but foot and knee problems have caught up to him as the playoffs have continued. Irving saw his load lightened in Game 6 against the Bulls, as he scored just six points in 12 minutes, and he sat out Games 2 and 3 against the Hawks while battling tendonitis.

After scoring 16 points in 21 minutes in Game 4 win over Atlanta, Irving surely welcomed the eight days of rest and recovery following the quick closeout. Cleveland.com reported, per Blatt, that Irving participated in practice on Sunday but that he isn’t yet 100% healthy.

Although the Cavaliers found ways to hide Irving against the Bulls and Hawks, there will be no hiding against the Warriors’ pass-heavy, movement-heavy offense and their excellent perimeter group. When the game opens, Irving will either need to stay with Curry, chase Thompson, or deal with Barnes, whose size makes him a post-up threat. As play progresses, Barbosa’s quickness and Livingston’s size could also test Irving’s health and fitness.

Irving doesn’t need to play Curry to a draw, as that would be asking too much. Still, he can’t be a drag on Cleveland’s defense, and he must emerge as a reliable second scorer alongside James.

 

[Mask]

The Pick: Warriors in 6

The Warriors enter the Finals with positive indicators in every direction: Curry is playing extremely well, Thompson should be good to go, their rotation is healthier and deeper than the Cavaliers’, their lead-up to the Finals has included impressive victories over contenders like the Grizzlies and Rockets, their offense and defense both continue to function at elite levels and Oracle Arena looms as a very tough place for Cleveland to steal a road win.

If any one player is capable of leading an upset of these Warriors it is James, and he should carry a plucky, but stretched supporting cast to a competitive showing. The bet here is that the deeper, more cohesive and more talented team will prevail in the end, much like last year when James’ Heat fell to the Spurs.

 

[Mask]

The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers are two of the youngest teams to reach The Finals over the past two decades.

The average age of Warriors' players who play 15 or more minutes per game is 27.4, while Cleveland's is 27.9.

The 2008 Los Angeles Lakers and 2012 Oklahoma City Thunder had the two youngest cores of the period.

LeBron James' former team, the 2014 Miami Heat, had the third oldest core of the period at 31.1.

1 Los Angeles Lakers 2007-2008 25.8
2 Oklahoma City Thunder 2011-2012 26.2
3 New Jersey Nets 2001-2002 26.3
4 Los Angeles Lakers 2008-2009 26.8
5 Dallas Mavericks 2005-2006 26.9
6 Cleveland Cavaliers 2006-2007 27.1
7 Golden State Warriors 2014-2015 27.4
8 Detroit Pistons 2003-2004 27.8
9 Cleveland Cavaliers 2014-2015 27.9
10 Detroit Pistons 2004-2005 27.9
11 San Antonio Spurs 2002-2003 27.9
12 Los Angeles Lakers 2001-2002 28
13 Los Angeles Lakers 2009-2010 28.1
14 Orlando Magic 2008-2009 28.2
15 Miami Heat 2011-2012 28.7
16 New Jersey Nets 2002-2003 28.9
17 New York Knicks 1998-1999 28.9
18 Boston Celtics 2007-2008 29.2
19 San Antonio Spurs 2004-2005 29.2
20 Boston Celtics 2009-2010 29.3
21 Philadelphia Sixers 2000-2001 29.3
22 Los Angeles Lakers 1999-2000 29.4
23 San Antonio Spurs 2012-2013 29.4
24 San Antonio Spurs 2013-2014 29.7
25 Los Angeles Lakers 2000-2001 30.1
26 Miami Heat 2010-2011 30.1
27 Dallas Mavericks 2010-2011 30.2
28 Indiana Pacers 1999-2000 30.2
29 Miami Heat 2012-2013 30.5
30 Miami Heat 2005-2006 30.6
31 Los Angeles Lakers 2003-2004 30.8
32 Miami Heat 2013-2014 31.1
33 San Antonio Spurs 2006-2007 31.1
34 San Antonio Spurs 1998-1999 31.9

 

[Mask]

Ric Bucher ‏@RicBucher

Is Steph Curry the best shooter in NBA history? Tap here to Vote http://bit.ly/1BOOKWo #nbaplayoffs #nba
12:01 PM - 2 Jun 2015

 

[Mask]

Klay Thompson Cleared To Play In Game 1
JUN 2, 2015 5:10 PM

Klay Thompson has been cleared to play in Game 1 of The Finals.

Thompson suffered a concussion in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals and has completed the NBA's concussion protocol.

 

[ak_rep]

Some teams going to get exposed. Really exposed. One way or the other. Don't believe it will be a close series. 4-2 at best with no worries either way.

 

[KingAddies]

true.

i'll see what everyone says when dellavedova does his 'work' in this next series.

i've got $1 to bet that he goes after someone on a "hustle" play.

the reason i STILL HATE san antonio is because of the bruce bowen's antics... and how they never disciplined him. dude was extra dirty. this type of play does not belong in the nba... watch bowen's famous right leg sweep.



and his famous "landing spot" foot placement = place for jump shooters to roll their ankles.


i know san antonio fans that do NOT call bowen a dirty player... even after viewing shit like this.

dude was seriously fucking with people's careers with this shit. dellavedova entering that territory, imo.

Wade has 3 or more bodies - Rajon Rondo's arm, broke Cavalier's center back, and broke Kobe's nose, he Alonzo Mourning'ed/Danny Ainge'd Lance Stephenson





Wade dirty play compilations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJmyMfpbsMY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjucAs1aWPA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E10SQYgxlA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ2u9YZ4i10

 

[Mask]

Some teams going to get exposed. Really exposed. One way or the other. Don't believe it will be a close series. 4-2 at best with no worries either way.

I think many folks feel this way...we know what another title would mean for Lebron, but it's would be nice to Steph win

 

[Mask]

Warriors will rely on versatility, depth to defend LeBron

JUN 02, 2015 9:51P ET

LeBron James on Warriors: "Almost like playing San Antonio"
JUN 01, 9:36 PMLeBron James speaks on how Golden State plays a lot like San Antonio - and how the Warriors might be better than the Spurs.


OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- LeBron James believes there is nobody in the world that can stop him. He is too strong, too fast, too skilled.
A bully with a basketball and beast above the rim.
For the Golden State Warriors to win the NBA title, they will need to get past James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the finals starting Thursday night. And not just once -- but four times in seven games.
"Some have been successful. Many have failed," said Warriors forward Draymond Green, the runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year and among at least four players who will get their shot at James in the series.
Defending the four-time MVP is a challenge the Warriors think they are as well-equipped as anybody to face.
They had the top-rated defense during the regular season and held opponents to a league-low 42.8 percent shooting. They are loaded with length and versatility on the perimeter, and they lean on 7-footer Andrew Bogut to back them up around the basket.
Call it the Irresistible Force Paradox: an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. Someone, or something, will surely have to give in this matchup.
"Our defense is the best in the league, but we're looking forward to the challenge," Bogut said.
James had little trouble slicing through Golden State's smothering pressure in the lone game he played against the Warriors this season. He scored a season-high 42 points in the Cavs' 110-99 win in Cleveland on Feb. 26, shot 15 of 25 from the floor and made 8 of 11 free throws.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr called it "one of those games where he was making everything." He said the key to avoiding a repeat performance is clogging the paint and avoiding turnovers that lead to transition baskets.
"Sometimes your best defense is your offense," Kerr said. "You can't get crazy with the ball. A live-ball turnover with LeBron is just a dunk at the other end."

James, who is in his fifth straight finals, has been brilliant in the playoffs. He averaged 27.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game while shooting 42.8 percent against Boston, Chicago and Atlanta and often looked flawless.
The Warriors have been tight-lipped about how they'll go about defending James. But, like anybody, they believe there are ways to disrupt his rhythm.

"We're all human, I would like to think," said Warriors swingman Andre Iguodala, who spent more time defending James than any other player on the team in the previous matchup, according to the SportVU tracking system.
The Warriors are no strangers to stopping stars in these playoffs.
James will be the fourth straight All-NBA First-Team player they face after Houston's James Harden, Memphis' Marc Gasol and New Orleans' Anthony Davis. The fifth member of that team is newly minted MVP Stephen Curry, whom James compared himself to last week when asked how to defend the Warriors point guard.

"The same way you slow me down," he said, pausing for effect. "You can't."
The Warriors will likely do what they did against each team's best player the previous three rounds: mix and match defenders and defensive looks.
Green, Iguodala, Harrison Barnes and Klay Thompson will take turns guarding James. And because the Warriors switch on pick-and-rolls at just about every position, it's not nearly as important who starts on him as it is who finishes.
Kerr and assistant coach Ron Adams, the de facto defensive coordinator, will likely shift schemes -- such as going under screens and over screens, trapping or backing off -- several times each game to give James different looks.
James, in his 12th year in the league, has seen just about everything. He said it's always a luxury for a team to have a variety of defensive players, and the Warriors are no different in that regard.

"They have multiple bodies that they can kind of put on me," James said, "but it doesn't affect what I need to do."
The Warriors also want to limit the opportunities James creates for his teammates.
The number of assists he has might be just as important as how many points he scores. Collapsing around him and leaving another player open for a 3-pointer can be costly, which is why the Warriors are looking at the defensive plan as a "team challenge."
"It's not one person's job to stop LeBron," Green said. "If we're going to send any one person on our team to stop LeBron, we'll probably lose. It'll be a complete team effort. And as long as we approach it that way, I think we can do it."

 

[mozartte]

I have CAVS in 5. Lebron has too many weapons. HE made sure this team was stacked. They dont need Love. I see Dellonova giving curry a fit. He reminds me of how Dennis Rodman would get in players head and fuck them up. Clay Thompson will have Shump take him out of the series. Golden State has reached their climax. Cavs are jelling at the right time.

 

[Mask]

I have CAVS in 5. Lebron has too many weapons. HE made sure this team was stacked. They dont need Love. I see Dellonova giving curry a fit. He reminds me of how Dennis Rodman would get in players head and fuck them up. Clay Thompson will have Shump take him out of the series. Golden State has reached their climax. Cavs are jelling at the right time.

The Cavs been playing like this for a few months now...dude you missed some great games!!!

How Lebron made sure this team is stacked...he brought Miller, James Jones along signed off on JR trade as part of the Shum deal(Knock didn't want either of them)....Love reached out to him. Dude is playing with a few cast-a-ways, that believing in each other and playing well.

Not having Love is actually hurting them, Lebron scoring load is greater...plays that keeps in here the post where he really don't want to be...

Think about this love is a stretch post player with 3 point range, Tristan and Timmy range is limited to 15 feet. Without love team have the luxury of not having to worry about a stretch post player until Lebron goes to the 4 slot...



Like I said somewhere else, we need to find a common ground regarding this Cavs team.
Some of us say there stack, some of us say the weak bench will bite them, while others understand the role players phave limited skills, but what they do, they do it well (catch & shoot)
Some folks called them the 4th worst team to make it to the finals...


I think Shum will guard Curry and JR gets Klay.
Kyrie not being 100% is taking away a key matchup, even tho I feel Della can guard him and not have to worry to much. I would let Kyrie channel his uncle Drew if he was 100%, Kerr normally gets moved around defensively so his matchup don't get exploited...

If Curry was guarding Kyrie I would go ISO crazy, party at the rim.... But that's just me!!!

 

[Mask]

LeBron James & Kyrie Irving Try Shooting Left-Handed in Practice | June 1, 2015 | 2015 NBA Finals

 

[Mask]

Playoff plus-minus tallies through the conference finals: Draymond Green, Steph Curry, Iman Shumpert and more


Since I’ve been keeping up with the running tally throughout the playoffs, and now seems a rather good time to get updated–right before the start of the NBA finals…

Here are the current playoff plus-minus leaders, and notice the top 10 is stacked with Warriors and Cavaliers, as is rather understandable since they both dominated their conference tournaments.

And note that Cleveland’s top plus-minus performers are Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith–that DOES NOT mean they’ve been Cleveland’s best two players in the playoffs, obviously, that’s LeBron James.

But it means that Cleveland has done the best when one or both of those two have been on the floor, almost certainly coupled with LeBron, who is averaging a team-high 40.7 minutes in the playoffs. (He averaged 36.1 minutes per in the regular season, the lowest of his career.)

(Stephen Curry is the Warriors’ top minutes-player in the postseason, averaging 38.1 per so far. Draymond Green is next at 37.5 per.)


I’d look at the LeBron-Shumpert or LeBron-Smith pairings the same way I look at the Warriors when they have Curry and Green on the floor–when you see LBJ and either of those two Cavaliers alongside, that’s when Cleveland is most likely to get and extend a lead.

If Cleveland struggles in the minutes with those pairings… that’d be a huge boon to the Warriors for that game.

—The top 10 playoff plus-minus totals so far/
1. Draymond Green…. +167.

2. Stephen Curry…. +112.

3. Iman Shumpert…. +110.

4. J.R. Smith…. +104.

5. Harrison Barnes…. +96.

T6. Klay Thompson…. +94.

T6. LeBron James…. +94.

8. Tristan Thompson…. +93.

9. Timofey Mozgov…. +86.

10. Derrick Rose…. +70.

—Others/
15. Shaun Livingston…. +61.

18. Matt Dellavedova… +52.

19. Kyrie Irving…. +49.

24. Andrew Bogut… +43.

39. James Jones…. +24.

And just because it’s interesting to see series snapshots…

—-Warriors’ individual plus-minus totals in JUST THE HOUSTON SERIES/

1. Shaun Livingston… +49.

2. Draymond Green…. +32.

3. Festus Ezeli…. +29.

4. Leandro Barbosa…. +28.

5. Harrison Barnes…. +24.

6. Klay Thompson… +17.

7. Stephen Curry…. +16.

8. Andrew Bogut…. +4.

9. David Lee…. +2.

T10. Justin Holiday…. +2.

T10. James Michael McAdoo…. +2.

T10. Brandon Rush…. +2.

13. Andre Iguodala… -2.

 

[Mask]

How the Warriors and Cavaliers built championship contenders so quickly

Kyrie Irving reportedly wanted Harrison Barnes. So did many Cleveland fans. The Cavaliers leaked they did, too.

The Warriors indicated they wanted Dion Waiters.

The Cavaliers drafted Waiters – who shut down workouts (before visiting Cleveland) and then shot up draft boards – No. 4 in the 2012 NBA draft. They either played into Golden State’s gamesmanship or poached the player the Warriors really wanted. Golden State took Barnes No. 7.

Three years later, the Warriors and Cavaliers are no longer sparring in the lottery. They meet in the NBA Finals – hoping to become the first team in seven years to jump from outside the playoffs to a championship so quickly.

Cleveland had the worst-ever four years preceding a conference-finals appearance, let alone the worst lead-up to a conference – or even NBA – title. Before its turnaround that begun in 2012, Golden State made the playoffs just once in 18 years.

How did these downtrodden franchises change their fortunes?

The Warriors have made the most of their opportunities. The Cavaliers have made the most most opportunities.

For Cleveland, everything starts with LeBron James.

When the Cavaliers drafted him in 2003, he immediately set them on a track toward title contention. They never reached the pinnacle, and those hopes exploded in flames of burning jerseys when he left for the Heat in 2010.

But Cleveland immediately began preparing to maximize its next championship window – whenever that might be.

They signed-and-traded LeBron for two first-round picks, the right to swap another first-rounder with Miami and two second-rounders. They accepted Baron Davis’ burdensome contract in exchange for the Clippers’ unprotected first-round pick. They dealt J.J. Hickson to the Kings for Omri Casspi and another first-round pick. They traded Ramon Sessions to the Lakers for a first-rounder and the right to swap future fist-rounders. They helped the Grizzles escape the luxury tax by taking Marreese Speights – and yet another first-round pick as bounty.

Some of those picks have been squandered. The Sacramento pick (which still has not been conveyed) went to Chicago for Luol Deng, who didn’t help Cleveland get anywhere before bolting in free agency.

But others have proven instrumental. The Clippers’ pick won the lottery, sending Kyrie Irving to the Cavaliers. They also had their own pick after a poor season, which resulted in Tristan Thompson.

Infamously, that wasn’t the end of the Cavs’ lottery luck. They won again in 2013 (Anthony Bennett) and 2014 (Andrew Wiggins). In their lone non-lucky lottery since LeBron left, they picked up Waiters.

Essentially, the idea was accumulating assets while the team was bad and then cashing in on them when it became good. The lottery helped immensely, but the underlying plan was sound.

Paying Davis and Speights didn’t bother Cleveland at the time. Spending that money on better players wouldn’t have been enough to make the Cavaliers good, anyway.

Now, every roster upgrade matters, and the Cavaliers have shifted gears.

They sent away Tyler Zeller (acquired with accumulated draft picks in the first place) and another first-rounder to dump Jarrett Jack, clearing the cap space to sign LeBron. They dealt Wiggins, Bennett and a first-rounder acquired in the LeBron sign-and-trade to get Kevin Love. They used Waiters to acquire J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert. That deal came with a Thunder first-round pick, which Cleveland packaged with that Memphis first-rounder to get Timofey Mozgov.

The Cavaliers have built a complete team very quickly because they and luck positioned them so strongly entering last summer. I’m sure LeBron wanted to return home, but I doubt he would have signed with Cleveland if its collection of assets weren’t so impressive.

The Cavaliers made plenty of missteps along the way, but they and lottery luck afforded themselves that imperfection.

The Warriors, on the other hand, didn’t have such room for error. They needed to – and did – operate much more shrewdly.

Golden State also relied on fortune – not of lottery luck, but health.

The Warriors traded Monta Ellis for an injured Andrew Bogut in 2012 – a highly controversial deal at the time – and Bogut didn’t play the rest of that season. Curry was also done for the year due to an ankle injury.

Golden State was essentially building around two injured players.

And it couldn’t have worked any better.

Bogut and Curry got healthy, but not before the Warriors tanked their way into keeping their top-seven protected 2012 first-rounder and Curry agreed to a four-year, $44 million contract extension.

Barnes became that pick, and Curry’s bargain extension gave Golden State a ton of flexibility to upgrade the rest of the roster. So did the team’s best 2012 draft pick – second-rounder Draymond Green, who like most second-rounders, signed for near the minimum.

The Warriors used some of that flexibility (necessarily furthered by a salary dump on the Jazz) to sign Andre Iguodala in 2013 and add Shaun Livingston last year.

They also took a huge risk – firing Mark Jackson, who’d helped the team escape its decades-long rut, and hiring first-time coach Steve Kerr. Of course, it has worked beautifully. Green, Barnes and Klay Thompson have blossomed this season, and the team is clicking on both ends of the court.

This is the culmination of Golden State’s plan, but the road gets more difficult from here.

Green becomes a restricted free agent this summer, and he’ll surely command a max contract. That would take the Warriors into the luxury tax, so they’ll have to pay big to keep this group together.

Likewise, the Cavaliers are running out of future assets to trade in for immediate help. They also have the urgent task of keeping Love, who can become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Both franchises face difficult decisions in the years ahead.

But title windows are difficult to crack ajar, let alone prop open for extend periods of time.

Golden State and Cleveland have done both. Whatever happens in the Finals, these teams should remain in contention for the next few years.

And to think, not long ago, they were trying to misdirect each other about selecting Dion Waiters high in the draft.

 

[max-dawg]

I have CAVS in 5. Lebron has too many weapons. HE made sure this team was stacked. They dont need Love. I see Dellonova giving curry a fit. He reminds me of how Dennis Rodman would get in players head and fuck them up. Clay Thompson will have Shump take him out of the series. Golden State has reached their climax. Cavs are jelling at the right time.

dellavedova is gonna roll-up draymond's knee on a hustle play.

 

[max-dawg]

I have CAVS in 5. Lebron has too many weapons. HE made sure this team was stacked. They dont need Love. I see Dellonova giving curry a fit. He reminds me of how Dennis Rodman would get in players head and fuck them up. Clay Thompson will have Shump take him out of the series. Golden State has reached their climax. Cavs are jelling at the right time.

dellavedova is gonna roll-up draymond's knee on a hustle play.

 

[RoadRage]

Ok, its almost showtime... So here are my top 6 keys for both teams winning..

Golden State..​

1-They must prevent Irving and LeBron from driving into the paint, because once that happens the defense is going to have to sag and even rotate causing and freeing up mismatches.. They may actually be able to live with LeBron attacking bu if Irving starts to attack this will be a huge problem for them..

2-Prevent the Cleveland from dominating the boards, if the Warriors can win the rebounding war, they have a much better chance of winning the championship... So far in the post season, one trend has become prominent with the Warriors that is they play as good as their ability to rebound... Even with out Love the Cavs are perhaps one of the best pure rebounding teams in the NBA so it is key to do what they must to prevent them from dominating the rebounds..

3- GS must control the tempo of the game, try to make it a track meet and less of a half court game.. Most of Curry and Thompson three points come of a transition defense off of rebounds and miss shots.. If they are to control the tempo the previous two must, are very important..

4- Everybody not named Curry and Thompson has to play above or as good as their average, because even on a good shooting night the splash brothers are going to net only around 52 points, on a good night LeBron or even Kyrie can muster that by themselves. This means the other guys are really going to have to step up..

5- Limit everyone not named LeBron and Kyrie to under or around their average... If Kyrie is healthy and scores like he is capable of scoring and LeBron does what he always does, then there is little room for error for guys like JR, Shumpert, Thompson and Mazgov..

6- Keep on hitting those shots... The warriors have done a masterful job of hitting some of the toughest outside shots in the history of the game...They are going to need that and more if they want to win this years championship..

The Cleveland Cavs..​

1- First and foremost they are going to have to defend the perimeter, not stop but make their outside shots difficult.. If they are able to lower a 45% three point shooter to a 37% this could translate into ten points towards the final tally..

2- Dominate off the boards... It took almost till half of the season before the Cavs were able to establish their identity, and one thing that became obvious is that a lot of what they do centers around both their defense and their ability to grab the boards, in particularly offensive boards if they were to lose the battle off the boards then its no reason to think that the Cavs fate should be any different than the other Warriors opponents..

3- Make it a half court affair... Run set plays, milk time off the clock, post up LeBron and have Irving attack the paint, in other words make the Warriors play two ways and by them fighting on defense, it should take away some energy usually reserved for offense..

4- Take care of the ball... Limit the amount of turnovers, GS gets a lot of turn overs off the trap, so the Cavs must find a away of passing and hitting the open guy when they do trap.. Another good ploy they can use is attacking the basket before they can trap and passing to the open shooter if they collapse in the paint.

5- Hit the open shot when its there... The Warriors love to trap in the paint but they also are adapt at closing out shooters once the other team kicks the ball out... Now th Cavs are going to have to read what the defense is giving them. If they are overly aggressive then a pump fake and or a drive to the hole may be in order.. But if they fail to read what the defense is giving them then it may be a short series in favor of GS..

6- Know your role... Although the Cavs may not have a deep bench, no team relies of specific rolls from their roll players as much as the Cavs... This has been a good thing up to now, but in big games when the pressure is up sometimes roll players tend to overstate their roll and or in other instances defer their responsibilities towards the next guy.. In the finals its important for both teams to players to play with in their game, but doubly important for the Cavs being that they really on so many specialist..

 

[Complex]

I forgot the NBA season was still going...taking two week breaks and shit

 

[gene cisco]

I forgot the NBA season was still going...taking two week breaks and shit

Cavs needed that bitch bad as fuck....

 

[daman200]

The X factor which ever of these two guys plays better his team will win the series??? who?? DRAYMOND GREEN AND JR SMITH.

i think draymond will play better and the warriors will win the series

 

[RoadRage]

The X factor which ever of these two guys plays better his team will win the series??? who?? DRAYMOND GREEN AND JR SMITH.

i think draymond will play better and the warriors will win the series

Depends, I don't think the Cavs would be forced to double up on either splash brother, so Green would be played head up by LeBron and Thompson... Meanwhile I expect the Warriors to do a ton of doubling up on LeBron and Irving so that would leave JR free to shoot his shot..
They are not playing in a vacuum so to get a fair prediction of what should happen you have to factor up all the variables not just the stats..

 

[Mask]

Andre Iguodala on guarding LeBron, playing with Bogut, the Warriors’ mood, and his own jump shot



OAKLAND–Andre Iguodala doesn’t always love speaking at length to reporters, but when he does, he’s almost always very much worth listening to.

He just doesn’t have any excess babble about him. Always right to the point, often with interesting detail.

Today was NBA finals media day, so every Warriors player was available for close to 30 minutes. Iguodala answered every question fired at him, and was quite good, especially on LeBron.

I’ve mentioned before that I believe the Warriors will generally defend LeBron James with the same principles they used vs. James Harden last series–try to guard LBJ with one man at a time, force him to take jumpers instead of lay-ups or dunks, and make sure they do their best to keep Cleveland’s supporting players from getting easy shots.

LeBron is obviously a better player than Harden, but Harden was a dangerous, dangerous threat… who got red hot in a couple games, but the Warriors still mostly avoided tilting the defense too far his way… the better to try to make sure Trevor Ariza, Josh Smith and Jason Terry didn’t get wide-open shots.

The equivalents in this series: J.R. Smith, Kyrie Irving and James Jones.

—ANDRE IGOUDALA partial gaggle transcript/

-Q: What’s special about playing against LeBron? -IGUODALA: You know you’ve got a great player. The best player in the game right now. He’s had a lot of success, a lot of attention and pressure on him, that he’s been able to overcome and excel in every situation from a young age.

He’s been here the last five times. So a lot of attention is on him.

So for us, we’ve got a tough task in front of us, but we also have a game plan we’re going to try to execute to try to help us win.

-Q: What are you looking forward to the most in these finals?

-IGUODALA: I’m looking forward to the most? Trying to win one game at a time and being the first team to four wins.

-Q: Can I ask you about Andrew Bogut? What has the Australian brought to this team?

-IGUODALA: That’s a good question. Bogut’s one of my favorite teammates because he’s just brutally honest. So he’s not afraid to tell you how he feels.

Advertisement
But he’s a very smart payer, very cerebral basketball player who brings a lot to our team from the five position.

Being comfortable with who he is with his role, being a defender, not looking to get any of the spotlight. He’s just happy to help the team win in any way possible.

-Q: Thoughts on guarding him?

-IGUODALA: Everybody has their scouting report and what they want to do…

We have a few things we’re going to try to do. Everybody’s going to talk about LeBron’s scoring, but what makes him a great player is his ability to pass, being a very smart player, getting out in the passing lanes, being very dynamic and kind of changing the tempo of a game at any given time.

It’s really the small things you have to worry about and key on in order to win.

We feel like each playoff series has kind of prepared us for the next one.

We had a dynamic player in James Harden who really can fill it up and he had a lot of players around him who would feed off of him if we double-teamed him or if we tried a certain scheme and really didn’t execute it a certain way.

Guys like Trevor Ariza, Dwight Howard who played realy well last series.

It’s a different challenge with a great player, but we feel like we’ve seen it and we’re going to have to step up our play more, but we feel like we have a chance.

-Q: With all the defensive pieces you have on the wing and at the rim, do you feel like you’re the best team capable of defending LeBron?

-IGUODALA: We would like to think so. We hope so. If we win four games before they do, then it would work out great.

There’s going to be a lot of adjustments made, a lot of different schemes thrown out there—a scheme may work one game and then they may adjustment and it may not work the next.

It’s a game of cat and mouse. Playing a little bit of chess. Just trying to execute defensively.

-Q: Has each round prepared you a little for LeBron?

-IGUODALA: We’ve played some very good players. You see the next crop of superstars with Anthony Davis and James Harden and you see a superstar now in the finals.

Hopefully all those things prepared us for this moment.

-Q: What’s the mood of the team right now? Is it natural to be a little nervous?

-IGUODALA: I think it’s kind of human nature. For me, the game is the game.

These things kind of take you out of your normal routine and it can throw you off for a second.

But once the tip-off starts, I think we’ll be fine, we’re locked in and ready to go.

-Q: Is this what you expected?

-IGUODALA: About what I expected. Played in the World Championships and the Olympics, had a lot of media presence. You see a lot of different things throughout your career as a basketball player.

I know Draymond Green has been in the Final Four a couple times, so he’s kind of seen the media scene.

I’ve been on a great team in college. As you go through the basketball ranks, you see a lot of things and nothing really surprises you.

-Q: You said in the earlier rounds that your jumper was feeling good. How’s your jumpshot feeling now? Good?

-IGUODALA: Naw, it’s broke right now. Sucks right now. Hopefully I make some shots tomorrow.

It’ll be ready to go. This is going to be a tough battle—some games it’s going to be up and down, quick pace; and then some games it’s going to be a grind out.

You’ve got to be able to mix it up a little with attacking the basket and making open shots when the opportunity is there for you.

-Q: What does having your jumpshot feeling good do for your game? Does it change things for you?

-IGUODALA: Yeah, it does. You’re a little bit more on the attack, you’re not as reluctant to pull the trigger.

Teams are going to play the percentages and we’ve got great shooters on the court. So you’re going to have some open looks. You just want to be ready to knock ‘em down.

 

[Mask]

Depends, I don't think the Cavs would be forced to double up on either splash brother, so Green would be played head up by LeBron and Thompson... Meanwhile I expect the Warriors to do a ton of doubling up on LeBron and Irving so that would leave JR free to shoot his shot..
They are not playing in a vacuum so to get a fair prediction of what should happen you have to factor up all the variables not just the stats..

Truth be told, it's probably best for both teams to play straight up and take what happens...

These clubs have pretty good outside shooting, I don't want to hear that streaky shit about the Cavs, or defenders stopping the splash brothers...

Play straight up, let the stars do what they do, just limit those key role players open/comfort opportunities...

 

[Mask]

NBA finals prediction: The Warriors will be nervous, have some trouble with LeBron James, then (as usual) they’ll figure it out and win in 6
Posted on June 3, 2015 by Tim Kawakami




* Straight from today’s Merc website (MY VERSION)/

OAKLAND—This is a normal June jamboree for LeBron James, but it’s a brand-new big thing for the Warriors, who didn’t mind admitting that on Wednesday.

The media waves crashed down on Oracle Arena, the satellite trucks arrived, and, on the eve of Game 1, the whole NBA finals scene took on the feel of an army siege.
“This is amazing, seeing all the media and everything that’s going on,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said as he looked out into the media day chaos.

“But I’m happy to do this today. I think this will kind of help you to get those finals jitters out. They’ll still kind of be there tomorrow, but as opposed to trying to get it all out tomorrow.”

In this match-up against Cleveland, the Warriors will have some nerves and jangles—they’ve had them and gotten rid of them in each of their previous three rounds.


And they’ll undoubtedly have them again in Game 1 at Oracle on Thursday and maybe even a little beyond that.

It’s natural. It’s part of the process—the Warriors haven’t been to this round since 1975 (when coach Steve Kerr was nine years old) and they are figuring this all out as they go along this postseason.

That’s the key here: The Warriors keep figuring it out; each progressive game and series is their workbook, they continue to reveal new and powerful new dimensions, and I believe they are far better now than they were at the start of these playoffs.

The Warriors will have to be at their soaring best to beat LeBron—and I believe that’s exactly what will happen.

Yes, there will be a Bay Area championship celebration after it’s over.

This, of course, will not be easy.

The Warriors have more depth and play much better defense than Cleveland and should have the better coaching staff… but LeBron James is the singular force upon which everything in the NBA turns.

If you can slow him down—as San Antonio did last summer—you can win a title; if you can’t, he grabs the trophy.

Plus, this is LeBron’s fifth consecutive trip to the final round (his previous four were with Miami), his sixth finals overall, and his bid for three championships in four seasons.

But here are a few quick reasons why I think the Warriors can maneuver around, over and even through LeBron just enough to win this series:

* The Warriors have a superstar, too.

Stephen Curry doesn’t have all of LeBron’s physical gifts, but the league MVP will pressure the Cavaliers just as much as LeBron pressures the Warriors.

And though Curry is quieter than James, his leadership is just as important to the Warriors—when Curry makes shots, the whole team struts.

* The Warriors are great at home (46-3 counting playoff games), obviously, but they’ve also been reliably strong on the road for several years now.

The Warriors are 8-9 in opponents’ buildings during the last three playoff seasons, including 5-2 this season.

Sure, they got blown out in Cleveland in February. But the Warriors have proven that if they need to get one in any hostile arena—such as FedEx Forum in Game 4 of the second round–they can get it.

* The Warriors’ defensive versatility and mindset is perfectly set up to make it tough for LeBron and, perhaps more importantly, limit the opportunities he so often creates for his supporting players.

Harrison Barnes, Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green will all take turns defending James… and, as they did against James Harden in the previous rounds, the Warriors will work to force LeBron to take jumpers instead of diving to the basket.

The Warriors won’t leave J.R. Smith or Kyrie Irving wide open because they’ll count on their one-on-one defenders… and then they’ll have Andrew Bogut or Festus Ezeli waiting at the rim.

* The Warriors will get open shots and I believe Curry especially will make them.

Cleveland has held opponents to only 28.1 percent shooting from three-point distance in the playoffs, but a lot of that came against the Hawks in the Eastern Conference finals, and the Hawks just missed wide-open shots.

The Warriors have made 11.5 three-pointers per game in the postseason and they tend to make more and more as a series goes on.

* The Warriors won 67 regular-season games and that means something.

The 13 previous finals teams that won 65 or more games in the regular season went on to win the title.

Winning that often means you’re deep, you’re versatile, you have a superstar to carry you in times of trouble… and you can figure out things as you go.

Getting to the finals means you’ve survived relatively in tact.

I think Warriors will win Game 1 on Thursday, lose Game 2, then make some adjustments, get Curry more air space, bounce back and win Game 3 in Cleveland.
From there, it’ll be the sprint to a championship–with Cleveland getting one more game, but not in time to stop the Warriors’ finishing surge.

Prediction: Warriors in 6

 

[Mask]

NBA Finals: LeBron, Curry — and a whole lot of Knicks’ flavor

By Marc Berman
June 3, 2015 | 11:03pm

OAKLAND, Calif. — The NBA couldn’t have lucked out any more with this Warriors-Cavaliers Finals matchup that begins Thursday at Oracle Arena.

The freight train named LeBron James faces the finesse machine, reigning MVP Stephen Curry; the hard-luck cities of Oakland and Cleveland come in with dueling sports-title droughts; rookie coaches, Steve Kerr and David Blatt, square off in The Finals for the first time since the NBA’s inaugural season.

The ironies are too good. Blatt had agreed to join Kerr’s Golden State staff as an assistant before the Cavs opportunity came along. And what are the odds Curry and James would be born in the same hospital in Akron, Ohio, and now have the sports’ top-two selling jerseys? Curry lived in Akron less than a year, but he said he’s always reminded when looking at his birth certificate.

And there’s New York ties galore — three former Knicks keying the Cavaliers’ turnaround in January. Phil Jackson sent Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith to Cleveland on Jan. 5, and two days later Cleveland obtained ex-Knick center Timofey Mozgov as the last line of defense.

Kerr had a verbal agreement to became the Knicks coach last May and is thanking his lucky stars ever since he changed his mind. Curry desperately wanted to be drafted by the Knicks in 2009, but Golden State snatched him one slot before at No. 7.

Now Smith and Shumpert, especially with Kyrie Irving ailing, are central figures in shutting down the Warriors’ “Splash Brothers.’’ Even the eight-day layoff served well, letting both clubs attempt to heal injuries and built the hype.

“It’s a dream come true to play in the Finals, to go from the worst team to the best team,’’ Smith said. “It’s unbelievable.’’

Well, the Cavs aren’t the best yet as the Warriors are the favorites after posting the league’s best regular-season record at 67-15. Then there’s the X-factor to the series, Warriors burly versatile forward Draymond Green, who may spend much of the series trying to stop James, who has four MVPs and two titles, with Miami.

“We’re not satisfied with just being here,’’ Green said. “We set a goal at the beginning of the season to win a championship.’’

By contrast, James has preached patience to the rabid Cleveland fan base as the city’s sports title drought goes on 51 years. The Warriors haven’t won a title in 40 years.

“It’s part of my motivation,’’ James said. “I understand the drought our city has been in as far as a major championship, so it’s a huge motivation inside of me. And it’s helped me get to this point, but I’m not done. I’ve still got a lot left in me in this season.’’

James is coming off an Eastern Conference finals in which he nearly averaged a triple-double in the sweep of the Hawks — 30.1 points, 11 rebounds, 9.3 assists.

“I’ve had some great playoff runs before. I don’t know if this is the top right now,’’ James said. “We’ll see in less than a month.’’

Curry has been spectacular in the playoffs, averaging 29.2 points and shooting 43.7 percent from 3-point land.

He recalled James’ advice as a rookie, telling him to not get caught up by distractions and have “tunnel vision.’’

“I’ve probably had better individual games, but when you talk about the moment and the stakes that we’re playing for, there is nothing like playing well at this time of the year,’’ Curry said on whether this spring has been the best ball of his career.

James had the highest praise for his Finals rival.

“I don’t think there’s ever been a guy in our league to shoot the ball the way he does off the dribble or the catch,’’ James said. “He creates so many matchup problems for your defense.’’

“Once he gets hot it’s like watching a video game,’’ Green added.

Curry is known as the “Baby-Faced Assassin’’ and will try to slay “The King.’’

“You know he’s going to be ready for big moments,’’ Curry said. “He’s got a motor that you’ve always got to be ready. There is no time that you can kind of take a possession off against him.’’

Kerr and Blatt could have been on the same side in Golden State, and Blatt probably wished he had been in Oakland after a trying first few months with an icy relationship with James and 19-20 start.

“The irony of it all: Part of my selling job to David was, hey, we’re going to be pretty good, it will give you an opportunity for a springboard for a head coaching job within the next year or two,’’

Kerr said. “Two weeks later he’s head coach of the Cavs, and a couple weeks after that he’s got LeBron. And here we are.’’

Here we are indeed.

 

[Mask]

Why LeBron vs. Curry is such a compelling Finals storyline
By Mike Vaccaro
June 3, 2015 | 7:43pm

Why LeBron vs. Curry is such a compelling Finals storyline

They reinforce everything we have ever wanted to believe about basketball which, at its best, in its purest form, is as democratic a game as there is. If you can shoot, you can play, any gym in the world, any playground on the planet. If you are willing to work, there are no boundaries, no borders, no bullies strong enough to keep you out.

This isn’t a two-man Finals, but it absolutely is a two-personality series, Lebron James to one side and Steph Curry to the other. One was a basketball prodigy, on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a high school player, so good that college wasn’t an option at a time when college didn’t have to be an option. James could have drowned in the hype; instead, somehow, he exceeded it.

The other couldn’t get a major-college sniff anywhere coming out of high school even though he was NBA pedigree, even though his old man had been one of the great dead-eye shooters of all time. All Curry wanted was to play where his dad had played, at Virginia Tech; all Tech offered was a chance to walk on. So he went to Davidson, found his star there.

Because that star will find you, if you’re good enough, if you’re stubborn enough.

Curry’s Warriors were the better team this year, the best team in the league, one of the best regular-season teams in recent memory if you consider how much better the Western Conference was than the East this year. James’ Cavaliers struggled early and struggled often, they’ve been besieged by injury at the worst time of the year, and yet here they are anyway, a fifth straight trip to the Finals for James.

Sometimes, the principals of the Finals really do constitute an honest-to-goodness matchup.

That’s what always made the rivalry between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain so enticing, and even though they only met in the Finals twice — 1964 (when Wilt was with the San Francisco Warriors) and 1969 (when he’d moved to the Lakers) — they became forever encounters because they played the same position, because they guarded each other, because they were always in the same picture frame. When Isiah Thomas played Magic Johnson in 1988 and again in ’89, it was the same thing.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Never has there been a more arresting NBA rivalry than Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, after all, and the only time they ever guarded each other was because of a defensive switch or a full-blown accident. But there was never any doubt: As much as the Finals of 1984, ’85 and ’87 were Lakers versus Celtics, they were also, absolutely, Magic versus Bird.

Or Bird versus Magic, depending on your rooting interest.

This is what we have here. As much as this is Warriors versus Cavaliers, and as much as the purists will hand-wring and remind you that there are eight other guys on the floor, and 22 other names on the rosters, the enticing part of these Finals is this: Curry versus James, Steph vs. LeBron.

Or LeBron versus Steph. Depending on your rooting interest.

As they spoke on the eve of the Finals, you could see how clearly they relish this challenge, and how deep and abiding the mutual respect is, even if James is the more accomplished player right now, even if Curry is the one with the more recently issued version of the MVP trophy.

James recalled twice going to watch Curry play for Davidson, giving a preview of what to come as he dropped 77 combined points against Wisconsin and N.C. State: “He was just out there playing free and loving the game. He had a bunch of guys on this team, I don’t know if I can name one of them right now. I don’t think you guys could either. And that’s something that I definitely caught on to.”

Curry remembered that day, too.

“You kind of know who is sitting behind you,” he said.

Now he knows who is standing in front of him, and it’s the same guy, the same force, the same presence. They will not be paired with each other, won’t guard each other — well, unless the Warriors are looking for a last-second shot. Then there’s a pretty good chance we’ll see them in the same frame. James versus Curry. LeBron versus Steph.

Or Steph versus LeBron. Depending on your rooting interest.

 

[Mask]

 

[Mask]

With Warriors in finals, why won’t the media just say ‘Oakland’?

Photo: Tim Hussin, Special To The Chronicle
June Fairley (left), Brittany Flentroy and Arianna Ford enjoy the Golden State Warriors’ victory over the Houston Rockets last week in the team’s longtime hometown of Oakland.
Even as the Golden State Warriors were thumping the Houston Rockets in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, the city of Oakland was suffering a humiliating defeat. In fact, it was nearly shut out.

There was barely a mention of the word “Oakland” on the national telecast of the Warriors clinching their first spot in the NBA Finals in 40 years. It was “Bay Area” this and “Oracle” that, as if the game was being played in some mythical land called “Golden State.”

Nearly all the gauzy cutaway shots before the commercial breaks showed all the usual Oakland icons: the Golden Gate Bridge, the Transamerica Pyramid, cable cars and Alamo Square. All that was missing was a clip of Ed Lee and Madison Bumgarner sharing a loaf of sourdough.

As a longtime Golden State Warriors fan and an Oakland resident, I want to hear the national media say one thing after they stream into town to cover the NBA Finals: “Oakland.”

I want to hear Oakland, I want to see Oakland, and I want the national media to let the rest of the world know they came to Oakland ... after leaving their five-star accommodations in San Francisco.

It’s time for Oakland to metaphorically summon its inner Muhammad Ali. During a 1967 bout, when confronted by an opponent who refused to call him by his Muslim name, Ali pummeled the fighter while asking, “What’s my name?”

It’s “Oakland.”

Oakland is sick of being largely invisible to the national TV audience, its only representation an occasional nighttime shot of Jack London Square that looks like, well, a dock at night. Oakland is tired of being dismissed as the foster parent of a franchise that never took our name.

Visit Oakland, the city’s tourism arm, felt the same fatigue at seeing Fisherman’s Wharf shots during Warriors games. So Kim Bardakian, its director of public relations, approached ESPN/ABC producers with suggested locations to shoot in Oakland. On Wednesday, she said the sister networks “committed to using Oakland imagery 75 percent of the time during the Finals.”

It’s better than nothing — but doesn’t this split deal send the message that 25 percent of Oakland’s appeal is its proximity to San Francisco?

One would think broadcasters would be hungry to show Oakland, thanks to the national media’s recent infatuation with the city’s more twee quarters. As one of the New York Times’ top “45 Places to Go in 2012” (along with Havana and Chattanooga, Tenn.), hardly a New York minute goes by without some publication or another lauding Oakland as the new Brooklyn.

But that hasn’t stopped national broadcasters from invariably saying they’re “heading back to the San Francisco Bay Area.” No, they’re heading back to Oakland, where the Warriors have played since 1971 and have been ravenously supported — even during the decades when they reeked. Those dark days are known as the Todd Fuller Era for those of us who still flinch at the deepest pain.

Some of us Oaklanders — even transplants like me — share responsibility for erasing Oakland from the national consciousness. When traveling to other parts of the country, how many of you have said you’re from “the Bay Area,” or worse, “San Francisco”?

From now on, don’t. Just say “Oakland.”

That also goes for the Warriors themselves. The team, which has never adopted its host city’s name, plans to depart Oakland for the purportedly lucrative San Francisco market starting with the 2018-19 season.

Remember, the Warriors chose Oakland after a nine-year, poorly supported pit stop in San Francisco. These days, the team plays up the San Francisco era with its “The City” iconography, a throwback logo featuring the Golden Gate Bridge. Back in those days, though, fans from “The City” largely ignored the team, which drew a paltry average of 4,533 customers a night.

Support swelled when the Warriors moved east across a different bridge. That’s why this long-awaited return to the NBA Finals should be about retroactively rewarding Oakland for its loyalty. The team has always been a good draw, even attracting the league’s ninth-highest attendance in the 2008-09 season with an abysmal 29-53 record and Ronny Turiaf — bless his leap-too-early, shot-blocking heart — seeing way too much floor time.

Until that next Warriors diaspora begins, national media types seem more comfortable with an O-word Oaklanders don’t need to hear: “Oracle.” An arena is not a city, and a few aerial shots of a concrete doughnut don’t offer an honest portrayal of a real-life Oakland neighborhood.

You know, like Alamo Square.

And please, enough with the “Golden State.” The only place Californians see that term is on refrigerator magnets.

We’ve been choking on that appellation since 1971, when the team was heading out of San Francisco. Word leaked that then-owner Franklin Mieuli was pursuing a deal to play half the Warriors’ games in Oakland, and the other half in San Diego, which had just lost its NBA team to Houston.

Thankfully, the plan fell apart. Regrettably, the name stuck.

Let’s see if Golden State sticks when the team returns to an apparently more palatable San Francisco address.

Coincidentally, the current Warriors ownership tries to put a happy regional face on the whole “Golden State” charade. “The team became the San Francisco Warriors after they relocated to the West Coast in 1962, and changed its name to the Golden State Warriors — symbolizing a team belonging to all of California, the Golden State — upon settling into a new home in Oakland in 1971,” its website reads.

A basketball team belonging to all of California? There are four NBA franchises in California. That’s enough for everybody who wants one. More than enough if you live in Sacramento. And you can be sure that nobody in Los Angeles believes the Warriors belong to them.

For now, they belong in Oakland. So let’s just say it.