Bruce Jenkins:
Cleveland defense shows little resistance.
The protection of territory is a staple in the NBA playoffs. Defenses tighten, attitudes gain fury and violence is a ready answer to anyone trying to invade precious space.
In what had to be a shock to most everyone inside Oracle Arena, the Cleveland Cavaliers forgot all that in Thursday’s Game 1 of the Finals. They shelved their aggression and donned matador attire. “Be my guest,” they seemed to say as the Warriors drove hard to the hoop. “In fact, don’t just slam it home unchallenged — take this C-note for your trouble.”
This was like a family going out on the town, leaving the house all nice and tidy, but forgetting to lock the front door. The Warriors didn’t just beat the Cavaliers this night as much as they burglarized them, stealing precious territory that was not rightfully theirs.
Seasoned fans remember teams trying to drive on the “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons of the late ’80s, or the rough-andtumble New York Knicks of Charles Oakley and Anthony Mason, and getting absolutely clobbered on the way. The nature of the foul didn’t much matter; it was all about the supreme rejection. The Warriors aren’t quite that crude, but they protect their turf with a vengeance.
It’s rare to see anyone press the cruise-control button and throw down an uncontested dunk on this team. Draymond Green, for one, won’t hear of it. And the Cavaliers have worked hard all season to improve a sieve-like defense with earnest communication and physical play. If they were talking to each other during the first half, it was either an inaudible whisper or something like, “I’m outta here.”
It’s understandable that the Cavs were determined to stop the Warriors’ outside-shooting assault, and they smothered Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant from the perimeter for a spell. But who could have imagined the Warriors shooting a collective 3for-13 from three-point range in the first half and still taking control of the game? While Tristan Thompson, the Cavaliers’ closest thing to a disruptive inside presence, finished the half with no points and one rebound?
There were so many moments the Cavs will not enjoy replaying over the next two days: a springy Andre Iguodala throwing down an open-floor dunk . ... Durant easily going around LeBron James for a layup . ... Durant, met by nobody, knifing in from the right corner for a slam . ... Iguodala flying in for another uncontested dunk . ... Durant spotting an opening as he crosses halfcourt, the Cavs’ seas parting as he jams it home . ... Shaun Livingston feeding an open Durant inside for another dunk . ... And yet another Durant hammer job through a wide-open gap, giving the Warriors a 55-45 lead.
This was just plain strange, especially for a playoff game, and it’s not as if any of the Cavaliers were in foul trouble, not even close. A disturbing tone was set, letting everyone know the Cavs didn’t quite come to play, and the second half turned into one of those Golden State masterpieces with the scoreboard lighting up like a Las Vegas slot machine.
It would be unfair, actually, to say that LeBron didn’t get after it. He had 26 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists after three quarters. But he also had seven turnovers and a minus-22 — worst of all the Cavaliers. Durant had 30 points by that point, Curry a silky 26, and yet another fourth-quarter formality was at hand.
Cleveland head coach Tyronn Lue just smiled, ruefully, when asked about the first-half malaise. He acknowledged his strategic focus on the outside shot, “but our game plan was kinda backward,” he said. “When Kevin Durant has the ball, you can’t give a great scorer easy baskets like that. He got four or five dunks early, and that opened up everything. We gotta make things much tougher on him.”
“There’s no way you can simulate the Warriors’ offense,” said Cavs guard Kyrie Irving. “No matter how well you prepare, once you get out on the court it’s totally different. We’ve got to get a lot better on the defensive end. So it’s more or less a heart thing, a prideful thing.”
James, who has done and seen it all, took a stoic and realistic approach. “We were letting guys go right down the middle for a dunk,” he said. “Turnovers (20) were a big part of that. That’s when the Warriors get very dangerous, when they sprint down the lane, put the pressure on your defense. We’ve got to stop the ball first, then fan out to the three-point line.”
And what impressed him most about the Warriors? “KD,” he said. “You take one of the best teams ever assembled, last year, then you add a high-powered offensive talent like that, great basketball IQ, we gotta figure out how to combat that. But I’m not surprised by anything they do. They do everything exceptionally well, if not great.”