On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, Amazon gift cards, new Nike jacket, AND CAVS VS WARRIORS.
That’s right, on Christmas day, basketball fans will be in for a treat as the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Golden State Warriors. This will be the first meeting between the two this season.
As we are now less than three days from the game, both teams will be coming in playing at a high level.
Here are some interesting notes for each team:
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Warriors caught on pretty early with Durant, and it’s scary.
I don’t know about you, but I thought this Warriors team would struggle to start the season, but turns out I was wrong. Not only do they have the best offense in the league in terms of efficiency, but also SF Kevin Durant fits their system flawlessly.
The Warriors currently have the best record in the league (25-4) and they average 117.4 ppg. What’s even more interesting to note, is that when these guys are on a fast break, opponents have no shot, because the Warriors convert 87% of the time.
I mentioned Durant earlier, but he deserves an insane amount of credit for how well he has handled his move. His scoring has declined, but he is shooting 59% from the field making that a career high for him. Keep in mind he’s averaging 26 ppg (unguardable.)
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Warriors keep getting wide-open shots
If you watch the Warriors play, you get a sense of how unique they are. Draymond gets a rebound and proceeds to start a fast break, and either Steph or Klay is left wide open, and you know the rest. By spreading the floor with so many shooters, it’s hard to defend this team, because you never know who will be left open. Either way, there will be a splash.
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DRAYMOND GREEN!!!!!!
Truth be told, I hate Draymond Green. He’s probably my most hated player in the league, but I respect him tremendously. To be the floor general and also the defensive anchor, takes a lot of guts, and Green excels at both. The offense runs through Green, as he is responsible for setting up plays for the splash brothers.
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The Defense of Kevin Durant
Ever since Durant went to play with the Warriors, his defense has been extremely impressive. Most recently, against the New Orleans Pelicans, Durant made a game defying moment by blocking Anthony Davis during the end of the fourth. This season, Durant is averaging eight rebounds, two blocks, and one steal a game. Compared to last season, he has improved the statistics tremendously.
Cleveland Cavaliers-
The Cavaliers currently stand as the top dogs in the Eastern Conference, by having a record of 18-6. It’s interesting to note that the Toronto Raptors are one game behind.
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LeBron is………. Good?
The Cavs and all of their success this early on in the season, well they could be playing better, has been revolving around LeBron James. This season, I don’t know if it’s just me, but his body language has been a little off. He said a couple of weeks ago that his team needs to crank it up a bit.
“The honeymoon phase is over,” James said to reporters. James is averaging 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists per game. That’s typical LeBron, but the fact that he is in his 14th season and averaging these numbers is unreal.
The Cavaliers have been somewhat of a disappointment this season. It’s extremely early to get emotional, but this team seemed to have taken their foot of the gas. I don’t know if it’s because of the championship, but their level of competing isn’t what it use to be. Irving is clearly fatigued due to him playing the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, which he should’ve taken that time off.
In terms of who has more to lose on Christmas, why cant we say both? Both of these teams clearly are going to meet in the finals, and this game will give us a preview.
Here are things to look out for during the game:
- How will Kevin Durant match up with Lebron?
- Will Draymond Green control the tempo like he always does?
- Will we see Klay go off, or struggle?
- How will the Curry-Irving matchup fare?
The next time these teams play again is Monday, January 16 in Oracle Arena.
