I didn't care who would win the series going into the game, as long as it was a good one, but as the game progressed, I changed my mind. After each missed Golden State shot I grew uneasy. I felt like we were being cheated. This isn't the same Warriors team that we watched all season. The same fun, highest-scoring team that everyone would plan their evenings around if they were televised from the West Coast. It wasn't the same unstoppable force fueled by great team defense and an abundance of offensive weapons that could put the score out of hand with one good stretch. THIS Warriors team was tough to watch.
Now let's give respect where it's due, a lot of my disappointment was a result of the excellent game plan and execution by Cleveland. The Cavalier's, for most of this series, have made the NBA's best regular season team play at a pace they are not comfortable with, and that has been the difference up to this point. By slowing the game down, the Warriors do not get to flash their unselfish passing, knockdown shooting and overall elite team basketball. With the front line getting dominated, the guards being unable to create and hit shots, and the forwards taking and missing too many open shots, the Warriors left me distraught when I went to bed.
While I was mad at the struggles of Golden State, it fueled what I now believe is a cloud of hatred for one, Matthew Dellavedova. The Aussie, who is the lowest paid player in the Finals, has done everything this team has needed him to and then some in Kyrie Irving's absence. In my opinion, if Irving were still playing in this series, the game-flow changes and the Cavaliers are not up 2-1. While I want to root for the undersized guy who out-hustles everyone and makes every play his team needs him too, I feel that he is doing it at the wrong time for me to like him. If the Warriors were playing like the Warriors we know and love, I would probably like Dellavedova... but they're not.
When a struggling Stephen Curry cannot hit an automatic floater in the lane down double digits, the "Delly" chants don't sit right with me. When Harrison Barnes consistently misses wide open three as the shot clock runs out, I can't get excited for the clutch play of the St. Mary's product. When David Lee and Andre Iguodala are the only Warriors not having one of the worst games of their career, it's hard for me to appreciate a Cavaliers team as a whole, that is heavily undermanned, dominate the boards, play great defense, and completely control the entire game.
Coming into the Finals, I just wanted a good series. I wanted to see Curry and James play as the unstoppable immortals we picture them as. I wanted to see the Warriors share the ball like last year's championship Spurs and see LeBron overcome what previously defeated him, doing LeBron things as a result. The King has granted me my wishes but the Warriors haven't been able to keep up their end of the bargain. This forces me to root for them to do so. I love what LeBron is doing - putting together arguably the greatest Finals performance in NBA history - but I need competition. I need the splash brothers to splash and the rest of the team to feed off the magic that has gotten them this far.
It was no fluke that the Warriors had the best regular season record and were the best offensive team in the league leading up to these finals. They can't play this poorly forever. We saw at the end of the game that Curry hasn't spontaneously lost his touch. I see the Finals getting back to the way I want them once Mr. MVP and the boys adjust, hopefully that happens sooner rather than later. Steve Kerr said it best during a timeout last night, "We're too good to play like this", and he's right. The Warriors will turn it around and give us the entertainment we want.
In last night's game I grew to hate "Delly" as much as I hate Mike Miller (he's a Gator and flops a lot) and that leaves me no choice but to fully commit myself to the Golden State Warriors bandwagon. I think we can all agree that this Finals needs more Riley Curry and less neck-less Dellavedova.
Now let's give respect where it's due, a lot of my disappointment was a result of the excellent game plan and execution by Cleveland. The Cavalier's, for most of this series, have made the NBA's best regular season team play at a pace they are not comfortable with, and that has been the difference up to this point. By slowing the game down, the Warriors do not get to flash their unselfish passing, knockdown shooting and overall elite team basketball. With the front line getting dominated, the guards being unable to create and hit shots, and the forwards taking and missing too many open shots, the Warriors left me distraught when I went to bed.
While I was mad at the struggles of Golden State, it fueled what I now believe is a cloud of hatred for one, Matthew Dellavedova. The Aussie, who is the lowest paid player in the Finals, has done everything this team has needed him to and then some in Kyrie Irving's absence. In my opinion, if Irving were still playing in this series, the game-flow changes and the Cavaliers are not up 2-1. While I want to root for the undersized guy who out-hustles everyone and makes every play his team needs him too, I feel that he is doing it at the wrong time for me to like him. If the Warriors were playing like the Warriors we know and love, I would probably like Dellavedova... but they're not.
 |
| He has no neck when he shoots. |
When a struggling Stephen Curry cannot hit an automatic floater in the lane down double digits, the "Delly" chants don't sit right with me. When Harrison Barnes consistently misses wide open three as the shot clock runs out, I can't get excited for the clutch play of the St. Mary's product. When David Lee and Andre Iguodala are the only Warriors not having one of the worst games of their career, it's hard for me to appreciate a Cavaliers team as a whole, that is heavily undermanned, dominate the boards, play great defense, and completely control the entire game.
Coming into the Finals, I just wanted a good series. I wanted to see Curry and James play as the unstoppable immortals we picture them as. I wanted to see the Warriors share the ball like last year's championship Spurs and see LeBron overcome what previously defeated him, doing LeBron things as a result. The King has granted me my wishes but the Warriors haven't been able to keep up their end of the bargain. This forces me to root for them to do so. I love what LeBron is doing - putting together arguably the greatest Finals performance in NBA history - but I need competition. I need the splash brothers to splash and the rest of the team to feed off the magic that has gotten them this far.
It was no fluke that the Warriors had the best regular season record and were the best offensive team in the league leading up to these finals. They can't play this poorly forever. We saw at the end of the game that Curry hasn't spontaneously lost his touch. I see the Finals getting back to the way I want them once Mr. MVP and the boys adjust, hopefully that happens sooner rather than later. Steve Kerr said it best during a timeout last night, "We're too good to play like this", and he's right. The Warriors will turn it around and give us the entertainment we want.
In last night's game I grew to hate "Delly" as much as I hate Mike Miller (he's a Gator and flops a lot) and that leaves me no choice but to fully commit myself to the Golden State Warriors bandwagon. I think we can all agree that this Finals needs more Riley Curry and less neck-less Dellavedova.
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