The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers lived up to the hype

There are games that receive hype. There are games that live up to the hype. Then there is the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. To say they lived up to the hype of the greatest rivalry the NBA has to offer would be a massive understatement. The build up to yesterday’s Christmas Day matchup was intense with the two fanbases sniping at each other all week long, and the media playing up a rematch of last year’s incredible finals. Of course, neither side wanted to give the other any bulletin board material. Well, until the day of the game that is.

The teams don’t like each other. The fans don’t like each other. They are the two best teams in the NBA and they don’t see anybody besides each other as a real challenge to their respective thrones. Last year’s Finals went seven games. They were gifted with a rematch on national TV. On Christmas. The setting was perfect for a game that was going to lead to disappointment for viewers, because the hype for this game was beyond the normal amount we see for big regular season games. It had reached such an astronomical level that the only way this game could reach it is if someone broke a long time NBA record, or if Russell Westbrook flew down from the ceiling in a WWE style manner and intercepted a pass from Kevin Durant to dunk on the other end.

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Nobody flew down from the rafters, but fans were given everything they needed to match the hype that had been built up beforehand. Draymond Green was almost immediately ejected from the game when he earned a quick tech on a controversial call, but the refs managed to keep a cool head and allowed Green to express his emotions. Which was a great call, because it was the free flow of emotions that gave us one of the most intense regular season matchups in recent memory. You could almost taste the sweat, tears, and anger with every basket.

None of the emotion would have mattered in a dull slugfest however and this game was anything but that. Kevin Durant dropped 36 points. LeBron James had 31 points and 14 rebounds. Kevin Love tacked on 20 and Kyrie Irving had 25 points with 10 assists. The stars all performed to expectation, and even Steph Curry overcame a quiet 15-point night with a few big shots at the end. The pace of the game started off lightning quick before slowing down into a more controlled speed that led to some absolutely gorgeous set pieces. Everything this game needed to show off its talent level was there, and we should all be thankful for it.

Yet, despite everything, the hype had not quite yet been reached. As the fourth quarter began, Golden State jumped out to a 10-point lead and it felt like the great game was going to reach a rather dull finish with an easy cruise to victory for the Warriors. That was until LeBron James entered the game and changed everything. Cleveland’s run was immediate and it resulted in a sprint to the finish by both sides. Back and forth they went until it came down to one final play.

And one last attempt at a response.

This is exactly what this game needed to meet the amount of hype it received. A Kyrie Irving game-winner with a little bit of controversy at the end. Was Kevin Durant fouled? Yeah probably, but the refs missed it and the Cavs ran off with a win. Cleveland feels they earned it while the Warriors probably feel like they gave it away after blowing a double digit lead. Somehow, this game met all the hype, and because of that the bar has now been set even higher for their next matchup. Can’t wait.