Cleveland Cavaliers: Takeaways From Christmas Day Win vs. Warriors
Dec 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with forward Kevin Love (0) after winning the game against the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland defeats Golden State 109-108. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Cavaliers overcame a double-digit deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors 109-108 in an epic battle on Christmas Day. Here are the main takeaways from this contest.
Six months ago, the Cleveland Cavaliers defied the odds by defeating the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. One of the reasons why that feat seemed so improbable is because they were going against a Warriors squad that posted a 73-9 mark during the regular season.
Secondly, no team had ever come back from a 3-1 deficit in a Finals series, but LeBron James and Co. put that trend to rest en route to winning the franchise’s first championship.
Fast forward to the present, in the first meeting between these two clubs since that memorable Finals series, NBA fans were hoping to see a game in which both teams left it all on the floor, and that is exactly what they got.
In a game that had a playoff-like atmosphere, the Cavaliers overcame a double-digit deficit to beat the Warriors 109-108, winning their fourth straight game against the defending Western Conference champions.
Here are the main takeaways from this contest.
Dec 23, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Channing Frye (8) drives to the basket against Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) during the first half at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Channing Frye And Richard Jefferson Were X-Factors
During last year’s Finals, Channing Frye struggled to make an impact in that series to say the least. He averaged 8.3 minutes and scored less than a point per contest (0.5) in the four games that he played in.
Additionally, due to the fact that the Warriors made him a non-factor, Frye did not see any action in Games 5-7.
This time around, however, things were a little different. Similar to the way Draymond Green often gives the Warriors’ opponents fits, Frye did the same in this contest.
In 17 minutes of action, he scored 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the field, including a respectable 2-for-5 effort from beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, although Richard Jefferson did not have a great shooting night (2-for-11) and missed his first eight attempts, he scored eight points — six of which came in the final frame, including this left-handed dunk over Kevin Durant.
With the Cavaliers’ bench being somewhat thin right now, both Frye and Jefferson provided the team with timely minutes.
Dec 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) and Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland defeats Golden State 109-108. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Kevin Durant Was Brilliant … Until He Wasn’t
Falling one win shy of repeating as champions, the Warriors signed Durant during the offseason in hopes of bolstering their chances of making it back to the Finals.
For most of the evening, Durant looked like the best player on the court. He had the jump shot going and beat his primary defender off the dribble on several occasions, which resulted in ferocious attacks on the rim.
Furthermore, Durant led all players in points (36), rebounds (15) and attempts from the charity stripe (12-for-12). But in the game’s final five minutes, Durant disappeared.
During that stretch, the four-time scoring champion missed both of his shot attempts and posted a minus-6 rating. Simply put, the Warriors more than likely win this game if Durant finds a way to deliver in crunch time.
Dec 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) shoots the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala (9) at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland defeats Golden State 109-108. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Cavaliers Win Long-Distance Battle
The three-point shot is a big part of what the Warriors like to do from an offensive standpoint. In fact, the Dubs led the league in three-point shooting last season, connecting on 41.6 percent of their attempts.
This season, the Cavaliers are ranked second, knocking down 39.8 percent of their attempts from distance and the Warriors are sixth at 37.7 percent. Taking those numbers into consideration, it was reasonable to presume that the long ball would play an important role in this contest.
The Warriors were an uncharacteristic 9-for-30 from beyond the arc (30 percent), while the Cavaliers converted 12 of their 35 attempts from deep (34.5 percent), giving them a nine-point edge in this category.
How important is this advantage? In one word: very.
The Warriors outshot the Cavs 48 to 39 percent overall; they enjoyed a 50-44 advantage in terms of points scored in the paint and they had a 16-3 edge in fast break points.
But despite those disparities, the Cavaliers managed to overcome those deficiencies thanks a strong effort on the offensive glass (18-5) and the fact they were able to knock down more shots from three-point range.
Dec 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (32) celebrates with guard Kyrie Irving (2) after dunking against the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland defeats Golden State 109-108. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Kyrie Irving Delivers Again
One of the most memorable sequences from Game 7 of the Finals was James’ block on an Andre Iguodala lay-up attempt. While James’ efforts certainly prevented an easy scoring opportunity for the Warriors, it was Irving’s three-pointer that gave the Cavs the lead for good.
With the game hanging in the balance once again, Uncle Drew delivered the game’s final bucket –hitting a very tough turnaround jumper over Klay Thompson.
Although Irving converted just 11 of his 27 attempts from the field, he scored 14 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and handed out 10 assists as well — helping the Cavs overcome a 14-point deficit.
In other words, Irving was able to do what Durant failed to do — come up big when his team needed him the most. Furthermore, it is moments such as this one that prove why Irving is starting to earn a reputation for being a clutch performer.
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