There has been an awakening. Have you felt it? The dark side, and the light. The Cavs are back home after a dominating performance by Kyrie Irving and LeBron James, reminiscent of the All-Time Great NBA Champions of the past.
Even the Golden State Warriors have never faced such a test, in which the greatest NBA player of this era, and his protege, are playing at their peak...together.
I don't know about you, but I'm about ready to run through a wall.
They've been asked to do the impossible: win three games in a row against arguably one of the best teams in the history of the NBA.
Tonight, Draymond Green returns for the Warriors, joining the All-NBA guard tandem of Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry, to try and put the Cavs away.
James and Cavs' point guard Kyrie Irving look to continue their historic Game 5 with another big win at home, to give the Cavs a one game shot at the organization's first championship.
It's going to be fun.
Today's list is focusing on what I'd love to see happen tonight.
1. Kevin Love explode for a 20 point, 15 rebound game--Kevin Love is a fantastic basketball player. You don't just all of the sudden go from a top 15 player in the league, to a scrub, without other factors being involved that he can't control. Here are the facts: if you have three ball-dominant players in the same line-up, siphoning offense through the two other ball-dominant players because they're the ones that handle the ball, you are going to see your numbers fall by the wayside. Still, Love has found ways to fit in on this team, and has had a pretty damn good playoffs so far. That said, he sucked in Game 5. Of course, LeBron and Kyrie were busy putting on their offensive displays.
Look, I'm a sucker for conspiracy theories, so let's try this on for size: How about the Cavs being okay with KLove not performing while the other two starts were busy dominating. How about tonight, amidst all this talk that the Cavs have to do something different, Kevin Love just tears apart the Warriors in the first half?
Then we can busily watch the narrative change back to the Big 3, and watch the Cavs dominate the Warriors at home again.
2. How about LeBron James just going after Draymond Green tonight? I hate that guy. Everybody hates that guy. For two years, everybody's been talking about hating that guy. What I respect about Green is that he just keeps getting better, and that team ball the Warriors play protects him on top of that. Now his back's against the wall, and just like Rasheed Wallace, a technical foul prone jackass in HIS heyday, I don't think Green can control it. I think he wants to get in the grill of James, and perhaps ball-tap one more time.
I just propose the greatest player in the NBA, LeBron James, doing everything in his power tonight to drive Green up a wall. For once, it would be a pleasure to watch him get dismantled, and perhaps suspended again...for Game 7.
Then we can all watch those Golden State "conspiracy theorists" who will complain that the NBA just wants LeBron to win a title, instead of their annoying, mouth-guard chewing golden boy.
3. Kyrie Irving to take over the game in the second half. Irving is going to be the best player in basketball. I would argue that his complete skill set is equivalent to Curry's in that while he doesn't shoot the deep ball as consistently good as Curry (hell, I'm not sure anyone ever has), his overall ability to score in a variety of ways is better...
...and he's four years younger.
Look, Curry is the MVP. He's an amazing player. He's the two-time reigning MVP, who can take over a game by his ridiculous outside game.
He can flat out ball (sorry Draymond, I didn't mean it that way, don't want to steal your thunder).
But, you can't watch Kyrie take over a game as he did on Monday night and not think to yourself, "What the hell is he going to be like in four years?"
That said, when Irving takes over a basketball game, it's beautiful...it's special...and it's historic. What I find interesting is that of any player on the court, Kyrie likely has more gas than anyone. Sure, he was recovering from his broken kneecap, but he only played in 53 regular season ballgames, and honestly hasn't been full speed for much of that.
He is now, and the fourth quarter could be his.
4. Anderson Varejao to get five flopping fouls tonight. That big goof Andrew Bogut is out tonight for Golden State, so it's likely we'll see a bit more of the flowing locked Varejao and his infinite flopping. I'm not going to be a hypocrite here...he was brilliant with the Cavs with his innate acting ability.
Now, I absolutely hate it. A good friend of mine in Chicago texted me during game four and asked me, "Yeah, how do you like it now."
I didn't.
Now, I'm not going to say I hate Andy. The guy was a warrior for the Cavs, and I'm really glad that he got to see LeBron return.
But flop tonight Andy, and take that to mean however you want it too. Either flop as a player, and play bad (you get a cut regardless of who wins), or you flop a ton, get fined, and get suspended...all in one game.
5. J.R. Smith to flat-out pipe a few. As I've been writing this, I just can't get that idiot, Draymond Green out of my head. You know, if there's one guy that could get into his, it's J.R. Smith. Honestly, I'd love to see Smith get his swag on by nailing two or three threes early.
Would be pretty special.
6. Channing Frye. I get it. Kevin Love is healthy and Richard Jefferson is playing well, so Frye sits. Should he though? In the NBA finals, you can't find minutes with Frye in the game? There has to be a match-up play there, am I right?
I'm not an NBA head coach, but I think I could likely muster up a game plan that gets Frye a few minutes to see if he can hit a few shots, especially if Love is struggling offensively. No, Frye isn't an elite defender, but honestly, who defends better: Love or Frye? If Love is struggling early, get Frye a few minutes.
With Bogut not in the game, he could get some interesting match-ups.
7. LeBron James just asserting himself as the greatest player in basketball. It's pretty clear that LeBron could care a less about season-long accolades, and is fine seceding the "best player in the game--media version" to little Steph Curry. That said, he's still the best there is, on both sides of the court, bar none. People can whine and moan all they want about how he can back away from full bore LeBron mode, but when he clicks the switch, what he does is something to behold.
As I said earlier this week, he's less about winning games at the buzzer, and more about just beating you into the ground.
That's what he did on Monday. That's what he needs to do today.
Most folks say he can't do it.
I know he can.
And what if the Cavs have sufficiently wore down this beat-up Warriors team. What if they've finally hit the wall. What if the Warriors best today, isn't good enough?
Then we'll head back to Oracle, where one game will decide it all.
Let's. Go. Cavs.
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