Of Champagne, Deja Vu and Quest for Greatness
Last year, Stephen Curry's comment pissed the Cavaliers and they waited until the NBA finals where they responded by beating the Warriors. That victory was won partly because LeBron James cleverly designed a 'play' in game 4 where he stepped over defense specialist Draymond Green, knowing that if the emotional Green would do something crazy, he would reach the maximum number of flagrant fouls deserving a suspension. Despite Lebron’s disrespectful act and Draymond’s hand barely hurt his groin, James asked the league to suspend Green twice, and Green did not play in game 5. He was very tentative in game 6 and the Warriors could not close Game 7. Reasons for the loss could be due to the absence of injured rim-protector Andrew Bogut, the bad game of Harrison Barnes, some mistakes in coaching, Andre Iguodala playing with an ailing back and Curry who underperformed. Steph had tweaked his ankle and hurt his elbow during the playoffs then returned to play heroically and helped the Dubs to win the Western Conference title and into the Finals, but he was never like the first unanimous MVP that mesmerized fans in the regular season probably because of fatigue in chasing 73 wins. Many surmised that his ankle was not completely healed and limited his movements.
When the 2016 NBA Champions celebrated in Cleveland, LeBron James dissed the warriors by wearing an "Ultimate Warrior" shirt during their parade. Basketball fans trolled GSW everywhere for blowing a 3-1 lead. In November 2016, Lebron James treated Klay Thompson and Steph like dead people in his Halloween Party where he made tombstone cookies with their names. He also made a Curry dummy which every guest had to step over upon entry. Furthermore, he had the 3-1 lead painted over a drum. What James and the Cavaliers did were disrespectful, and this type of sorcery-like ritual could boomerang on those who engage in it. However, the Warriors were silent except for Klay who reportedly said "We’re not dead."
This year, Draymond Green has recently admitted he cost the championship in 2016. Will he be partly the cause for the second time if the Warriors blow a 3-0 lead again?
After the Warriors failed to keep a 16-0 record and were blown out in game 4, James and Kyrie Irving referred to Green’s reference to champagne which reportedly spurred the Cavaliers to blow the Warriors out .
"I didn't hear it, but some of the other guys heard it and told me that that they wanted to celebrate on our floor once again and they wanted to spray champagne in our locker rooms, and I think it came from Draymond, which is OK, that's Dray anyway," James said. "So I just told guys, I didn't stress anything besides just live in the moment. Live in the moment." according to cleveland.com
Why did Draymong speak too soon before they can finish the series? He gave the Cavaliers a notice and they came back with a vengeance that derailed the championship. Add also Steph mentioning that they were going for the 16-0 which was never said until after game 3, the Cavs had more than enough reason to foil the goal. Have the Warriors become overconfident? Have they forgotten that Cavs have more shooters and they broke the regular season record with 25 three-points made in March?
Why did J.R. Smith tweet "Cavs in 7" which he deleted after explaining that it was hacked? Did somebody scold him for leaking the plan? Perhaps they had intended to lose games 1 to 3 because they believed they could beat the Warriors especially after all the hype and seemingly conceding defeat.
The Warriors had a perfect record in the playoffs at 12-0 better than the Cavs’ 12-1. But the Cavaliers are fiercely competitive and will not allow themselves to be outshone. In game 4, new records were established by Lebron and his team. In hindsight, it looks like the Cavaliers had it all planned to play poorly in the first three games and deceive everybody especially their opponents that Cavaliers are about to be swept. Then they came with such firepower which James had ascribed to the Warriors after game 3 and bombed the Dubs. Now it is plain to everyone that their aim is to beat GSW again by coming back from a 3-0 which was never done before just as they are the only team to ever come back from 3-1 deficit in last year’s finals. If they hold the Larry O’Brien trophy on June 18, the Warriors will be humiliated more than ever; their 15-0 post season longest winning streak will be similar to the "meaningless" ring-less 73-9 record in the 2015-2016 season and the Cavaliers will become much greater.
Will the Cavaliers win four consecutive games? The momentum has swung to their favor. The Warriors are probably somewhat demoralized for not completing 16-0 and a 3-1 situation similar to last year is facing them once more. They know it should not happen again, but the pressure to win it can lead to panic and forced shots. There are no excuses because every player is healthy, but they better avoid dirty plays and be smart because the Cavaliers are very cunning especially Lebron. No one should be ejected, suspended or injured because of his quest to be the greatest player of all time and be the winner against the team with 2 MVPs, 4 All-Stars and 3 NBA All-team. GSW must play with focus and intensity along with the composure they had in winning game 3.
Coach Steve Kerr and Warriors need to close the series so their fans can celebrate in Oracle Arena. But true winners should be classy, not gloating over defeated foes with t-shirts diss and engaging in witchcraft at Halloween parties.