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The Golden State Warriors put on a clinic in blowing away the Cleveland Cavaliers on their home court.
Steph Curry was the destroyer-in-chief for the Warriors, nailing seven threes on his way to 35 points. Draymond Green was also impressive, falling just 3 rebounds short of a triple-double. But the fact is that, as good as Curry and his teammates are, this Warriors side is greater than the sum of its parts. Their ball movement is spectacular, their defence fluid.
For Cleveland, no-one stepped up to take control of the game. JR Smith looked to be the man most likely, with 14 points, but his ejection early in the second half scuppered any chances of a game-changing performance.
LeBron James led the Cavs with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, but he shot just 43.8 percent from the field, and couldn’t make a three. Matthew Dellavedova chipped in with 11 points and 6 assists, but most of them came when the game was already over.
The win cements Golden State as the team to beat this year, although their meeting with the San Antonio Spurs on January 26 could change that, and they remain in the hunt to break the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ record of 72 regular-season wins.
For Cleveland, this was simply an off-night. They got as little production from James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving as they’re ever likely to, and they remain the favourites to emerge from the Eastern Conference come Finals time.
That said, there are serious questions about their ability to match it with the best teams in the league. It’s all well and good being able to dominate the Eastern Conference, but can they do the same against the Warriors and Spurs?
On the evidence of this season so far, the answer seems to be no.
Final Score:
Cleveland Cavaliers: 98
Golden State Warriors: 132
The Warriors have form on their side. Not only have they defeated Cleveland in five of their last seven encounters, but they also own the best record in the NBA, sitting atop the Western Conference with an impressive 37-4 win-loss record.
The Cavs are hardly a team to be taken lightly. They themselves are perched on top of the Eastern Conference at 28-10, and with a Big Three of LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, they’ve no shortage of firepower.
That’s not to say the Warriors are devoid of superstars themselves. Stephen Curry is having a better scoring season than last year’s MVP-winning campaign, Draymond Green leads the league in triple-doubles, and Klay Thompson is one of the finest shooting guards going around.
Then, of course, there are the Aussies. In the red corner stands Matthew Dellavedova, the newly-crowned dirtiest player in the NBA. Opposite him in Golden State’s blue is Andrew Bogut, the newly-crowned third-dirtiest player in the NBA. Dellavedova became something of an icon with his hard-nosed play during the playoffs last year, whereas Bogut became an NBA Champion.
There’s little doubt Dellavedova would swap his infamy for Bogut’s championship ring, and while this matchup won’t settle who takes home the jewellery at the end of the season, it will grant a psychological edge to one of the sides. Should we see an identical Finals matchup to last year, that edge should not be underestimated.
In one final bit of intrigue to this match, it will also play an important role in the Warriors’ pursuit of the best regular-season record in NBA history, currently held by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.
Golden State had sat ahead of that Bulls side after every game so far this season, but a loss to Detroit in their last fixture saw them fall behind; at the same point in 96, the Bulls had one less loss.
With four matches against the San Antonio Spurs still to come for this year’s Warriors, a loss to the Cavs would go very close to torpedoing their chances of breaking Chicago’s 72-win record. A win will see them still in the hunt.
So will the Steph Curry’s Warriors be able to continue their strong form against Cleveland, keeping them well within striking distance of the best-ever regular-season record? Or will LeBron James and the Cavaliers be able to square this season’s series, and remind the NBA of their Championship potential?
Join The Roar at 12 midday (AEDT) to find out with our live blog and scores.