History demands a road victory from LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers this week
OAKLAND, Calif. – This is the Finals and it's supposed to be difficult.
But if the Cavaliers are to take a game against the Golden State Warriors inside Oakland's Oracle Arena in this series, they'll have won in one of the toughest venues for opponents in NBA history.
The Warriors, who will host Game 1 of the 2015 Finals Thursday (9 p.m., ABC), won 39 regular-season games at Oracle Arena. Only one team – the 1985-86 Boston Celtics (40 wins) – ever won more home games, and only six (including the 2008-09 Cavs) tallied 39 home victories.
The Warriors are 46-3 at home overall (regular season and postseason), and would tie the NBA's all-time record of 50 set in consecutive seasons by Boston (1985-86, 86-87) if this series went seven games and Golden State won all four at home.
Here's where LeBron James comes in. A fan of playing on the road – he's said previously he likes playing as a visitor more so than at home – James is seeking a road playoff win in his 22nd consecutive postseason series.
Only Michael Jordan (24) has more.
The Cavs acknowledge that it will take something extra to beat Golden State on its home floor – again, it's the Finals – but they need to look no further than the Western Conference semifinals. The Memphis Grizzlies won Game 2 here, 97-90.
"You don't put too much more pressure on it," James said Wednesday, prior to practice at Oracle Arena as part of Finals media day. "It's a court and it's basketball, and it's 10 guys on the court, it's three referees, and it's 20,000‑plus fans. It doesn't change."
James' numbers on the road during the playoffs this season are a smidge behind his home numbers, but it's all relative given the monster postseason James has enjoyed to date. In seven road games, he's averaging 26.6 points (compared with 28.6 ppg at home), 9.9 rebounds (11.0 at home), 8.9 assists (7.7 at home), and 5.0 turnovers (3.7 at home).
James led the Cavs to series-closing wins in Boston and Chicago, and his Game 4 buzzer beater to steal a win was on the Bulls' home floor at the United Center.
Two of James' best playoff games in his career were both on the road – Game 5 of the Eastern finals in Detroit in 2007 and Game 6 of the 2012 conference finals in Boston. And, of course, this is James' fifth consecutive Finals and sixth overall, so there is virtually nothing he hasn't seen in this type of setting.
"I've been in so many loud arenas," he said. "This is going to be one of them. I've played in OKC in The Finals to start off the series. I've played in Boston. I've played in Detroit when they were in their heyday. I've played in Chicago in 2011 to open up the Eastern Conference Finals. I've played in San Antonio.
"I don't add too much pressure on it," he said. "You just go out and you just try to play. You've got to command. Sometimes you've got to have some hand signals depending on how loud they get. But for the most part, you just trust what you've been able to do."
The Warriors, whose fans have been notoriously boisterous the past few seasons, haven't been in the Finals since 1975. So if a crowd could reach even more of a frenzied pitch than your average Finals, the Bay Area folks would have the motivation.
But Golden State doesn't have any players with Finals experience and may need a period or so to adjust.
"We've talked about just the chaos that surrounds the game itself, and you have to be able to separate the two," said Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who unlike his players has ample Finals experience with five championships as a player. "You've got to go through the media frenzy and the other distractions that come with being in the Finals, and you still have to focus on your job.
"I had (assistant) Luke Walton address the team a few days ago about his experiences with the Lakers. I've shared a couple thoughts from my own experiences.
"But what I really found as a player was once you get out on the floor, you just start playing, and everything returns to normal," Kerr said. "It's still just a basketball game. But you've got to get to that point, and the best way to do that is to try to ignore the chaos as much as you can."
The Cavs fell at Golden State, 112-94, on Jan. 9, but did so without James – who was still recovering from nagging knee and back injuries. But some of Cleveland's most impressive wins against the West during the regular-season were on the road, with victories over Memphis, San Antonio, the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas.
On March 10, the Cavs beat the Mavericks, 127-94, on their own floor, and on March 25 smoked the Grizzlies, 111-89.
History shows just how important it is for the Cavs to win at least one of these first two games at the Oracle. In 28 Finals in which the home team won the first two games, it won the series 25 times.
So an 0-2 hole would not bode well for the Cavs' attempt to win their first NBA championship and the first major pro sports title for Cleveland since 1964.
"I understand the drought our city has been in as far as a major championship, so it's a huge motivation inside of me," James said. "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, and I'm going to command a lot out of my guys. I'm going to command a lot out of myself, and hopefully we're able to come through."b
OAKLAND, Calif. – This is the Finals and it's supposed to be difficult.
But if the Cavaliers are to take a game against the Golden State Warriors inside Oakland's Oracle Arena in this series, they'll have won in one of the toughest venues for opponents in NBA history.
The Warriors, who will host Game 1 of the 2015 Finals Thursday (9 p.m., ABC), won 39 regular-season games at Oracle Arena. Only one team – the 1985-86 Boston Celtics (40 wins) – ever won more home games, and only six (including the 2008-09 Cavs) tallied 39 home victories.
The Warriors are 46-3 at home overall (regular season and postseason), and would tie the NBA's all-time record of 50 set in consecutive seasons by Boston (1985-86, 86-87) if this series went seven games and Golden State won all four at home.
Here's where LeBron James comes in. A fan of playing on the road – he's said previously he likes playing as a visitor more so than at home – James is seeking a road playoff win in his 22nd consecutive postseason series.
Only Michael Jordan (24) has more.
The Cavs acknowledge that it will take something extra to beat Golden State on its home floor – again, it's the Finals – but they need to look no further than the Western Conference semifinals. The Memphis Grizzlies won Game 2 here, 97-90.
"You don't put too much more pressure on it," James said Wednesday, prior to practice at Oracle Arena as part of Finals media day. "It's a court and it's basketball, and it's 10 guys on the court, it's three referees, and it's 20,000‑plus fans. It doesn't change."
James' numbers on the road during the playoffs this season are a smidge behind his home numbers, but it's all relative given the monster postseason James has enjoyed to date. In seven road games, he's averaging 26.6 points (compared with 28.6 ppg at home), 9.9 rebounds (11.0 at home), 8.9 assists (7.7 at home), and 5.0 turnovers (3.7 at home).
James led the Cavs to series-closing wins in Boston and Chicago, and his Game 4 buzzer beater to steal a win was on the Bulls' home floor at the United Center.
Two of James' best playoff games in his career were both on the road – Game 5 of the Eastern finals in Detroit in 2007 and Game 6 of the 2012 conference finals in Boston. And, of course, this is James' fifth consecutive Finals and sixth overall, so there is virtually nothing he hasn't seen in this type of setting.
"I've been in so many loud arenas," he said. "This is going to be one of them. I've played in OKC in The Finals to start off the series. I've played in Boston. I've played in Detroit when they were in their heyday. I've played in Chicago in 2011 to open up the Eastern Conference Finals. I've played in San Antonio.
"I don't add too much pressure on it," he said. "You just go out and you just try to play. You've got to command. Sometimes you've got to have some hand signals depending on how loud they get. But for the most part, you just trust what you've been able to do."
The Warriors, whose fans have been notoriously boisterous the past few seasons, haven't been in the Finals since 1975. So if a crowd could reach even more of a frenzied pitch than your average Finals, the Bay Area folks would have the motivation.
But Golden State doesn't have any players with Finals experience and may need a period or so to adjust.
"We've talked about just the chaos that surrounds the game itself, and you have to be able to separate the two," said Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who unlike his players has ample Finals experience with five championships as a player. "You've got to go through the media frenzy and the other distractions that come with being in the Finals, and you still have to focus on your job.
"I had (assistant) Luke Walton address the team a few days ago about his experiences with the Lakers. I've shared a couple thoughts from my own experiences.
"But what I really found as a player was once you get out on the floor, you just start playing, and everything returns to normal," Kerr said. "It's still just a basketball game. But you've got to get to that point, and the best way to do that is to try to ignore the chaos as much as you can."
The Cavs fell at Golden State, 112-94, on Jan. 9, but did so without James – who was still recovering from nagging knee and back injuries. But some of Cleveland's most impressive wins against the West during the regular-season were on the road, with victories over Memphis, San Antonio, the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas.
On March 10, the Cavs beat the Mavericks, 127-94, on their own floor, and on March 25 smoked the Grizzlies, 111-89.
History shows just how important it is for the Cavs to win at least one of these first two games at the Oracle. In 28 Finals in which the home team won the first two games, it won the series 25 times.
So an 0-2 hole would not bode well for the Cavs' attempt to win their first NBA championship and the first major pro sports title for Cleveland since 1964.
"I understand the drought our city has been in as far as a major championship, so it's a huge motivation inside of me," James said. "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, and I'm going to command a lot out of my guys. I'm going to command a lot out of myself, and hopefully we're able to come through."b
