Cavs vs Warriors Part II - it's on
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Steph
I was going to say Steph, but I thought about how nice Irving is when he is healthy. So tough decision.
Irving and 100 percent? If...and that's IF Irving could be 100 percent for long enough, he is a damn problem.
Yea...but he did good last year
Curry
How convenient to lose to a team that you know can't really beat you. IdbMan them niggas was tired
They didn't throw that game they just lost it
For realz.... Double overtime game that ended around midnight.. Hour to shower and get to the airport... 2 hr flight to Milwaukee,another hour to get to the hotel and in the bed ... Yeah they probably threw that game to get the pressure off.
Delladova 2 games in the finals last year!
Della ain't do shit but get baked
Lbj and the best player on the planet followed by KD and Westbrook
Curry by a country mile. Even when healthy, all Kyrie has done in his career was win 20 games a year in the east. Kyrie is a fucking loser... and thats pretending hes ever 100% healthy.
Man them niggas was tired
They didn't throw that game they just lost it
Man, they were at the end of a seven game road stretch! I didn't even know teams ever played that many consecutive road games aside from the Spurs with that rodeo booting them from their arena every year.
And I'm sure they would love the prospect of tying the longest win streak in history in an NBA Finals rematch on Christmas... That would probably be the biggest regular season NBA game ever. A once in a lifetime opportunity.
I think he is. He took funky ass GS to the finals and won. With nothing. Stop hating and give credit when due. He will shoot your ass out the fucking gym and into wins
Just them winning that 7th road game would have been historic. No team has ever done that before.
Steph all day.
Kyrie has done nothing in the NBA. He is still "potential talent". He is "potential talent" because he has yet to lead a team anywhere and stays injured. Hopefully we get to see Kyrie evolve as a player and leader like we have with Steph. The tools are def there tho.
Actually CCC first years had injuries involved also. Kyrie been hurt since we been hearing about him true...
Last summer (USA basketball) really was the start of Kyrie's transformation to become elite.
Dude does have the skills it's just physical. He haven't been able to stay healthy, even tho last year was his healthiest season.
Silent night: Cavs not saying much headed into Finals rematch
play
2015 NBA Finals in review
3:56 PM ET
It's Christmas Day. It's the coveted 5 p.m. Eastern time slot that is awarded to what is considered the holiday's prime game. It's a rematch of the NBA Finals.
It would be nice, for entertainment purposes, if the Cleveland Cavaliersand Golden State Warriors were out for each other as part of a fierce rivalry.
Perhaps that will be the case at some point, but it does not appear to be true as of now. It would be even more interesting if the Cavs were outwardly obsessed with applying a measure of payback, with the Warriors becoming an obsession that inspired them every waking day, like Rocky preparing for Drago. Or if LeBron James had made it some mission to take back the MVP trophy from Stephen Curry by brute force. Alas, this scene will stay fictional for now.
Despite the outcome last June, James and Curry actually have a cordial relationship, and when James makes a boxing reference to their position in the league, it is not from a bloodthirsty perspective.
Paul George and now Kawhi [Leonard].
"And then you got, like, Steph and Ky [Irving] and [Chris Paul] and Tony Parker and Russell Westbrook and all those guys. So it's not really a direct correlation as far as us competing."
Privately, James grumbled a bit that he didn't get more consideration for NBA Most Valuable Player last season, considering the role he had to play in Cleveland, where he felt he had to carry teammates mostly devoid of experience into the playoffs. But publicly, he backed Curry's victory. And as he said, he never saw it as a mano-a-mano situation.
James has lightly touched on references to the Warriors this season as he has tried to inspire his teammates at times.
"We lost in the Finals, we didn't win," James said after a loss in mid-November as the Warriors were racing out to a 24-0 start. "And the team that beat us looks more hungry than we are, so it shouldn't be that way."
But since then, James has avoided most references to the defending champions. If he has talked more about it to his team in meetings, it has stayed private. When asked how closely he watches the Warriors, as reporters probe for hints of obsession, James said he watches all games, and because he plays in the East he often watches Western teams, including the Warriors, after his team's games are over. In other words, James is passing on offering up red meat.
In the days leading up to the trip to the San Francisco Bay Area, James and his teammates have gone full cliché when it comes to this anticipated game, even with Irving returning from his knee injury in time to make the Cavs whole again for the first time since April. The same goes for coach David Blatt
"There's a lot of good teams in the league," Blatt said. "Certainly, Golden State is one of the best teams, but they're not all we talk about. You really can't afford spending too much time thinking about what other teams are doing in the league."
Irving, who surely seems like he had major motivation to get back in time for the big Christmas game, also went the low-key route, downplaying everything.
"Honestly, it was just getting back when I got clearance from my doctors," Irving said. "Whether that was going to be before Christmas or not, I was going to take their word."
Over the summer in a podcast with Shaquille O'Neal, Irving made a minor wave when he said, "I felt like we would have definitely won an NBA championship if everyone was healthy. But 'almost' doesn't count."
It sounded like more of a lament than a declaration or a real dig at the champs. The Warriors' Draymond Green, a specialist at finding and exploiting slights, fired back at Irving's woulda, coulda with this gem: "I think if I was 6-11, I'd be Anthony Davis."
If there's any venom from the Cavs toward their vanquishers in this circumstance, it's that they were too hurt to give a Finals performance representative of their best. James has said the same thing regularly since the end of the Finals, and it was a common mantra in Cleveland for the past six months. It will probably be the default commentary on that series from the Cavs' perspective until the end of the season, and the 2014-15 title banner will hang in the Warriors' arena as the perpetual final word on the matter.
"To make a strong push at a championship, you got to have some luck, you got to have some health and you got to have great players," James said. "And they have all three."
For all the discussion of health, the Cavs are likely to be the healthier team for this meeting:
Golden State's Harrison Barnes is still out with a sprained ankle. Cleveland has James, Irving and Kevin Love, a lineup that is 35-4 when starting together since January, though Irving is still on a minutes restriction.
If the Cavs are ever going to do any real talking, it is likely to come after they find vindication on the floor. And while Christmas would be an acceptable place to start, it won't matter unless a true rematch materializes in June.
2015 NBA Finals in review
3:56 PM ET
Brian WindhorstESPN Senior Writer
It's Christmas Day. It's the coveted 5 p.m. Eastern time slot that is awarded to what is considered the holiday's prime game. It's a rematch of the NBA Finals.
It would be nice, for entertainment purposes, if the Cleveland Cavaliersand Golden State Warriors were out for each other as part of a fierce rivalry.
Perhaps that will be the case at some point, but it does not appear to be true as of now. It would be even more interesting if the Cavs were outwardly obsessed with applying a measure of payback, with the Warriors becoming an obsession that inspired them every waking day, like Rocky preparing for Drago. Or if LeBron James had made it some mission to take back the MVP trophy from Stephen Curry by brute force. Alas, this scene will stay fictional for now.
Despite the outcome last June, James and Curry actually have a cordial relationship, and when James makes a boxing reference to their position in the league, it is not from a bloodthirsty perspective.
Paul George and now Kawhi [Leonard].
"And then you got, like, Steph and Ky [Irving] and [Chris Paul] and Tony Parker and Russell Westbrook and all those guys. So it's not really a direct correlation as far as us competing."
Privately, James grumbled a bit that he didn't get more consideration for NBA Most Valuable Player last season, considering the role he had to play in Cleveland, where he felt he had to carry teammates mostly devoid of experience into the playoffs. But publicly, he backed Curry's victory. And as he said, he never saw it as a mano-a-mano situation.
James has lightly touched on references to the Warriors this season as he has tried to inspire his teammates at times.
"We lost in the Finals, we didn't win," James said after a loss in mid-November as the Warriors were racing out to a 24-0 start. "And the team that beat us looks more hungry than we are, so it shouldn't be that way."
But since then, James has avoided most references to the defending champions. If he has talked more about it to his team in meetings, it has stayed private. When asked how closely he watches the Warriors, as reporters probe for hints of obsession, James said he watches all games, and because he plays in the East he often watches Western teams, including the Warriors, after his team's games are over. In other words, James is passing on offering up red meat.
In the days leading up to the trip to the San Francisco Bay Area, James and his teammates have gone full cliché when it comes to this anticipated game, even with Irving returning from his knee injury in time to make the Cavs whole again for the first time since April. The same goes for coach David Blatt
"There's a lot of good teams in the league," Blatt said. "Certainly, Golden State is one of the best teams, but they're not all we talk about. You really can't afford spending too much time thinking about what other teams are doing in the league."
Irving, who surely seems like he had major motivation to get back in time for the big Christmas game, also went the low-key route, downplaying everything.
"Honestly, it was just getting back when I got clearance from my doctors," Irving said. "Whether that was going to be before Christmas or not, I was going to take their word."
Over the summer in a podcast with Shaquille O'Neal, Irving made a minor wave when he said, "I felt like we would have definitely won an NBA championship if everyone was healthy. But 'almost' doesn't count."
It sounded like more of a lament than a declaration or a real dig at the champs. The Warriors' Draymond Green, a specialist at finding and exploiting slights, fired back at Irving's woulda, coulda with this gem: "I think if I was 6-11, I'd be Anthony Davis."
If there's any venom from the Cavs toward their vanquishers in this circumstance, it's that they were too hurt to give a Finals performance representative of their best. James has said the same thing regularly since the end of the Finals, and it was a common mantra in Cleveland for the past six months. It will probably be the default commentary on that series from the Cavs' perspective until the end of the season, and the 2014-15 title banner will hang in the Warriors' arena as the perpetual final word on the matter.
"To make a strong push at a championship, you got to have some luck, you got to have some health and you got to have great players," James said. "And they have all three."
For all the discussion of health, the Cavs are likely to be the healthier team for this meeting:
Golden State's Harrison Barnes is still out with a sprained ankle. Cleveland has James, Irving and Kevin Love, a lineup that is 35-4 when starting together since January, though Irving is still on a minutes restriction.
If the Cavs are ever going to do any real talking, it is likely to come after they find vindication on the floor. And while Christmas would be an acceptable place to start, it won't matter unless a true rematch materializes in June.
Cavs are finally whole, and in the nick of time for Finals rematch
play
Cavaliers fend off Knicks (1:06)
CLEVELAND -- Before the Cleveland Cavaliers took the court on Wednesday and beat the New York Knicks 91-84for their sixth win in a row, LeBron James canvassed his teammates, who were about to run alongside him in front of a horde of screaming fans at Quicken Loans Arena.
James saw Kevin Love, his game fully in gear after his left shoulder healed. And he saw Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert, the pair that started referring to each other as The Hardy Boyz while injuries kept them out of the lineup because of the tag team effect they planned to bring in their return. He saw Mo Williams, back from a temporary absence stemming from a sprained right thumb. And he saw the rest of the Cavs’ core, all 13 of Cleveland’s top rotation players, ready and raring to go.
“It was a great feeling today,” James said afterward. “We was in the tunnel before we ran out and for the first time [fully healthy]. I cannot remember -- and I can remember everything -- I cannot remember the last time I looked in the huddle and we had everyone in uniform. That was a pretty good feeling.”
That feeling is one of rebirth for a Cavs season that has been solid so far, at 19-7, but is now set up to be downright stellar. Not only did Wednesday’s win add to Cleveland’s ridiculous record when its Big Three are all playing -- 35-3 in its last 38 games with the healthy trio, dating to last season -- but it also gave a glimpse of the versatile, multifaceted unit it can be.
“It’s big for us because it’s a starting point,” James Jones said. “We’ve assembled a very good team. A lot of depth. A lot of talent. But we haven’t been whole. So we’ve just been playing ball. But now that we’re whole, it’s finally here, as we say. Now we have to find our true identity.”
The potential for that identity is intriguing. The Cavs have what it takes to become an elite offensive group, shown by their assisting on their first nine baskets on Wednesday. Then they finished the game showing their defensive muscle, holding the Knicks to 1-for-7 from the field with two turnovers on New York’s final nine possessions.
Arron Afflalo late in the game. “Everybody has been working their ass off, trying to make sure they’re healthy. We know what we’re capable of. We’re capable of throwing out a lot of different lineups. We can go small, we can go big, we can go quick. We got a lot that we can throw at teams. There’s no breaks. Everybody that comes in is looking to produce; everybody is going to produce, and we’re just looking to win.”
The timing of the Cavs’ metamorphosis couldn’t be better with an NBA Finals rematch against the Golden State Warriors right around the corner on Christmas Day. While James played down the significance of the game, pointing out that it’s just “one of 82” and adding that “it's not like the season ends if we lose or if we win,” the date against the Warriors was a major motivator in the rehab for both Irving’s fractured left kneecap and Shumpert’s surgically repaired right wrist, a team source told ESPN.com.
The Cavs are far from a finished product. Wednesday's contest was only Irving’s second game back. He shot just 1-for-7 in the 20 minutes he was limited to, and after the game, he returned to the court to take some extra shots as he works to regain his All-Star form.
It was also coach David Blatt’s first game having so many options when he glanced down his bench. He played nine players for 14 minutes or more, while also working in spot appearances for Jones and Richard Jefferson to expand his rotation to 11. Anderson Varejao and Jared Cunningham, who showed flashes early in the season when the Cavs were riddled with injuries, were the only two healthy scratches.
Cavaliers fend off Knicks (1:06)
Dave McMenaminESPN Staff Writer
CLEVELAND -- Before the Cleveland Cavaliers took the court on Wednesday and beat the New York Knicks 91-84for their sixth win in a row, LeBron James canvassed his teammates, who were about to run alongside him in front of a horde of screaming fans at Quicken Loans Arena.
James saw Kevin Love, his game fully in gear after his left shoulder healed. And he saw Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert, the pair that started referring to each other as The Hardy Boyz while injuries kept them out of the lineup because of the tag team effect they planned to bring in their return. He saw Mo Williams, back from a temporary absence stemming from a sprained right thumb. And he saw the rest of the Cavs’ core, all 13 of Cleveland’s top rotation players, ready and raring to go.
“It was a great feeling today,” James said afterward. “We was in the tunnel before we ran out and for the first time [fully healthy]. I cannot remember -- and I can remember everything -- I cannot remember the last time I looked in the huddle and we had everyone in uniform. That was a pretty good feeling.”
That feeling is one of rebirth for a Cavs season that has been solid so far, at 19-7, but is now set up to be downright stellar. Not only did Wednesday’s win add to Cleveland’s ridiculous record when its Big Three are all playing -- 35-3 in its last 38 games with the healthy trio, dating to last season -- but it also gave a glimpse of the versatile, multifaceted unit it can be.
“It’s big for us because it’s a starting point,” James Jones said. “We’ve assembled a very good team. A lot of depth. A lot of talent. But we haven’t been whole. So we’ve just been playing ball. But now that we’re whole, it’s finally here, as we say. Now we have to find our true identity.”
The potential for that identity is intriguing. The Cavs have what it takes to become an elite offensive group, shown by their assisting on their first nine baskets on Wednesday. Then they finished the game showing their defensive muscle, holding the Knicks to 1-for-7 from the field with two turnovers on New York’s final nine possessions.
Arron Afflalo late in the game. “Everybody has been working their ass off, trying to make sure they’re healthy. We know what we’re capable of. We’re capable of throwing out a lot of different lineups. We can go small, we can go big, we can go quick. We got a lot that we can throw at teams. There’s no breaks. Everybody that comes in is looking to produce; everybody is going to produce, and we’re just looking to win.”
The timing of the Cavs’ metamorphosis couldn’t be better with an NBA Finals rematch against the Golden State Warriors right around the corner on Christmas Day. While James played down the significance of the game, pointing out that it’s just “one of 82” and adding that “it's not like the season ends if we lose or if we win,” the date against the Warriors was a major motivator in the rehab for both Irving’s fractured left kneecap and Shumpert’s surgically repaired right wrist, a team source told ESPN.com.
The Cavs are far from a finished product. Wednesday's contest was only Irving’s second game back. He shot just 1-for-7 in the 20 minutes he was limited to, and after the game, he returned to the court to take some extra shots as he works to regain his All-Star form.
It was also coach David Blatt’s first game having so many options when he glanced down his bench. He played nine players for 14 minutes or more, while also working in spot appearances for Jones and Richard Jefferson to expand his rotation to 11. Anderson Varejao and Jared Cunningham, who showed flashes early in the season when the Cavs were riddled with injuries, were the only two healthy scratches.
Hilarious, they stole this from the Grizzlies
Who made this
Agree the tools are there. You right we were just starting to get a taste of what Kyrie brings to the table. Hopefully he stays healthy this time.
jesus the game aint on for hours fellas lol
I'll say that Kawhi is maybe top 10
Durant was MVP that's means you had the best contribution to a team for a whole season! Finals MVP just means you had 1 great series. It's been people who won the Finals MVP who weren't even all star caliber players so the regular season MVP means you had to do more to me. Come on, you taking Leonard over Russ?! Man Russ is an uncaged beast out there! He want to win more then anybody when he on that court and he waaay more talented than Leonard to me. An PG is a more skilled Leonard. Look at his numbers coming off missing damn near a whole season and he in the MVP race so far. An he been guarding people. Leonard ain't the only one who defends.
I'm taking the guys who actually carry teams. Below are all leaders of their respective teams and I am taking all of them ahead of Kawhi
p r a
Kawhi 21 7 3
PG-13 25 8 4
Russ 25 7 9
KD 26 8 4
the Brow 23 11 3blks
Harden 29 6 7
Curry 31 5 6
Bron 26 8 6
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