Matchups and Keys: Warriors, Cavaliers Prepare for High-Octane Tilt
By Eric He
In the midst of a grueling East Coast road trip through the miserable weather, the Golden State Warriors will surely have no trouble finding some energy for their tilt against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night.
After falling to the Pacers on Sunday to kick off the road trip, the Warriors responded with a win in the nation’s capital on Tuesday.
But the Cavaliers will present arguably the biggest challenge, a revamped team that is steamrolling its way up the standings after a mediocre start. They lost two key role players in Shawn Marion and Anderson Varajeo to injury, yet have somehow gotten better thanks to a flurry of trades and acquisitions.
Cleveland recently acquired Timofey Mozgov, J.R. Smith, and Iman Shumpert in trades, and signed Kendrick Perkins earlier this week. That’s four legitimate role players added at the cost of draft picks and Dion Waiters; for now, it sits as a 4-for-1 swap that has bolstered the Cavaliers’ roster considerably.
Feb 22, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates a basket with guard Iman Shumpert (4) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Cleveland Cavaliers won 101-83. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
It gives them a top-tier starting lineup and some new toys for LeBron James to play with in addition to Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. It gives them a loaded bench that includes Shumpert, Perkins, and Tristan Thompson.
In essence, it puts together an elite roster, one that can easily contend for a title.
Meanwhile, the Warriors had an elite roster from the very beginning, with more or less the same roster from last season. Will they prevail, or will the Cavaliers — a team put together through free agency and trades — continue their winning ways?
Key Matchups:
Stephen Curry vs. Kyrie Irving: You would be hard-pressed to find two point guards with better handles than Curry and Irving. Both are high-octane, flashy, and can knock down the outside shot but also finish at the rim. This should be the matchup of the night.
Draymond Green vs. Kevin Love: Two players who were nearly included a trade for each other during the offseason, Green vs. Love should make for an intriguing battle. You know what Love’s game is, as he is one of the best shooters for a player his stature, and he swallows up rebounds down low. But Green plays a similar game; although he doesn’t shoot as well as Love, he still stretches the floor and is tenacious on the low block. Whether Green can shut down Love will be a key to this game.
Klay Thompson vs. J.R. Smith: Like Thompson, Smith has no conscience, firing from everywhere and anywhere. And, like Thompson, once he gets rolling, good luck stopping him. The potential for a shootout between the starting two-guards looms large in a game that has so many intricacies and could go so many ways. Thompson’s lockdown perimeter defense gives him the advantage in this matchup, however.
Keys to the Game
1. Contain LeBron James
It goes without saying that James is the focal point of the Cavaliers. He burned them last season when he was still wit the Heat as he hit a game-winning three-point at the buzzer — the Warriors cannot afford to give him that opportunity again. Harrison Barnes is matched up with James, although it would seem logical for Green or Andre Iguodala to draw the main tasks of stopping the King.
2. Make a statement
With both teams healthy (minus Anderson Varejao and Shawn Marion for the Cavaliers), loaded top to bottom with depth, and considered title contenders, this will be the matchup of the night in the NBA. It will also be nationally televised, and an opportunity for the Warriors to make a statement to the nation that they are a legitimate threat to win it all. The Cavaliers are on a roll, winners of 17 of their last 19, and everyone is fawning over them. The Warriors have a great opportunity to prove that as well as the Cavaliers are playing, it still isn’t good enough to beat the team with the best win-percentage in the league.