Photo Credit: Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images
Merry Christmas NBA fans! All day long we are treated to games, however, only one has had everyone patiently waiting to watch. LeBron James and company try to exact some revenge on reigning MVP Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. The Cavs are finally at full strength having welcomed back Kyrie Irving just two games ago. The Warriors are playing better than any team at this point, only losing once to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Last time these two teams met in the NBA Finals, the Cavs were without Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. James still managed to make the series competitive, however, the Warriors and their fast pace play proud to be too much for Cleveland to keep up with. Luckily for the Cavs Harrison Barnes is unlikely to play in today’s game still nursing an ankle injury which means Golden State will be unable to play their signature small ball lineup that crushed Cleveland in the finals. It could mean Andre Igoudala, reigning Finals MVP, will see a lot of minutes trying to guard James like he did in the series.
This game is huge for both teams. The Warriors are playing nearly perfect basketball, but people are still finding excuses for their success. If the Warriors win this game it would be the statement win over an excellent team that would prove any remaining doubters that this team is legit and will compete for years to come. For the Cavs, this game has more of an emotional meaning. This team was assembled to be championship or bust last season. Injuries got to two of the team stars and with a win today they can prove that last year’s finals might have gone a little differently.
No matter who wins this game, it will definitely be entertaining. It will likely be a playoff atmosphere in Oakland today with Golden State fans having this one circled on the calendar for months.
