Ever have to settle for imitation crab meat? Sure, it looks like crab and depending on the quality of said faux crab meat, it might even taste like the real thing. No matter what type of Jedi mind tricks you might be able to play on your bad self, there’s always going to be that voice in your head that says, “Bruh, you know this is fake crab, right.” Yes, I had a crab salad for lunch today.
See, while imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and the NBA is a copycat league, the original is always hard to beat. Since the second meeting of the regular season between the two combatants in this years NBA Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been hell bent on remaking themselves into your Golden State Warriors. Quite frankly, the Cavs have been good at it too. Once Tyronn Lue took over for David Blatt, Cleveland has been operating at a faster offensive tempo and have been putting up threes in great numbers and hitting them for a good percentage as well. Very similar to a team that plays in front of 20,000 die-hards in Oracle and is looking to be repeat champs.
This is the first NBA Finals matchup between teams that ranked first and second in the regular season in made 3-pointers. Add to the mix the fact that both the Warriors and Cavs have made 412 treys this postseason – 212 and 202, respectively. Those are the top two single postseason totals ever entering the NBA Finals. The Cavs have obviously hit on a style of offense that suits them and has been beneficial to their success, but have they truly figured out the Warriors plan for success?
Notice that I haven’t mentioned Cleveland’s defense. That’s where they come up short in their desire to play like the Warriors. It’s not that they don’t try, the Cavs just don’t have players that are willing and capable defenders like the Warriors do. When Andre Igudala, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Andrew Bogut and Steph Curry (still laughing, Russ?) take the floor, what they do offensively is of great import. But what they do defensively, individually and collectively, makes the Warriors whole. Without question, LeBron, J.R. Smith, and Iman Shumpert give respectable effort defensively, but that’s not enough to win a title. When you add in the fact that Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are flat out liabilities on defense, that’s a problem that is hard to solve by putting up threes.
The team that shoots better from distance and defends the perimeter will win this series. I think I’ll go with the team that started this current basketball revolution. Always remember this about the Warriors: they have more guys who can do more things. That versatility has served them well so far. No reason to think it won’t now.
PREDICTION: Warriors in five