Why the Warriors-Cavs Christmas Day showdown doesn't matter
Of all the interesting revelations that have surfaced about the these 2016-17 Golden State Warriors, there’s one that stands out above the rest.
They’re starting from scratch.
Yes, the Cleveland Cavaliers fans who are on an extended victory lap still torture their Twitter timelines with “3-1” references about the Warriors’ NBA Finals collapse. And yes, the pain from that experience still resides deep in the souls of the Warriors players who remain. But beyond all the obvious advantages that came with Kevin Durant’s arrival in July, the reality for the Warriors is that he was their reset button.
It might have been the best post-Finals loss bounce-back move in league history. And for the purpos of Sunday's Christmas Day showdown with the Cavs that looms so large in the eyes of the fans and media, it means one thing for the Warriors: With their eyes fixed on the bigger prize, this game doesn’t matter in the slightest.
The Warriors, in essence, are taking the golfer’s approach to this fascinating challenge. Compete against yourself. Work on your proverbial stroke. Master the little things and the big things. Become an expert at your routine, your focus, your discipline. And if you just so happen to dominate along the way – which they are, considering the league-leading 26-4 record and 71-win pace they were keeping entering Friday – then so be it.
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Ironically, it was the Cavs who taught them last season that these regular-season showdowns can count as mulligans. A quick refresher course …
Christmas Day 2015: The Warriors down the Cavs 89-83 at Oracle Arena, a playoff-style game in which their defense won the day. The Cavs’ Big Three of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love shot a combined 19-for-57 (33.3%).
Jan. 18, 2016: The Warriors embarrass the Cavs 132-98 on their home floor.
, leading most observers to conclude that this matchup – in its state at the time – was as one-sided as they came.
“They did what they wanted,” said James, whose team had lost its last five matchups against Golden State at the time.
April 13, 2016: The Warriors down the Memphis Grizzlies 125-104 at Oracle Arena, thereby setting a new regular season record for wins (73) while passing the Chicago Bulls team from 1995-96 that went 72-10. On that same day, the Cavs fall to the Detroit Pistons in double overtime and finish the regular season with a 57-25 mark that, by comparison, is utterly pedestrian.
June 19, 2016: After the Cavs pull out the 93-89 win in Game 7 of the Finals, James and his teammates treat the Warriors’ arena like it’s their favorite road hotel. The champagne flows, including a jumbo-sized bottle that James — who is wearing enormous goggles like all the rest of them — carries through the tunnels as Warriors players head for the exits.
But should the Warriors and Cavs become the first teams to face off in the Finals for a third consecutive time, it’s their habits — not the history — that’s going to help Golden State get back on top again. To that end, they find themselves in a fantastic spot at the moment.
Scoring will never be a problem when you have this kind of talent on the roster, and the Warriors have been nothing short of electric on that end (league-leading 117.4 points per game). But their defense, which ranked just 18th in the league through six games and seemed destined to decline when big man Andrew Bogut was traded to Dallas in July, is elite again. Entering Friday, their defensive rating (100.4 points allowed per 100 possessions; second behind Memphis) is a shade better than last season (100.9, fourth overall).
Five months in, there are no signs of a superstar squabble. Durant (25.7 points per game), back-to-back MVP Stephen Curry (24.4), and two-time All-Star Klay Thompson (21.4) are leading the way on offense, with Draymond Green (10.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists) giving balance while looking like a defensive player of the year front-runner on the other end and veteran sixth man Andre Iguodala heading the second unit. And while it has taken a mature approach from all involved to make it work, no one deserves more credit than Curry.
Curry, who had recruited Durant in the Hamptons in July alongside his Warriors teammates, coaches and executives, has long since set the tone on their selfless culture that remains intact. And while his individual numbers are down (he’s on pace for “only” 308 three-pointers after hitting a league-record 402 last season), his willingness to share the spotlight with another former MVP has been impressive.
“I think it still is his team,” said Marcus Thompson, a columnist for the Bay Area News Group who has covered Curry’s career and whose book, Golden: The Miraculous Rise of Steph Curry, comes out in April.
“I think he still is the glue that makes all this work. It’s just not in scoring 30 points (per game). There is a part of him that wants to beast, right, to say, ‘I told y’all,’ right? And then there’s a part of him that’s fine saying, ‘You know what, I had mine. This is cool. Remember me as the guy who took the sacrifice.’ Because later on ... when we’re talking about it, that’s what we will remember. We’ll say, ‘Man, he gave his seat up to Durant.’”
What we won’t remember, however, is what happened on Christmas Day.
Follow Sam Amick on Twitter @Sam_Amick