Cavaliers–Warriors rivalry
Golden State Warriors
Cleveland Cavaliers
| |
| First meeting | October 17, 1970[1] |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | January 16, 2017 (Oracle Arena) |
| Next meeting | June 1, 2017 (Oracle Arena) |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 122[2] meetings |
| All-time series | 64-58 (GSW) |
| Regular season series | 57–52 (GSW)*[3] |
| Postseason results | 7–6 (GSW) |
| Longest win streak | |
| Current win streak | GSW W1 |
| Post-season history | |
| |
The Warriors–Cavaliers rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. These two teams started their rivalry in 2015. They have met in the Finals the last three seasons, each winning one series. They will face each other in 2017, becoming the only teams to meet in three straight NBA Finals. The two teams feature NBA stars Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant (Golden State), and LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love (Cleveland). In the NBA Free Agency of 2016, the Warriors acquired superstar Small Forward Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Background
After the Miami Heat lost the 2014 NBA Finals to the San Antonio Spurs in 5 games, LeBron James tested free agency and would eventually return to his hometown team in Cleveland. The Cavs traded the first-pick in the 2014 NBA Draft Andrew Wiggins, and other assets, to the Minnesota Timberwolves for All-Star Power Forward Kevin Love. The Cavaliers quickly became a favorite to win the championship as they already had All-Star Point Guard Kyrie Irving and rising stars Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson. On the other hand, the Warriors were a young, uprising team that had a lot of potential. The team was led by their backcourt of the "Splash Brothers", Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, and developed a fast paced, up-tempo offense, comprising mainly of 3 point shooting. In the 2014 NBA Playoffs, they lost in an exciting 7-game series to the Los Angeles Clippers(Who were their rivals at the time). They had a bright future as a team and were considered to be contenders in a couple of seasons.
2014–2015 NBA Season
Main Article: 2014–15 NBA season
The New Big Three
LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love formed the NBA's newest Big Three. Going into the season, the Cavs had expectations to make it to the NBA Finals, now that they have surrounded James with a better supporting cast than the one he had his first go around in Cleveland. The Cleveland Cavaliers started off the season rough. Kevin Love wasn't adjusting to his new role in Cleveland. Dion Waiters couldn't handle not being a primary ball handler. After making several changes to the lineup and management, the Cavaliers would start off the season with a dismal record of 19–20. LeBron James missed two weeks with a back injury, which also didn't help the Cavs lack of chemistry. [4] During January, the Cavs traded away Dion Waiters. They acquired three-point specialist J.R. Smith, defensive asset Iman Shumpert, and rim protector Timofey Mozgov. These three players were key pieces to the Cavs return to the top of the Eastern Conference.
The Dream season
The Warriors shocked the league. They started off the season rolling through the Western Conference. They had with a 21-2 record with a 16-game winning streak, which made them the early title favorites. Steph Curry immediately became an NBA MVP favorite. The Warriors didn't look like they had any competition. The Warriors also had their own big three. Steph Curry was improving off of last year's All-Star season, Klay Thompson became one of the best shooting guards, and two-way players in the league, and Draymond Green had an outbreak season, averaging about 12 PPG, 8 RPG, and 4 APG. Rookie Head Coach Steve Kerr was a candidate for Coach of the Year.
Regular season achievements
Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson were all named to the NBA All Star teams, with Stephen Curry finishing first in the all-star voting (1,513,324), and LeBron James finishing in second(1,470,483).[5] Stephen Curry won the NBA MVP Award. He averaged 23.8 PPG, 7.7 APG, 2.0 SPG, and shot 44.3% from 3pt territory.[6] LeBron James was third in MVP voting. He averaged 25.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 7.4 APG[7] . They were featured on the All-NBA First Team. Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving made All- NBA teams as well.
Cavaliers finished the season with a record of 53–29.
Warriors finished the season with a record of 67–15.
2015 NBA Finals
Main Article: 2015 NBA Finals
The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers made the NBA Finals pretty easily, only losing a combined five games. The Cavs lost Kevin Love in the first round of the playoffs due to a separated shoulder, and Kyrie Irving sprained his ankle during the second round of the playoffs and in game one of the Finals, Kyrie Irving left the game in the fourth quarter after fracturing his left kneecap. The Warriors would go on to take a 1-0 lead in a 108-100 OT thriller. Game 2 also went into OT, but the one-man force of LeBron James took the game 95-93. With going to Cleveland, the Cavs had momentum and blew the Warriors out. The Warriors had a late game comeback, but it was not enough, as the Cavs took Game 3 91-96. As LeBron James had carried the limping Cavaliers to a 2-1 lead over the 67-win Warriors, he ran out of gas. The Warriors would go on to win the next three games to take home the 2015 NBA Championship. Andre Iguodala would win the NBA Finals MVP, although Cleveland's LeBron James averaged 35.8 PPG, 13.3 RPG, and 8.8 APG in a losing effort.
2015–2016 NBA Season
Golden State 73–9
Main Article: 2015–16 Golden State Warriors season
The Golden State Warriors were looking to improve on what was an already great 2015 season when they started the season 24–0,most wins without a loss to start a season in NBA history. They also accomplished the second-longest winning streak in NBA history (28). By the all-star break, the warriors had a record of 48–4, best record at all-star break in NBA history. Curry and Thompson made another all-star selection, along with Draymond Green making his first all-star selection of his career. Golden State went on to break the 1995–96 Chicago Bulls 72–10 season record to win 73 games, which is the most in NBA history. Despite their regular season dominance, the Warriors had more difficulty in the Western Conference playoffs than many expected. After defeating the Houston Rockets and Portland Trailblazers the Warriors were pushed to the brink by the Oklahoma City Thunder, led by All-Star and former MVP Kevin Durant and All-Star Russell Westbrook, in the Western Conference Finals. The Thunder shocked many by jumping out to a 3-1 lead and had the Warriors on the brink of elimination. However, the Warriors were able to battle their way back and would eventually win the series 4-3.
Cleveland struggles
In comparison to the dominant Warriors, the Cavs faced significant challenges in the 2015-2016 campaign. Irving was still recovering from a knee injury suffered in Game 1 of the previous season's Finals and would miss most of the first half of the season. Despite a roster that many observers recognized as being among the best in basketball, the Cavs would prove to be very inconsistent throughout the duration of the regular season. A low point came in a humiliating home defeat to the Warriors in January which resulted in the firing of head coach David Blatt and the appointment of Tyronn Lue to the head coach position several days later. Despite the struggles, The Cavs would finish the regular season with the best record in the Eastern Conference and would tear through the Eastern Conference playoffs with an overall record of 12-2 and would make their second consecutive Finals appearance.
2016 NBA Finals
Main Article: 2016 NBA Finals
Finals for the ages
The 2015-2016 NBA Finals saw the Cavaliers and Warriors meet for the second straight season. Despite the Cavaliers entering the series with a player in Lebron James whom many still considered to be the best in the world, the Warriors were overwhelming favorites to repeat as champions. The Warriors captured games 1 and 2 in Oakland before the series moved to Cleveland for games 3 and 4. The Cavaliers won game 3 in convincing fashion sending the series to a game 4 with the Warriors leading 2-1. In a pivotal game 4, The Warriors but the victory came at a great price. All-Star forward Draymond Green became entangled in an on court confrontation with Lebron James. After reviewing the incident post-game, the league determined that the altercation warranted a technical foul being assigned to Green. The foul put Green over the NBA's technical foul limit and meant he would be suspended for a possibly series-clinching Game 5.
3-1 deficit and 3-1 lead
Going into Game 5, the Warriors held a 3-1 series lead. LeBron James and the Cavaliers were against all odds. They were attempting to win three-straight games, with 2 of the 3 games being on the road. Kyrie Irving and LeBron James came up big for the Cavs, each dropping 41 points. They became the first pair of teammates to drop 40+ points in a Finals game. The Cavaliers lived to see another game, winning the game 112-97. Back in Cleveland, LeBron James continued his explosive scoring, dropping another 41 point game. He became the first player since Shaquille O'Neal to score 40+ points in back to back NBA Finals games. Curry was fouled out of the game with 6 fouls. The Cavaliers won the game 101-115.
Game 7
The Cavaliers defeated the 73-win Warriors an iconic Game 7 in the Oracle Arena. The Cavaliers Big Three all had great moments in Game 7, from LeBron James blocking Andre Iguodala from the other side of the court, Kyrie Irving hitting the side-step game-winning three over Stephen Curry with a minute remaining, to Kevin Love being on an island with Stephen Curry and stopping him from hitting a potential game-tying three pointer. LeBron James finished the game 27 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals. He would go on to win his 3rd Finals MVP. Kyrie Irving shot 10-23, 2-5 from outside, finishing with 26. Draymond Green finished with a huge 32 points, 15 rebounds, and 9 assist. The unanimous MVP (Stephen Curry) finished with a horrendous 17 points, shooting 6-19 from the field and 4-14 from three-point range. Co. Slash Bro Klay Thompson also had a quiet night, shooting 6-17 from the field[8].
2017 trilogy
Main Article: 2016–17 NBA season
In the summer of 2016, the Golden State Warriors acquired former Oklahoma City Thunder superstar free agent Kevin Durant, hoping this would push them over the hump of LeBron James. Kevin Durant made his presence known to league, showing he wouldn't take a backseat to Stephen Curry. He averaged 25.1 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.1 SPG, and 1.6 BPG. After finishing 67–15, the first team in NBA history to win 67+ games in three straight seasons, the Warriors went 12–0 in the Western Conference playoffs. They became the second team in NBA history to sweep all three rounds after the 2000–01 Los Angeles Lakers, doing it against the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, and San Antonio Spurs. The Warriors were the first team to start the NBA playoffs 12–0. Steph Curry and Kevin Durant became the only players in NBA history to enter the NBA Finals to averaging 25+ PPG and shooting 50% from the field. Over in the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers got through to the Finals almost as easy. They went 12-1, with their only loss coming in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals at home to the Boston Celtics. James is debatably playing his best basketball of his career, entering the Finals averaging 32.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 7.0 APG, 2.2 SPG, and 1.4 BPG. Not only are his numbers amazing, he is shooting 57% from the field and 42% from three. Kevin Love is playing his best basketball as a Cavalier, averaging 17.2 PPG 10.4 RPG, 1.9 APG, shooting 46% from the field, and 44% from behind the arc [9]. Kyrie Irving set a career playoff-high 42 points during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals vs Boston. The Warriors and Cavaliers have a combined 24-1 record this postseason, fewest amount of combined losses entering the Finals in NBA history.
See Also
References
- ^ "stats.nba.com/scores#!/10/17/1970".
- ^ "www.landofbasketball.com/head_to_head/cavaliers_vs_warriors_all_time.htm".
- ^ "www.landofbasketball.com/head_to_head_gl/warriors_vs_cavaliers_game_log_season.htm".
- ^ "www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/12107680/lebron-james-cleveland-cavaliers-expected-miss-2-weeks".
- ^ "www.basketball-reference.com/allstar/NBA_2015_voting.html".
- ^ "www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/curryst01.html".
- ^ "www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jamesle01.html".
- ^ http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400878160
- ^ http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/loveke01.html