Tag Archives: Golden State Warriors

Warriors defeat Celtics to win title

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The Golden State Warriors are NBA Champions again as the defeated the Boston Celtics 103-90 in Game 6 to win their fourth title since the 2014-15 season. Steph Curry was able to win the very much elusive Finals MVP after Andre Iguodala and Kevin Durant (2x) had this honor previously. While the Celtics were not the best team the Warriors have faced during their run, they fall right in the middle, it gives Golden State a title that they can point to without the legitimacy being questioned.

The 2015 Finals saw Golden State defeat the injury riddled Cleveland Cavaliers who were down to LeBron James and a supporting cast reminiscent of the 2007 Finals squad which was swept by San Antonio. A healthy Cavs squad took down the 73-9 Warriors next year before they landed Durant in free agency. The addition of Durant put Golden State so far over the top that The Finals were not really a competition, but more of a formality ending with a Warriors win. The only time Golden State would lose during the Durant era was when they faced off with Toronto in 2019. Klay Thompson played in five of six games while Durant was limited to just one, getting injured in his only appearance in the series. This was the beginning of a transition period for Golden State.

It took two seasons for the Warriors to get back to The Finals and they took care of business. But this time there is nothing that can be questioned. Both teams were healthy. There was not a player on either team which propelled them to a clear over-the-top favorite. It was an even matchup with Golden State and Boston having legitimate chances to win. This was a legacy defining moment for the Warriors and Curry for that matter. Arguments and discussions can be had about the other three titles, but not this one and that is what matters. Golden State truly earned this title and Curry his Finals MVP.

Draymond Green says Darius Garland is an All-Star

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The Golden State Warriors forward believes that the Cleveland Cavaliers guard is an All-Star.

Draymond Green is someone who is highly opinionated and when given the opportunity makes those opinions heard. Green took to Twitter in reference to a statement from Dwyane Wade in regards to the possible All-Star status of Darius Garland. While Wade praised Garland, Green provided some input heaping even more praise on the budding Cavs star.

Strange times that we are living in considering it was not too long ago that the Cavs and Warriors battled in four consecutive NBA Finals. Either way, Darius Garland has been impressive in this third year, averaging career-highs in points (19.7), assists, (8.2), rebounds (3.3), and field goal percentage (46.4). Garland will have stiff competition to make the All-Star Game, but it would be a crowd pleasing selection considering the festivities will take place at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse once the All-Star Break arrives.

Cavaliers lose to Warriors 96-82

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The Cleveland Cavaliers were outplayed in the second half during their 96-82 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

This was a game that the Cleveland Cavaliers never had a chance of winning. The fact that Klay Thompson was playing his first game in two seasons already had the cosmos lined up for a Cavs loss, it was just how much Golden State would win by. While the final score only shows a differential of just 14 points, the Warriors absolutely dominated the Cavaliers in the second half. Cleveland trailed by 24 points late in the 3rd quarter and trailed by double-digits for the entirety of the 4th. The Cavs did cut into the margin, but the points were not impactful in grand scheme of things as the game was never really close over the final two quarters.

Cosmos aside, this game was certainly a case that showed a true contender (Warriors) and a team that still has a long ways to go (Cavaliers). Darius Garland’s nine points on 3-12 shooting is certainly not going to get it done in matchups like this, neither is Kevin Love’s 1-7 effort restyling in just two points. Evan Mobley was 5-12 with 11 points, but that is part of the ups and downs that comes with rookies.

The two most surprising performances Sunday night came from Lamar Stevens and Rajon Rondo. Stevens led the Cavaliers in points with 17 points on 8-11 from the field while Rondo scored 15 off the bench in 29 minutes. Rondo made all three attempts from deep and six of 10 overall.

The final result in this game is nothing to dwell on considering how much better Golden State is than Cleveland. It is key for the Cavs to put this loss behind them and regroup for their next game in Sacramento Monday night.

 

Cavaliers fall flat in 4th in loss to Warriors

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The Cleveland Cavaliers were outscored by 28 points in the 4th quarter during their 104-89 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

It was a 13-point lead for the Cleveland Cavaliers as the 4th quarter began, but as everyone knows it is not safe when facing the Golden State Warriors. Golden State proceeded to outscore Cleveland 36-8 as the Cavs dropped their second straight game when shorthanded.

While the Cavaliers were in position to come away with a surprise win, making only two field goals is not going to get it done. The ability to close out games usually separates the contenders from pretenders and the Cavs are certainly not a contender.

Even though Cleveland did not win, it was a valiant effort from Darius Garland. Garland, the Cavaliers only starter playing in the contest, finishing with 25 points, five assists, two steals, and one rebound.

Dean Wade started again, scoring 17 points on 7-13 from the field including 3-6 from deep. Wade also had nine rebounds and five assists.

Kevin Love scored 17 points in 22 minutes off the bench. Love made four three-pointers in addition to grabbing seven rebounds.

The Cavaliers are now 9-8 on the year after lost three straight games. Cleveland will host the Nets Monday as they look to get back on track. 

 

Cavaliers to be shorthanded again vs Warriors

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The Cleveland Cavaliers will be without some key players when they take on the Golden State Warriors at home Thursday.

Wednesday night saw a shorthanded Cleveland Cavaliers squad fall to the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Now the Cavs return home to face the Golden State Warriors and again they will be down a few players.

Jarrett Allen, Lauri Markkanen, Evan Mobley, and Collin Sexton will again not be in the starting lineup for Cleveland. Lamar Stevens will also miss Thursday’s contest against Golden State.

Even at full strength the Cavaliers would have a tough time against a resurgent Warriors squad. Now that they are missing several important players it will only make things that much more difficult to be competitive, much less win.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 P.M. at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Warriors prove too much for Cavaliers

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The Cleveland Cavaliers were not able to keep up with the visiting Golden State Warriors as they lost by a score of 119-101.

Heading into this game there was one area that was highlighted as difference maker, three-pointers. The Cavaliers are one of the worst teams in the NBA in this department while the Warriors are towards the top. Golden State drained 17 of 46 attempts from deep while Cleveland only made 10 of 31. Some simple math shows that the 21 point advantage in this area was more than the Cavs lost by.

The Cavs kept up in the 1st quarter, actually leading by 3 points. Golden State turned things on in the 2nd with a 35-21 advantage, propelling the Warriors to a large lead. The 3rd quarter was a bit more competitive with the Cavaliers again scoring more than the Warriors (27-26), but Golden State was able to close things out quite comfortably as the game comes to a close.

Sexton scores big, but does it matter?

Collin Sexton scored a team-high 30 points on a 10-19 shooting effort, making 3 of 5 shots from deep and going 7-10 at the free throw line. The issue is that the Sexton’s +/- for the game was -29. This seems to be a recurring problem for Sexton as the Cavaliers seem to find themselves down quite often. Not that this is all on Sexton, just something to monitor.

Garland struggles from the field

Just like his backcourt partner, Darius Garland had a rough shooting night. Garland went 7-20 and missed 5 of his 7 three-point attempts. The second year guard did score 20 points, but the inefficient shooting is a concern. Garland did have a team-high 7 assists on the night.

Double-double for Allen

The Cavaliers big man did make his second start since coming back and was able to put together a 17-point, 14 rebound double-double. Allen was efficient from the field and the free throw line, making 6 of 7 field goal attempts and 5-6 free throws.

The Cavaliers return to action Saturday in Chicago against the Bulls.

Cavaliers take on Warriors at home

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The Golden State Warriors come to town as the Cleveland Cavaliers will host their once NBA Finals rival at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

The Cleveland Cavaliers return home after a 13-point win in Charlotte over the Hornets. Their competition does not get any easier as the Golden State Warriors come to town.

This is not the battle it once was between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors. Both teams are shells of their former selves, but Golden State is a lot closer to contention than Cleveland will be for a long time. The Warriors have been up and down this season, although that was expected considering they are without Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry has missed a few games.

As expected, Golden State blows the Cavaliers out of the water in three-pointers. The Warriors are one of the best in makes and attempts while the Cavs are the worst. If this game gets out of hand with Golden State taking a big lead, this will more than likely be the reason why.

Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 P.M. at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse

Warriors interested in Cedi Osman

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The Golden State Warriors have expressed interest in acquiring the Cleveland Cavaliers small forward

According to Sam Amico of FourtyEightMinutes, the Golden State Warriors have interest in Cleveland Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman.

Meanwhile, one source said the Golden State Warriors have interest in Osman (as do the Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets), and the Warriors may be willing to part with one of their own young players in return.

Sam Amico on Warriors reported interest in Cedi Osman

This report comes after the initial report that the Cavs could also move Taurean Prince and JaVale McGee. Cleveland is in sort of a sell-off mode and these are players they could very well move.

What it comes down to is evaluating whether or not these players are part of the future of the Cavs. Prince could be a maybe while McGee is an obvious no. In regards to Cedi Osman, it seems like he is more of a complimentary bench player on a contending team with several stars, something that Cleveland is clearly far away from. Osman just does not seem to be the right fit with the current young Cavs and moving on from him would may be in the best interest of both parties.

Klay Thompson out for season

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The Golden State Warriors guard has suffered an Achilles Tear and will the miss the upcoming season.

The Golden State Warriors will be without Klay Thompson for the second consecutive season. Thompson suffered a torn Achilles in a workout/scrimmage according to reports.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski added that with the type of tear that Thompson suffered that he should make a full recovery.

Last season it was a torn left ACL that sidelined that Warriors star, this injury is in his right leg.

With major injuries in back-to-back season there has to be some concern about how well he will perform when he does return. A torn ACL followed by a torn Achilles resulting in missing two consecutive seasons is not a good combination. Of course Klay Thompson could return as a very productive player for Golden State, but returning as an almost 32-year old next season may lead to him not being the same caliber of player as he was before.

The initial injury report did lead to some speculation about what the Warriors would do in the draft. There was some belief that they could end up selecting a guard to minimize his absence, but Golden State ended up drafting James Wiseman second overall.

With A Jimmmitude: LaMelo, Pistons, Wiseman

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LaMelo Ball to the Hornets

Charlotte may be one of the better landing spots for LaMelo Ball. The Hornets are a team that has a ways to go in regards to the rebuild department, but this is about some other aspects of his selection. Contrary to the first team his brother played on (the Lakers), Charlotte is not going to attract the same amount of attention as Los Angeles. This is good news not only for LaMelo, but any type of attention that his father LaVar would bring.

LaVar Ball has been pretty much off the radar for some time now. Lonzo no longer playing for the Lakers definitely has to play a factor, but it is also worth nothing that he has worn out his welcome at a wide variety of outlets. LaMelo playing in Charlotte, for a team owned by Michael Jordan, should keep any unnecessary nonsense in check. If there is anyone who can keep LaVar quiet it is “His Airness”. Additionally, we may finally get that game of 1-on-1 that we are all hoping for. Here’s hoping.

Detroit Pistons continue youth movement

If there is a team that needed a change of direction it was the Detroit Pistons. Detroit has been stuck in neutral for some time now and they began reshaping their roster last season by trading Andre Drummond to Cleveland. The Pistons took the next step in their process by adding four players through the draft (Killian Hayes, Saben Lee, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart), The youth movement is clearly in full force for Detroit and it only seems like a matter of time before they start making some more trades with other veterans on their roster.

James Wiseman to the Warriors

The second overall pick seemed to be in question right before the draft due to the recent injury to Klay Thompson. With his injury there were some who thought that Golden State would opt to select a guard in an attempt to limit the impact of Thompson’s absence. That did not come to fruition as the Warriors still ended up selecting center James Wiseman.

James Wiseman has a skill set that none of the Warriors current stars have, the skill set of a big man. This addition will give their offense a dimension that they did not have previously. The Warriors should be able to balance their usual three-point barrage with a presence down low, giving them an offensive attack that will be the envy of the league.

With or without Thompson, Wiseman should be a productive for Golden State. Wiseman does not have to be a star, unlike many other players selected near the top of the draft. All Wiseman needs to be is a secondary or even tertiary option for Golden State. The Warriors will be able to ease him in nicely and let him adapt to the NBA game on a timeframe that should not be impede his development.