With Christmas Day win, Cavaliers show they can repeat as champs
For all of us watching the game on television, the game on face value was already an NBA classic; all the storylines leading up to the game had a new chapter written in their story, and a flaw exposed by the Cavaliers which may win it all for Cleveland. Last year's Golden State team was a juggernaunt in every sense of the word, but the team took on a whole new identity when the lost Andrew Bogut for the rest of the NBA Finals due to injury, vulnerable. LeBron was able to own the paint, and Kyrie showed in that series he can be a superstar for the Cavs, all of which helped end the championship drought in the city of Cleveland. Then the Warriors got Kevin Durant, and all we talked about was how good Golden State's offense would be and that they were going to destroy the rest of the league and win a championship, except they might not.
The Warriors lost Andrew Bogut, Harrison Barnes, Mareese Speights, Feztus Ezeli, and Leandro Barbosa in order to clear out cap space in order to get Durant, Bogut and Barnes were traded to Dallas and this may prove to be the Dubs undoing. Bogut was perfect middle man for the Warrior's system, and the team won 67 and 73 games in the regular season because of it. They looked poised to win a second straight NBA Championship, until midway through Game 5 up 3-1 in the series, Bogut got hurt and was out for the rest of the series. They weren't the same after that, and with him gone and Durant in, all they did was strengthen their strengths and weaken their weaknesses. Now against most teams in the league they are still going to dominate, but Cleveland poses a different threat altogether in that LeBron with scrubs was able to push the Finals to six games two seasons ago, and with a weak interior D LeBron will have a field day again next time these two go head to head.
Now I'm not saying that the Golden State Warriors aren't a great team, they really are with their revolutionary offensive attack headlined by Stephen Curry, but like the Death Star, they have one tiny flaw which if exposed will lead to their ultimate demise. If Cleveland can use it to their advantage, then there is little Golden State can do but only watch as they lose another Finals to Cleveland, only this time they won't have to blow a 3-1 lead.
