History did not repeat itself.
The Stephen Curry-led Golden State squad got back at the defending titleholder Cleveland to claim the 2017 NBA championship with plenty to spare.
In dethroning the Cavaliers, the Warriors proved their own offensive template was far superior to the former. Considering that Cleveland had the best player in the planet wearing its uniform, Golden State displayed far better teamwork and much more cohesion and intensity to thwart its opponent.
Coach Steve Kerr merely duplicated his strategies in Games 1 and 2 which his boys won with ease and aplomb. He inspired them with a positive mindset and employed adequate muscle under the board to scare the Cavs’ big men from securing offensive rebounds. Kerr also made sure all five players inside the court were involved. See how ball distribution went to the open man for a higher percentage shot.
Kevin Durant was outstanding and his choice as Finals MVP was most deserving. You can sense the man’s superb performance since the series started.
The final tally 129 – 120 did not please me. A high scoring championship game meant there was practically no hard defense from both sides.
Regardless of the statistics, you will notice that coming from the bench, Andre Iguodala, the GSW’s sixth man, contributed a vital share in the defense and offense of GSW, hitting treys when they were needed most. On top of this, he penetrated the Cavs’ interior position, slamming tomahawk dunks and using the backdoor to score two-handed slams. Boy, even the seldom-used David West put in 4 against the highly-touted Thompson.
On the other hand, only between Kyrie Irving and Lebron James did the ball change hands in Cleveland’s side when they went in the offensive. James ably took matters in his own hands but he can only do so much. Even with his impeccable outside shots (41 points), the four-time NBA MVP could not have overturned the results.
Irving’s agility, as always, outmaneuvered the Warriors’ defense in and out of the perimeter. But there were only two of them against the five-man GSW crew.
The James-Irving tandem was effective in the first half. But as the match progressed into the third quarter, Kevin Love, Kyle Korver, Richard Jefferson and Tristan Thompson became bystanders.
The outside shooting of JR Smith was impressive but his efforts went to naught.
Basketball was a game designed primarily to score points and the team that scores more wins at the end.
But as the sport increasingly captured the world’s attention, basketball gurus employed defensive concepts and strategies to transform the games into much more exciting contests.
Thus, we note the emergence of defense specialists like Wes Unseld, Moses Malone, Kurt Rambis, Kevin McHale, Dennis Rodman et al who gave the game a fresh perspective.
Far from being described as a classic championship, this return grudge encounter between the Warriors and the Cavs was not. Watch the era of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson during the Celtics-Lakers championship matches and compare notes.
I think Cleveland became listless because of the heavy pressure of having to win Game 5 to survive. The fact that the Cavs were also playing on hostile territory, I might interject, also contributed to their downfall.
Ultimately, it comes down to a question of mind and matter.
What the mind conceives, the body achieves.
I did not see this truism reflected in the faces and body language of the Cleveland Cavaliers when they were swept off their feet in Games 1 and 2.
They were completely outhustled, outshot, out-defended and out-muscled as the scores showed. This proven strategy Kerr merely re-applied and executed to the fullest in Game 5 to snare the crown.
This is how they play in the NBA. (Email your feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com.) GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!
