Warriors defeat Cavaliers in NBA Finals rematch.
Durant steps up his game, shuts down James at end
Before tip-off Monday afternoon, Kevin Durant asked head coach Steve Kerr to let him guard LeBron James.
Durant later claimed that the reason was pragmatic: In his 11th NBA season, he is most comfortable matching up with fellow small forwards. Anyone who witnessed Durant contain one of the most dynamic players in league history on Christmas, however, realizes that he also relishes the challenge.
In leading the Warriors to a 99-92 win over the Cavaliers at Oracle Arena, Durant showed a national TV audience why many tout him as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Durant swatted five shots, chased James much of the afternoon and left the four-time MVP staring down an uncharacteristically human stat line: 20
points on 7-for-18 shooting with seven turnovers.
No block was bigger than the one Durant delivered with roughly 26 seconds left. His team nursing a 95-92 lead, he picked up James at the top of the arc, curled to his left and swatted James’ layup attempt. Durant clapped his hands, chewed his mouth guard and wagged his right index finger in a nod to all-time-great shot blocker Dikembe Mutumbo.
It took referees more than a minute reviewing the video to determine James touched the ball last after the block. As a capacity Oracle Arena crowd of 19,596 roared in approval, James jawed with the officials as he sauntered back onto the court.
“Kevin is at his best under pressure in big games,” Kerr said. “You get to these games where there’s a lot of energy, a lot of excitement, he tends to be on top of his game.”
It is one of the best individual showdowns on the NBA calendar, two future Hall of Famers with contrasting styles going at one another. Monday afternoon, with Stephen Curry (sprained right ankle) and Cleveland’s Isaiah Thomas (right hip injury) sidelined, Durant versus James was the focal point of the game on the biggest viewership day of the regular season.
Durant paired his five blocks with 25 points, seven rebounds, two steals and three assists. Midway through the fourth quarter, after blocking Tristan Thompson’s shot, Durant raced downcourt for a dunk to give Golden State a six-point cushion. Unlike numerous matchups before, when James hit key shots down the stretch to escape with a victory over Durant, he struggled to get clean looks over Durant’s 7-foot-5 wingspan.
James’ issues overshadowed a 31-point, 18-rebound gem from Cleveland center Kevin Love. On an afternoon when Durant improved his career regularseason record against James to 5-14, Klay Thompson had 24 points and seven rebounds, and Draymond Green posted his first triple-double of the season (12 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists).
“Today, they defended the rim really well,” Love said. “They have a number of guys that make you think in there, but we had our chances with little chippies that we could have made.”
Unlike last season, when the entire season seemed an extended prelude to a third consecutive Warriors-Cavaliers NBA Finals, Golden State and Cleveland must tackle formidable obstacles before they can reach the sport’s summit. While the Cavaliers entered Monday third in the Eastern Conference standings behind Boston and Toronto, the Warriors trailed Houston in the West.
This much is clear: If Golden State and Cleveland meet in June, they probably won’t disappoint.
To hang with the Warriors until the waning seconds, the Cavaliers weathered James’ off outing and numerous whiffed layups. Cleveland, which finished 13-for-52 (25 percent) from two-point range, missed all 17 such shots in the second quarter.
It wasn’t until that period — after Green and Durant were assessed early technicals, and after Golden State committed seven first-quarter turnovers — that the Warriors began to resemble the group that ousted the Cavaliers in five games in June’s NBA Finals. Along the way, Golden State and Cleveland reinforced that they are the closest the NBA comes to a modern-day rivalry.
A big reason? Durant matching up with James.
“Both teams came out and played extremely hard,” Durant said. “It’s just fun to be a part of.”