Kasler: A chance for Cavs to be legendary
With a flock of 130 (give or take a few, depending on the day) Twitter followers not demanding fresh content from me, here are a few NBA Finals thoughts I’m sending off into the ether of cyberspace:
1. I absolutely think the Cavaliers would have preferred to face the Thunder. To begin, Oklahoma City is a more traditional matchup than the Warriors. They’re supremely talented at the top end of the roster but still easier to mark. Just as important, the Cavs would have held home-court advantage had the Thunder advanced.
2. Alas, it was not to be. Golden State displayed rare championship mettle in overcoming a 3-1 series deficit. And now the Cavs must beat the best regularpseason team in NBA history led by the two-time MVP who happened to unanimously win the award this year.
3. Even after the Warriors closed out the Thunder, my immediate thought on the Finals was this: The Cavs can absolutely win it all. As the days have passed -- and perhaps I’ve spent too much time mulling over the infinite number of social media expert opinions -- I’ve frantically reeled in my expectations like one of the financially desperate fisherman on Wicked Tuna.
4. It’s not the unprecedented shooting of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson that are most terrifying. It’s not the multi-dimensional talents of Draymond Green that worry me, either. It’s that championship mettle. Because there’s really no reason for the Warriors to be in the Finals.
5. Yes, the Thunder were up 3-1 but what was alarming if you're a Warriors fan is the way Oklahoma City won those games -- with dominating wins. For a brief moment in time, it appeared the Warriors may have been the heretofore unchallenged schoolyard bully who finally got smacked in the face and fell to ground in tears.
6. But the Warriors' resolve was unlike anything I’ve seen. Off the heels of a beating and with their backs against the wall, they simply churned out three wins with a kind a laser focus and determination.
7. Add up those first six points, though, and what you have is the stage set for the most historic and improbable context to ending a city’s championship drought.
8. LeBron James winning a title in Cleveland obviously adds to his laundry list of career accomplishments. Winning a title against the best team ever, without home court, against the player who many believe has supplanted him as the game’s best, well, that would be legendary.
9. So we can probably agree the Cavs face long odds. If you want to argue that, forget me, look at the lines in Vegas. The Cavs face long odds. It’s true. And it’s OK.
10. How can they win? There have been a lot of columns written about this, including what I thought was a great one from Austin Peters at Hardwood Paroxysm. I won’t even try to replicate those efforts but instead offer a few basic keys to Cleveland victory.
11. Win Game 1. The Warriors just exhausted themselves against the Thunder, emotionally and physically. The adoring media loves to tab Golden State as super human, but Curry’s knee and ankle would beg to differ. So the Cavs need to seize on whatever fatigue may be lingering and take Game One.
12. Shoot the lights out. The Cavs have been superb throughout the postseason with an array of shooters cashing in from deep. They simply cannot afford to go cold or to hesitate on open looks. I know this sounds terribly obvious. But against an offensive juggernaut like the Warriors, there is no room for self-doubt. Catch it and shoot it true. Gotta light it up.
13. Backcourt defense. Kyrie Irving and J.R. Smith are not going to stop Curry and Thompson. Neither will Matthew Dellavedova or Iman Shumpert. But they can sit down in their stances and make every possession difficult for the Splash Brothers. Irving, especially, has a tendency to simply get blown by off the dribble. Limiting the absolutely easy possessions doesn’t come close to guaranteeing a win, but it’s a prerequisite to have a chance.
14. Vintage LeBron. Before Game 6 of the Raptors series, Tyronn Lue asked James to summon a throwback performance. And he did. Lost in the 24/7 adulation for Curry and, to a lesser extent, the rise of his own teammate in Irving is the fact James can still win a game by himself. Against anyone. He will need to do that at least once and probably twice in this series. It’s a hugely tall order against a great defensive team.
15. There are other keys to victory but the one I haven’t seen mentioned anywhere that may in fact be the singularly most important element to a Cavs' title is luck. It’s difficult to win it all, in any sport, without some good fortune. No one outside of Cleveland begrudges the Warriors' title last year just because the Cavs were not at full strength.
16. It may take at minimum some simple things -- a questionable foul call, let’s say -- to break the Cavs way for them to emerge on top. Beyond that, it may take something bigger -- a Curry tweaked ankle or a Green implosion that costs him a game. Whatever the delivery vehicle, I think the Cavs need luck more than the Warriors.
17. Final thought: It’s difficult for Cleveland fans who are starved for a title to appreciate how this team has played during the postseason. They just won four games in the Eastern Conference finals by nearly 30 points per. It’s been a pretty fun and explosive ride.
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