The narratives heading into the 2016 NBA Finals were endless: a rematch from last season’s NBA Finals, the Stephen Curry – LeBron James debate for best player in the world, the Warriors aiming to complete a historic season, and of course, LeBron James striving to fulfill his ultimate goal of bringing a championship to Cleveland. Six blowouts, one nail-biter, two injuries, one suspension, and countless twists and turns later, the Cleveland Cavaliers have won the 2016 NBA Championship, ending the Warriors season in stunning fashion.
Making Sense of the Warriors Historic Season
After a historic 73-9 regular season and home court advantage in a building where they had only lost three times all season, the Warriors were the heavy favorites entering the NBA Finals, and for good reason. Throughout the season, it seemed as if they could do anything they wanted on the basketball court. With exquisite ball movement, crisp player movement, and deadly shooting from beyond the arc, the Warriors were quite literally an unstoppable force.
Steph Curry – the first ever unanimous MVP in the history of the league – hit shots on a consistent basis that no one has ever considered even attempting before. And when he wasn’t crossing over defenders for a step back three pointer, he was navigating his way to the rim, where he floated the rock over the defense or attacked the rim at a very efficient rate.
Even though Golden State had the league’s Most Valuable Player, they prided themselves on their depth, embracing the slogan of “Strength in Numbers.” Klay Thompson was Curry’s fellow Splash Brother, who like Curry often hit three pointers that made defenses shrug their shoulders and scratch their heads. Draymond Green was the heart and soul of the team, bringing his fiery passion to every possession, along with his elite defense and unique skill set as a point forward.
The Dubs roster goes beyond their All-Stars, with players like Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, Harrison Barnes, and Andrew Bogut excelling in their roles to complete the magical regular season puzzle. The Warriors were a juggernaut on both ends of the floor, perfecting the art of basketball in a style that the sport has never seen before. They played a relaxed, flashy, and entertaining brand of basketball, always seeming at ease regardless of the score of the game.
Three Pointers Galore
They lived and died by both the three pointer and this carefree style of play during the regular season, and 89% of the time they lived by it. However on the game’s biggest stage, their lackadaisical play and high volume of three pointers are exactly what cost them the opportunity to repeat as champions. Curry had one too many behind-the-back pass go out of bounds in Game 7. He also forced one too many three pointer in the game’s final minute, trying to gain separation between Kevin Love and himself instead of just driving around Love for the easy deuce. Throughout the series, he and Thompson struggled mightily (for their standards), shooting just 53-140 from downtown.
Curry was completely outplayed by Kyrie Irving in every facet of the game. For whatever reason, the unanimous MVP failed to leave his mark on the NBA Finals. For months he had carved up defenses like nobody’s business with dazzling dribble drives and ridiculous three pointers. In the playoffs, and especially in the Finals, a player who often times played like he had been given godly talents from the power above throughout the season proved to be mortal. He averaged 22.6 points on 40.3% shooting from the floor in the Finals, in comparison to his 30.1 points per game on 50.4% shooting during the regular season.
Of course, the Cavs game plan and execution on the defensive end had much to do with this, and so did Curry’s ailing right knee, but as someone who many considered to be better than LeBron James, Curry failed to show up when it mattered most.
The LeBron James Effect
The LeBron James – Steph Curry rivalry was quite interesting throughout the series. They aren’t that close of friends, yet there’s no bad blood between the two. James even tweeted in awe at Curry’s epic performance in Oklahoma City back in February, claiming he “never before seen someone like him in the history of ball.”
Despite James’ respect and admiration for Curry’s game it was clear that he wasn’t quite ready to give up the title of best basketball player in the world just yet, and he made that known in the Finals. It’s obvious that James took it personally when many fans and media fixtures claimed that Steph Curry had surpassed him as the best player in the league. James’ perfectly timed block of Curry in Game 6, followed by his intimidating stare down and trash talk set the tone for how the series would end. After a historic 3-1 comeback that included a pair of 40+ point games and a triple-double, King James proved he is still King.
Klay Thompson struggled, Harrison Barnes had a 2-22 stretch, Draymond Green missed Game 5 with a suspension, Andre Iguodala – one of the best defenders of LeBron James in the entire league – dealt with an injured back, and Andrew Bogut – the Warriors only source of rim protection – didn’t play after Game 5 due to injury. All that being said, combined with Curry’s struggles, and the Warriors found themselves in a tie game with a minute left in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Down to the Wire
The hard work, preparation, and sacrifice that it takes to win an NBA championship all came down to just one minute. And in that one minute, there’s a fairly simple explanation of why the Warriors came up short. Kyrie Irving hit the clutch shot; Steph Curry didn’t. The city of Cleveland partied on the streets, while the Bay Area fans sat on their couches in shock and disbelief.
It’s astonishing that the 73-9 Warriors went 15-9 in the playoffs. While there may be many minor factors that influenced this “collapse,” the Warriors simply just didn’t execute at the level they were accustomed to during the regular season. Many will attribute the Warriors lack of dominance to three things: the time Curry missed in the playoffs, the health of Curry’s knee when he did play, and the fact that Steve Kerr allowed his players to pursue the regular season wins record instead of resting them for the championship run. It’s extremely unfair to blame Kerr for going for the record; he made the right decision by letting his players choose if they wanted to rest or not, and they all decided the record was something they wanted to go for.
Live by the 3-1 Comeback, Die by the 3-1 Comeback
It’s quite ironic that the Warriors blew what appeared to be a commanding 3-1 series lead in the Finals just after miraculously coming back themselves from a 3-1 deficit in the Western Conference Finals to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder exposed the Warriors weaknesses for the first time all season in that series, but they couldn’t finish the job. After initially failing to do so, the Cavaliers eventually humanized the Warriors, too, winning that one last game that the Thunder couldn’t.
The competitive drive of LeBron James and his determination to bring a championship to Cleveland ultimately trumped the Warriors quest to go back-to-back. Now seems like an appropriate time to bring up this quote from LeBron James, which he said to reporters on November 17, 2015 after the Cavaliers fell to 8-3 while the Warriors were 12-0.
“We haven’t done anything,” James said. “We didn’t win anything. We lost. I think we need to understand that. Like, we lost in the Finals. We didn’t win. And the team that beat us looks more hungry than we are. So it shouldn’t be that way.”
Oh my, how the times have changed. The Cavs may not have seemed hungrier than the Warriors in November, but they certainly were when it mattered most in June.
A Success Without the Ring?
Even though the 2015-16 season ended in stunning defeat for the Warriors, their 24-0 start to a season and 73-9 record will both go down in the history books. They enjoyed one of the most successful and historic seasons in NBA history, one that was certainly a basketball fan’s dream to watch and follow. Hang your heads high, Dub Nation. You have a lot to be proud of.
