View from Cleveland: The Warriors’ slogan, “Strength in Numbers”? Golden State has it and the Cavaliers do not.
“The beauty of this team is we have multiple big-time scorers. They lift each other up when someone is having a tough night. It’s a nice luxury for a coach.”
Steve Kerr, Warriors head coach
CLEVELAND — I know the Cavaliers lost ... again ... to the Golden State Warriors.
I know they are down 3-0 in the best-of-seven 2018 NBA Finals following Wednesday’s 110-102 defeat at Quicken Loans Arena.
I know after a loss, there is always a little room for second-guessing and perhaps even some painful critiquing.
But I refuse to do that for one very simple reason: The Warriors not only are the defending NBA champions, they are the far more talented team.
Period.
It started with Kevin Durant, who scored 43 points in 43 minutes. He made 15 of 23 shots, grabbed 13 rebounds and had seven assists.
The heart-breaker was his 33-footer with 49 seconds left. The Warriors led 103-100 before the shot. If he misses the outrageous attempt, the Cavs still would be in the game.
But on this night, nearly everything Durant did was sensational. His shot was true, the Warriors took a 106-100 lead and shut down the crowd and the Cavs.
In the first quarter, he had all seven rebounds for the Warriors. That’s right — no one else had a rebound for Golden State.
“Kevin Durant, he made some of those shots I don’t think anyone in the world can hit but him,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.
The Warriors won despite Stephen Curry scoring only 11 points on dismal shooting (3-for-16). Fellow guard Klay Thompson had a modest scoring night with 10 points.
But the Cavs still couldn’t win.
“The beauty of this team is we have multiple big-time scorers,” said Kerr. “They lift each other up when someone is having a tough night. It’s a nice luxury for a coach.”
But on this night, the difference was Durant, the second-best player on the planet.
“Kevin was the story in the first half, keeping us in the game,” Kerr said. “We were down by 12 points at one point, but only six at the half. Then Kevin closed it out.”
But as Cleveland head coach Tyronn Lue pointed out, his team contained Curry and Thompson.
If you knew entering the game that Curry and Thompson would score a combined 21 points on 7-for-27 shooting, you’d figure the Cavs would win at home.
“But K.D. just had an exceptional night,” Lue said.
LeBron James was great, but not the best player on the court this night.
He scored 33 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter.
James also had 11 assists and 10 rebounds ... yes, another triple-double.
He twisted his ankle early in the second half, but still played 47 minutes.
But it wasn’t enough.
Kerr explained that the Warriors used four different defenders on James: Andre Iguodola (the 2015 Finals MVP), Durant (the 2017 Finals MVP), Thompson (a four-time All-Star) and Draymond Green (a three-time All-Star).
I put their credentials next to their names to fully understand what James and the Cavs were facing.
Durant “is a big difference,” Lue said. “He is the second-best player in the game ... his one-on-one ability ... he made six shots on threes ... they make tough shots.”
The only All-Star on the court playing with James was Kevin Love.
When Kerr became head coach, his motto for the team was: “Strength in Numbers.”
The Warriors have that, the Cavs don’t.
The Cavs pounded the glass, outrebounding the Warriors 47-37.
Love was terrific and bulldog-determined with 15 points and 10 rebounds by intermission. He finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds.
Rodney Hood came off the bench and out of basketball exile to score 15 points on 7-for-11 shooting.
The Cavs were fueled by the crowd and playing on a court where they had won eight consecutive playoff games in 2018. Their only loss was in the opener to Indiana.
I can’t fault the crowd, I can’t fault the Cavs. I can question the officials about how the Cavs didn’t take a single foul shot in the first half.
That’s right ... not one ... zero ... and this is a team with James driving to the rim.
For the game, the Cavs attempted 17 free throws. The Warriors shot 19.
This was a game where the Cavs played with heart and the crowd worked hard to inspire them.
But in the end, it just wasn’t enough.