5 things to watch for in Golden State Warriors-Cleveland Cavaliers rematch
On Christmas Day, the Golden State Warriors got their Finals rematch with the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. The late December game had all the emotion and energy of a playoff game with the two teams playing each other to a standstill.
Just like in June, it ended with Kyrie Irving hitting a game-winning jumper. And just like in June, the game ended with the Warriors wanting more. Kevin Durant slipped on the floor as he tried to cut to the wing for the game-winning basket. The NBA later admitted it should have been called a foul — in addition to LeBron James getting a technical foul for hanging on the rim late in the game.
James may not be ready to call this matchup a rivalry, but all any sane NBA fan could think of after watching that Christmas Day game was: “I cannot wait for eight more of these.”
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The Warriors and Cavaliers are on a collision course for the NBA Finals in June. They have one more pit stop before that rubber match of a series. Cleveland makes its lone trip to Oracle Arena to play Golden State on Monday in a Martin Luther King Day matinee (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT). It will mark the last time these two teams play each other before that hypothetical June date.
For NBA fans eagerly anticipating this game, here are five things to watch.
1. Will the Cavaliers play their stars?
This is the big question and could certainly put a damper on the festivities.
Cleveland is currently in the midst of a long road trip. The team has been on the road since Jan. 6 and this game in Oakland is the final game of that six-game trip. It has been a long and weird one with the Cavaliers already having to arrive late to Portland because of a snow storm.
The Cavaliers have had their struggles, going 3-2 on the trip. There were some reports the James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love may not play. It appears now that they will.
The question is what kind of condition will they be in. This has schedule loss written all over it with the long road trip coming to an end, and so the question is not just will the Cavaliers play their stars but what condition will they be in? If this game gets out of hand, how quickly does Cleveland pull back on its players and rest for the long haul for the rest of the season?
2. Stephen Curry’s Cleveland struggles
Curry seems to have found his form again after struggling for much of the early part of the season. He is averaging 30.6 points per game in his last five games on 49.1 percent shooting from the floor. The thing is, he has had his issues against Cleveland lately.
In the Christmas Day game, Curry scored 15 points on 4-for-11. In the NBA Finals last year, Curry averaged 22.6 points per game, but made just 40.3 percent of his shots. The Cavaliers know how to make Curry extremely inefficient. So the question tonight is whether Curry can break his relative col streak against the Cavaliers and find his rhythm, or whether his struggles will continue.
3. Kyle Korver effect
This will be the first matchup between the Cavaliers and Warriors since the Cavaliers acquired Kyle Korver.
Korver may not be the biggest role player — he is averaging 7.3 points per game and shooting 36.4 percent from beyond the arc since joining the Cavaliers on this road trip. He is also still finding his comfort zone with the team. But Korver still has an incredible pull, much more than Mo Williams or Mike Dunleavy. The Warriors defense, as small and versatile as it is, will be stretched out with Korver’s mere presence and that presents a new challenge.
The Cavaliers do not have J.R. Smith to stretch the floor. When they add him back in, that will be another weapon to the Cavaliers’ burgeoning offense.
For now, Korver will do more to stretch the floor and keep the Warriors off balance. At a certain point, the defense will stretch thin if there is too much shooting with Irving and James’ ability to penetrate.
4. The battle inside
The Warriors’ weakness is very clearly on the inside. Zaza Pachulia, David West and JaVale McGee do an okay job, but they have often been overpowered on the block — especially on the glass.
Golden State is 21st in the league in offensive rebound rate and 23rd in defensive rebound rate. For all the shooting the Warriors have, their one weakness is on the glass. Teams can attack the boards relatively successfully and get second-chance opportunities.
That is something the Cavaliers do well. Cleveland is 11th in the league in offensive rebound rate. Tristan Thompson is still strong on the glass and Love gives the Cavaliers size to battle down low. It gives Cleveland a big advantage in this game, which is one of the reasons the Cavaliers matchup so well with this Warriors juggernaut.
5. What will they hide? What will they show?
At this point, everyone has a sense the Cavaliers and Warriors will meet in the Finals in June.
December’s game had a playoff atmosphere. This game? It might feature more gamesmanship. Less revealing of what the other side is thinking, more vanilla play sets and, perhaps, early capitulation if the game calls for it.
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The Christmas Game was a statement that these two teams are ready to do battle. This game? It feels like a regular season game. A dance between two eventual foes knowing full well something is lurking in the background. That big meeting when things really matter.
This game is not the condition to show all their cards. There is a long way to go until June. And both these teams know what will inevitably happen then.