Further, all the prisoner-of-the-moment reaction regarding long-standing legacies means there's always another opportunity around the corner. If people weren't so reactive and judgmental about the biggest games, the games wouldn't resonate. It comes with the praise and the endorsements. That might not be entirely fair, but it is how this works. There will be questions and theories, many of them accusatory. He has a summer to recover and find answers to this blueprint. The Cavs culled Curry from Golden State's defense and targeted him repeatedly in pick-and-roll. Chalk it up to the MCL injury, chalk it up to Cleveland's defense, or chalk it up to the MVP being overrated, if you like. He did so in way that will be remembered for as long as basketball fans exist.Ĭurry couldn't lead his team similarly, for whatever reason.
Getting Green suspended for one game might have gotten Cleveland going, but James had to take his team down the path. Really, it's where the 2016 Finals began. Ultimately, history respects the scoreboard more than anything else.Īlso, that is hardly where the story ended. If he intentionally did this, it was a smart play at a desperate time and an illustration of how a winner gets past his foe. In these parts, many will decry James for his role in instigating the suspension, speaking bromides about "respect." Let's say James did indeed concoct this because he wanted to play a momentarily weaker opponent. The Warriors had this in the bag only an act of insanity could rip the bag wide open. That's understandable, but it's probably less understandable than tempting fate when you're up 3-1.
2016 NBA FINALS STATS SERIES
There will be at least a summer of recriminations, of fans decrying the NBA for influencing this series with a one-game suspension. And so, Green reached out and swatted - and the NBA swatted back. That's not indicative of the burning, furious pride that has allowed a wing-sized man to excel as a part-time center. Golden State seemingly had this Finals wrapped up before Green tried something from the latter category.Īs James stepped over Green in the waning moments of an already-decided Game 4, Green could have done nothing. Steve Kerr has been saying it for two years now: His team walks the line between explosive and reckless. It was tempting to think that what didn't end the Warriors' season just made them stronger, but instead, it was foreshadowing.īeyond the brilliance of LeBron James (who became just the third player to notch a Finals Game 7 triple-double), the 2016 Warriors were felled by their tragic flaw: recklessness. The start of that series featured Green on tilt, Curry rarely finishing at the rim and a slew of careless turnovers. In theory, that bolstered their resolve.īut their initial stumble also showcased eventual issues. They faced elimination three times against Oklahoma City and narrowly escaped. Maybe the Warriors were already on borrowed time by Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Fair or unfair, they needed a title to validate that sentiment to the greater public.
Nobody, or at least extremely few, will describe the 2015-16 Warriors as the best team ever. The postseason was to be the culmination of many preceding coronations. They'd beaten everybody - literally, they had beaten every team at least once. Nobody was stopping the Warriors because, all season, nobody had stopped the Warriors. That was back when such a dream seemed more inevitable than merely achievable. On April 14, when asked what it means to have won 73 games, Draymond Green wasn't shy in his response: "It means I'm part of the best team ever." The beginning was concerning for Golden State they were getting outplayed, save for 3-pointers. Steve Kerr appeared to have wasted his $25K in ref complaints, as Curry, again, picked up three first-half touch fouls. Perhaps they would be holding another trophy if Stephen Curry was in top form, but he wasn't (17 points on 19 shots) and ultimately couldn't compensate for the Warriors' shaky stretches. In a game for everything, the Golden State Warriors couldn't stay even-keeled enough to win, losing Game 7 of the NBA Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers 93-89.
2016 NBA FINALS STATS FULL
Season full of history ends in misery for Golden State
2016 NBA FINALS STATS UPGRADE
You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
0 kommentar(er)
