2015-2016 NBA playoff edition: Finals - Cavs vs Warriors - Cavs win 4-3
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KEEP THIS NIGGA AWAY FROM CURRYJesse Jackson: "I have a fascination with Steph and his family."
he will corrupt that whole family with his bullshit
Look at the comp Jr. was hitting them against most uncontested because those defenses were shit on a stick
Klay hitting them
Contested all day
Exactly!!!! Bron can beat the Warriors almost single handedly for one game only during the series (see game 2 last year) but I think someone nobody is talking about will step also.
LeBron ready, prepared to lift Cavaliers, city to new heights
And not just any city. This is Cleveland we're talking, the two-ton hunk of sports coal, a city long programmed to simply shrug its shoulders and live with the pain of going four-plus decades without a sports championship of any kind. Today, there's suddenly a twist. There's a chance, his best chance actually if not his last, to come full circle in a complicated relationship with the 'Land and deliver what he and everyone in Ohio so desperately want to happen.
We're better built to start The Finals than we were last year.
- Cleveland's LeBron James
He knows that one championship in Cleveland is worth 10 in Miami, the mistress city where he enjoyed a four-year fling before the magnetic pull of his community lured him back to Ohio. He also knows that reaching the NBA Finals can't be taken for granted, even though this is his sixth straight trip and therefore seems like his birthright.
Finally, he knows he's bringing a healthy posse to the championship series, and not the band of mutts that couldn't shoot straight last summer and dumped everything at LeBron's exhausted feet, forcing him to give one of the all-time solo juggernaut performances. The opportunity is there to seize, and shouldn't it guarantee that we'll see LeBron at his very best against the Warriors in this series, which could produce a long-awaited victory parade?
"We're better built to start The Finals than we were last year," he said, and adding that winning "would mean everything to me."
Should that be accomplished, the career arc of LeBron will make another sharp right turn, maybe permanently. It could be argued that no other iconic professional athlete in the social media era has taken such a wriggly journey and tasted both extremes of public love and hate. Quite a thrill ride, wouldn't you say? The LeBron Experience is a puzzle that comes at you in stages.
Inside The NBA: Finals Preview
First: Teenaged sensation captured the cover of Sports Illustrated as a high school junior, gets his games on ESPN, has NBA peeps wiping saliva off their scouting reports, then gets drafted No. 1 overall by the sad-sack team up the street from Akron in a neat coincidence with possible historical ramifications.
Second: Takes NBA by storm almost immediately, builds a healthy 18-34 demographic fan base, projects as a future Hall of Famer, makes the Cavs a winner, becomes beloved and respected by most if not all.
Third: Took Cavs to the NBA Finals despite being surrounded by junk, then suspiciously and infamously goes AWOL against the Celtics in the playoffs, behaves like a spoiled and entitled celebrity, kicks Cleveland to the curb after seven years in a much-panned TV selection show in favor of Miami.
Fourth: Portrayed as a public enemy for spurning poor Cleveland to join two fellow All-Stars in sexy South Beach (even though he never committed, you know, an actual crime), croaks in his first championship series with the Heat to the applause of many, then rights the ship by winning back-to-back titles and the grudging respect of the snobs who accused him of being an ingrate.
Fifth: Returned to Cleveland and treated like a hero by the same citizens who celebrated the burning of his jersey when he left, instantly reinvigorated the Cavs, nearly killed himself trying to beat the Warriors in the Finals last summer, now the sentimental favorite here in the rematch.
That's a lot of different hats worn by LeBron over a 13-year career, and there are vivid indications that through it all, LeBron has now found peace. He's a father of three living in suburbia and more concerned with watching his sons' games, a pitchman/athlete/businessman worth hundreds of millions, a philanthropist willingly and eagerly making a difference in his problematic hometown of Akron, and a historical nut who's secure in his place in the NBA. His life as a man has evolved. Certain things don't matter much anymore. We all walk through this door at one point.
But here's the catch: Because he's still playing at an MVP-level, he believes the job isn't finished and his basketball to-do list is missing an important check-off, all because Cleveland is still searching for a title. He'll downplay the significance of that if you ask, only because he doesn't want to put his teammates under pressure and the emotions of a long-suffering city on high alert. And so LeBron is playing like he's hungry instead of satisfied, like he has something to prove even when he really doesn't. He owes Cleveland and us nothing except his best, yet a good part of him believes he's two months behind on the rent.
LeBron's Consecutive Finals Appearances
That's why he paced his way through the regular season, and upped the intensity in the playoffs, and proudly carries himself as the best player in the game despite what Stephen Curry's back-to-back MVP trophies might argue.
"LeBron knows who he is and what he wants to accomplish," said Cavs coach Tyronn Lue. "And although he has done plenty in his life, there are a few things he wants to get done, both from a basketball perspective and off-the-court perspective."
He's still young enough at 31 to stay energized and ambitious, yet old enough at 31 to apply a sense of perspective and wisdom. That's the perfect intersection, then, for what lies immediately ahead, and the right age not only to beat a formidable team like the Warriors, but to handle himself should the Cavs win and Cleveland treats him like a founding father.
We have another year under our belt and more chemistry. We're excited about the opportunity.
- LeBron James
Last summer against the Warriors LeBron had to do it all, not by choice, and he almost pulled it off. Crazy, when you think about it: Andre Iguodala was voted series MVP for holding LeBron to 35.8 points, 13 rebounds and almost nine assists. Is it too late for a recount?
But now: Love seems reprogrammed and will be aggressive at times. Irving won't save Cleveland defensively -- Curry is grinning and chewing his mouthpiece furiously as you read this -- but can cause hell with his shooting and creativity. Others appear able to chip in: Tristan Thompson, JR Smith, Channing Frye and Curry's least favorite defender, the irritating Matthew Dellavedova. LeBron averaged just 36 minutes this season and perhaps purposely scaled back in crunch time, leaving others to be the hero. He didn't need to be Sisyphus in the playoffs with the Cavs steamrolling the East, losing only twice.
"Having these guys (Irving and Love) right here at full strength, having our team at full strength and the way I feel personally, I appreciate the moment, to be a part of it and to do it again," he said. "We have another year under our belt and more chemistry. We're excited about the opportunity."
GameTime: Love and Irving Impact on Finals
Of course, the Warriors aren't the Pistons, Hawks or Raptors. Those three teams can pool together their best players and still fail to bring what the Warriors are bringing. The Warriors are forcing their way into the conversation for top-five team all-time. That means LeBron might be required to be monstrous for two or three nights. More, if necessary.
"It's an unbelievable team we're going against," LeBron conceded. "Hat's off."
He can do that. He can take over a game and shatter hopes on the other bench. Internally, that's what concerns the Warriors, that LeBron has saved himself all season, to a degree, for this.
In a perfect situation, Irving and Love are made for the ultimate stage and LeBron facilitates his way through the series, but how likely is that against the Warriors? The Cavs will be required to pull the emergency rip-cord at some point and beg him to respond with a fury. He will need to lift the confidence and the spirit of his teammates, and by extension, the psyche of a city by the lake, still waiting for its 'ship to sail.
That wouldn't necessarily make him the best player in NBA history. Certainly the strongest, though.
And not just any city. This is Cleveland we're talking, the two-ton hunk of sports coal, a city long programmed to simply shrug its shoulders and live with the pain of going four-plus decades without a sports championship of any kind. Today, there's suddenly a twist. There's a chance, his best chance actually if not his last, to come full circle in a complicated relationship with the 'Land and deliver what he and everyone in Ohio so desperately want to happen.
We're better built to start The Finals than we were last year.
- Cleveland's LeBron James
He knows that one championship in Cleveland is worth 10 in Miami, the mistress city where he enjoyed a four-year fling before the magnetic pull of his community lured him back to Ohio. He also knows that reaching the NBA Finals can't be taken for granted, even though this is his sixth straight trip and therefore seems like his birthright.
Finally, he knows he's bringing a healthy posse to the championship series, and not the band of mutts that couldn't shoot straight last summer and dumped everything at LeBron's exhausted feet, forcing him to give one of the all-time solo juggernaut performances. The opportunity is there to seize, and shouldn't it guarantee that we'll see LeBron at his very best against the Warriors in this series, which could produce a long-awaited victory parade?
"We're better built to start The Finals than we were last year," he said, and adding that winning "would mean everything to me."
Should that be accomplished, the career arc of LeBron will make another sharp right turn, maybe permanently. It could be argued that no other iconic professional athlete in the social media era has taken such a wriggly journey and tasted both extremes of public love and hate. Quite a thrill ride, wouldn't you say? The LeBron Experience is a puzzle that comes at you in stages.
Inside The NBA: Finals Preview
First: Teenaged sensation captured the cover of Sports Illustrated as a high school junior, gets his games on ESPN, has NBA peeps wiping saliva off their scouting reports, then gets drafted No. 1 overall by the sad-sack team up the street from Akron in a neat coincidence with possible historical ramifications.
Second: Takes NBA by storm almost immediately, builds a healthy 18-34 demographic fan base, projects as a future Hall of Famer, makes the Cavs a winner, becomes beloved and respected by most if not all.
Third: Took Cavs to the NBA Finals despite being surrounded by junk, then suspiciously and infamously goes AWOL against the Celtics in the playoffs, behaves like a spoiled and entitled celebrity, kicks Cleveland to the curb after seven years in a much-panned TV selection show in favor of Miami.
Fourth: Portrayed as a public enemy for spurning poor Cleveland to join two fellow All-Stars in sexy South Beach (even though he never committed, you know, an actual crime), croaks in his first championship series with the Heat to the applause of many, then rights the ship by winning back-to-back titles and the grudging respect of the snobs who accused him of being an ingrate.
Fifth: Returned to Cleveland and treated like a hero by the same citizens who celebrated the burning of his jersey when he left, instantly reinvigorated the Cavs, nearly killed himself trying to beat the Warriors in the Finals last summer, now the sentimental favorite here in the rematch.
That's a lot of different hats worn by LeBron over a 13-year career, and there are vivid indications that through it all, LeBron has now found peace. He's a father of three living in suburbia and more concerned with watching his sons' games, a pitchman/athlete/businessman worth hundreds of millions, a philanthropist willingly and eagerly making a difference in his problematic hometown of Akron, and a historical nut who's secure in his place in the NBA. His life as a man has evolved. Certain things don't matter much anymore. We all walk through this door at one point.
But here's the catch: Because he's still playing at an MVP-level, he believes the job isn't finished and his basketball to-do list is missing an important check-off, all because Cleveland is still searching for a title. He'll downplay the significance of that if you ask, only because he doesn't want to put his teammates under pressure and the emotions of a long-suffering city on high alert. And so LeBron is playing like he's hungry instead of satisfied, like he has something to prove even when he really doesn't. He owes Cleveland and us nothing except his best, yet a good part of him believes he's two months behind on the rent.
LeBron's Consecutive Finals Appearances
That's why he paced his way through the regular season, and upped the intensity in the playoffs, and proudly carries himself as the best player in the game despite what Stephen Curry's back-to-back MVP trophies might argue.
"LeBron knows who he is and what he wants to accomplish," said Cavs coach Tyronn Lue. "And although he has done plenty in his life, there are a few things he wants to get done, both from a basketball perspective and off-the-court perspective."
He's still young enough at 31 to stay energized and ambitious, yet old enough at 31 to apply a sense of perspective and wisdom. That's the perfect intersection, then, for what lies immediately ahead, and the right age not only to beat a formidable team like the Warriors, but to handle himself should the Cavs win and Cleveland treats him like a founding father.
We have another year under our belt and more chemistry. We're excited about the opportunity.
- LeBron James
Last summer against the Warriors LeBron had to do it all, not by choice, and he almost pulled it off. Crazy, when you think about it: Andre Iguodala was voted series MVP for holding LeBron to 35.8 points, 13 rebounds and almost nine assists. Is it too late for a recount?
But now: Love seems reprogrammed and will be aggressive at times. Irving won't save Cleveland defensively -- Curry is grinning and chewing his mouthpiece furiously as you read this -- but can cause hell with his shooting and creativity. Others appear able to chip in: Tristan Thompson, JR Smith, Channing Frye and Curry's least favorite defender, the irritating Matthew Dellavedova. LeBron averaged just 36 minutes this season and perhaps purposely scaled back in crunch time, leaving others to be the hero. He didn't need to be Sisyphus in the playoffs with the Cavs steamrolling the East, losing only twice.
"Having these guys (Irving and Love) right here at full strength, having our team at full strength and the way I feel personally, I appreciate the moment, to be a part of it and to do it again," he said. "We have another year under our belt and more chemistry. We're excited about the opportunity."
GameTime: Love and Irving Impact on Finals
Of course, the Warriors aren't the Pistons, Hawks or Raptors. Those three teams can pool together their best players and still fail to bring what the Warriors are bringing. The Warriors are forcing their way into the conversation for top-five team all-time. That means LeBron might be required to be monstrous for two or three nights. More, if necessary.
"It's an unbelievable team we're going against," LeBron conceded. "Hat's off."
He can do that. He can take over a game and shatter hopes on the other bench. Internally, that's what concerns the Warriors, that LeBron has saved himself all season, to a degree, for this.
In a perfect situation, Irving and Love are made for the ultimate stage and LeBron facilitates his way through the series, but how likely is that against the Warriors? The Cavs will be required to pull the emergency rip-cord at some point and beg him to respond with a fury. He will need to lift the confidence and the spirit of his teammates, and by extension, the psyche of a city by the lake, still waiting for its 'ship to sail.
That wouldn't necessarily make him the best player in NBA history. Certainly the strongest, though.
Kevin said he's ready
Yeah he going up against Draymond now and better defense shit ain't gonna be so sweet
Yeah he going up against Draymond now and better defense shit ain't gonna be so sweet
I know, that why I said this title on Lebron...
The lane should be open, often and should AI ass you ain't haven't that shit this year
You fellas... by the way... FUCK SHADDY AND HIS WEAK ASS ATTENTION WHORING THREAD!! Who the fuck is that motherfucker to talk about 'retiring' a thread... sounding like a little bitch wanting attention! This has been the best playoff thread in a minute and Mask has put in a lot of work on this bitch! Fuck the that pot bellied albino motherfucker and his bullshit ass thread!!
My take on the finals:
To me, the xFactor for the Cavs will be Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love. I think they both have to play at a high level or the CAVs don't have a chance to win this series. Thompson has to do his normal dirty work, muddy up the waters a little bit and if he doesn't that consistently it may disrupt the Warriors flow. Love, needs to be consistent on the boards and a consistent threat offensively. He is the only one out of the big 3 who cannot get his own shot so he will have to be effective off the ball and make shots and rebound, to open things up for the rest of he team and spread the floor.
For GS, I believe it will be Barnes and Bogut. Both have to play well to keep the rest of the Cavs honest on defense. If not, that will allow shading towards Curry and Klay, and that would be an issue for them as the series goes on...
Things to look for:
- If Kyrie can get his offensive game going in the context of the flow of the game, and not a lot of ISO ball type plays.
- If LeBron spends a good amount of time guarding Curry. While I think it will be effective to a point, I think it may ultimately wear down LeBron and effect the rest of his game. I would use a strategy of periodic session on Curry, and then if not in foul trouble, put a fresh LeBron on him in the 4th quarter.
- How the Cavs react to getting punched in the mouth. GS has already proven they have ice water in their veins in the WCF, now it's time to see if Kyrie, Love, J.R., etc. are ready to step up on the biggest stage. LeBron has already proven he can and will step up.
Prediction: GS in 6-7. While I believe the CAVs have the talent to beat them, I have little confidence in Love stepping up the entire series, my concern is Kyrie going too hard to try to prove he's on Curry's level, and I'm not quite sold on Frye's impact on the series.
That being said, I really hope somehow LeBron wins this one... I believe it would be a career defining moment and get that monkey off his back...
To me, the xFactor for the Cavs will be Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love. I think they both have to play at a high level or the CAVs don't have a chance to win this series. Thompson has to do his normal dirty work, muddy up the waters a little bit and if he doesn't that consistently it may disrupt the Warriors flow. Love, needs to be consistent on the boards and a consistent threat offensively. He is the only one out of the big 3 who cannot get his own shot so he will have to be effective off the ball and make shots and rebound, to open things up for the rest of he team and spread the floor.
For GS, I believe it will be Barnes and Bogut. Both have to play well to keep the rest of the Cavs honest on defense. If not, that will allow shading towards Curry and Klay, and that would be an issue for them as the series goes on...
Things to look for:
- If Kyrie can get his offensive game going in the context of the flow of the game, and not a lot of ISO ball type plays.
- If LeBron spends a good amount of time guarding Curry. While I think it will be effective to a point, I think it may ultimately wear down LeBron and effect the rest of his game. I would use a strategy of periodic session on Curry, and then if not in foul trouble, put a fresh LeBron on him in the 4th quarter.
- How the Cavs react to getting punched in the mouth. GS has already proven they have ice water in their veins in the WCF, now it's time to see if Kyrie, Love, J.R., etc. are ready to step up on the biggest stage. LeBron has already proven he can and will step up.
Prediction: GS in 6-7. While I believe the CAVs have the talent to beat them, I have little confidence in Love stepping up the entire series, my concern is Kyrie going too hard to try to prove he's on Curry's level, and I'm not quite sold on Frye's impact on the series.
That being said, I really hope somehow LeBron wins this one... I believe it would be a career defining moment and get that monkey off his back...
You do realize when you're comparing stats that you also have to take into account the teams that they played against as well right? You also have to take into account that Jr is fourth and fifth option where is klay is the first and second option so the defenses know that.. let's compare apples to apples as opposed to comparing apples to oranges, big difference
Won't the lane be open often for GS as well?
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I do not believe the cavs will be able to outscore GS;the cavs best lineup is very suspect defensively; i also think curry is healthier, u could see it in his legs in game 6 and 7...i think the dubs confidence is high..GS in 6..if they shoot the way the shot in game 6 and 7 from 3, GS in 5
No doubt fam, can't argue with none of this. I always allow for intangibles though, an unexpected person getting hot, a star coming up smedium, injury (Kyrie and Love have MAD history of that shit)... So, I always pad that shit one game either way really. Wouldn't be surprised to see GS in 5, but I also think if there is a game to steal it will be the CAVs tonight.
Folk don't want to admit that with Kyrie and love they are worse defensively and against GS you cannot out score GS plus GS defensively starting 5 is better than Cavs starting 5
I'm picking my hometown in 6,but JR and Love better not fuck it up
Ken Maurer the lead ref tonight... GS wins by 10
I'm picking my hometown in 6,but JR and Love better not fuck it up
You shouldn't count on JR for anything honestly lmaoo
Snick fans hotter than bacon grease he in the finals before the Knicks are
Man I didn't create the chart, I just posted it...I do understand the opposition plays a huge part, but let's say he missed against that same opponent.
this was against the Hawks, Kyle was guarding him....contesting his shot to a degree...nothing close to locking down, but he wasn't wide ass open all night
Sticking Derozan is a cakewalk compared to Klay. Derozan doesn't shoot the 3. He drives and hits 18-footers. Klay will work those screens and run all over the court. Plus Klay can take it to the hole at times. You need discipline to stick someone like him and that is something JR is lacking.
Who guarded Klay in those 6 games in the finals last year?
And no he wasn't shutdown, like most like to say
Cavs in 7. Kyrie outplays Steph in game 7 to win the chip.
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