THE THIRD ACT
Cavaliers and Warriors will meet again
Here they go again. For the third straight year, it’s Cleveland and Golden State in the NBA Finals. The 2016 champions versus the 2015 champions. The first title series “threematch” — a rematch of a rematch — in league history. It’s the matchup most expected, the matchup most predicted and probably the matchup the Cavaliers and Warriors wanted as well.
Now let the hype, and the waiting, begin: Game 1 is six days away. Cleveland wrapped up the Eastern Conference finals against Boston in Game 5 on Thursday night. Golden State must endure an even longer lead-up after completing a Western Conference finals sweep of San Antonio this past Monday.
“I’ve been very blessed the last few years to be a part of this league and play on the big stage,” said Cavs star LeBron James, who will appear in the title series for the seventh straight year and eighth time overall. “But we’re going to enjoy this for a couple more days before we have to lock in on that juggernaut out West.”
The Cavs and Warriors split their two meetings this season, with each winning at home. Cleveland won by one on Christmas, Golden State prevailed by 35 on Jan. 16.
Golden State led the league with 67 regular-season wins this season and is a staggering 27-1 in its past 28 games — including 12-0 in the playoffs, the first time a team has gone this deep into an NBA postseason without losing. Cleveland, which seemed sleepy at times in the regular season, is 12-1 this postseason.
“Playing in this league, you can’t take anything for granted,” Warriors guard Stephen Curry said. “Thirty teams suit up every year trying to get to this point, and only two teams do. So you have to appreciate it. … We need to understand the privilege that we have and the opportunity that we have to play in the finals again, to have the opportunity to win a championship.”
Tipoff may not be until
Thursday in Oakland, Calif., but the verbal jabs have already started. Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue was quoted this week saying he thought Boston’s offense was “harder to defend” than Golden State’s. Countered acting Warriors coach Mike Brown, when asked about it: “That’s his opinion. It’s cute.”
And there will be reminders of the Halloween party James threw for teammates last fall, with “3-1 Lead” — a nod to what the Warriors lost in last year’s NBA Finals — prominently displayed on a drum set.
But there’s clearly a certain level of respect between the clubs.
“The best team in our league the last three years,” James said of the Warriors. “And they’ve added an unbelievable player in Kevin Durant this year. So it makes it even more difficult. They’re going to challenge us a lot, offensively, defensively, mentally, physically. We have to be ready for the challenge.”
For James, this is an annual rite. For Durant, a five-year wait will soon be over.
Durant’s only other appearance in the title series came in 2012 with Oklahoma City. The Thunder lost to Miami in five games as James celebrated his first of three championships.
At the very moment the clock ran out in that series, the person James was embracing was Durant — telling the then-Thunder star, his offseason workout partner at the time, how proud of him he was.
“Hopefully,” James said that night, “I don’t continue to have to run into him.”
They’ll collide again, starting next week.