Down 3-0, the Cleveland Cavaliers look hopeless and defenseless, unable to respond to a stacked Warriors team. The third installment of this Finals trilogy favors KD’s combatants more than it does King James’ royal court, as we’ve seen in the first three games. The Warriors beat the Cavs two years ago, the Cavs defended their land last year, and this year is the rubber match between the two only title contenders.
It seems kind of bizarre, considering how much talent LeBron James and the Cavs possess, that they are on the brink of elimination. So now, a sweep feels inevitable, even though the Cavs are in familiar territory and have Golden State where they want them. A year ago, James’ team rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win the NBA Finals, so history is certainly on the Cavs’ side, even if it seems as if it’s humanly impossible to stage an unprecedented comeback to beat a Warriors team with the likes of Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, a dynamic trio that can’t be stopped.
This series looks dead, for a Cavs team that is no match for a much determined and better Warriors team looking to get even with Cleveland and take back what was theirs — an NBA title. James is supposed to be the world’s best. In that, if in no other way imaginable, he’s been playing basketball at the highest level, but he’s been outplayed by his counterpart Durant.
The Warriors, quite simply, are dominating the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, and now Cleveland has met its match at last, with added pressure to perform. This series, albeit Warriors-Cavs is the NBA’s fiercest rivalry, has hardly been competitive. However, at the moment, it would be irresponsible to dismiss the Cavaliers, keeping in mind that James carved out his legacy as the playoff scoring king. If a team ever is destined to come from behind to win a series, it’s LeBron because he’s too talented and won’t go down without fighting back to avoid going 2-5 in the Finals.
That’s not to say there’s something magical about to happen. The Warriors, playing with a sour taste, won’t allow the Cavaliers to pull off another comeback. As great as the Cavs can seem, the Warriors’ depth and talent is too much for Cleveland. Now, in what feels like a wrap for LeBron, he has to bring his Michael Jordan-like game, which he did when he scored 3o points in eight straight games, tying MJ’s record. More astonishing, he almost had a triple-double by halftime on Sunday, but it wasn’t enough to beat the Warriors.
He can’t do it all by himself. For James, he’s getting jumped by boys representing the Bay Area — not 5-on-5 but 4-on-1. Now that the Warriors constructed a superteam of All-Stars, the NBA lacks parity and isn’t going to be competitive for another five years. This team, certainly right now, looks very well positioned to make a championship run.
Are the Warriors a dynasty in the making? If the Cavaliers can’t beat them, then nobody can beat them. They’re going to be a force to be reckoned with for years. They’ve found a formula that has worked in their favor and have produced. The fact of the matter is, the Cavs have not solved the Warriors. Anyone who believes Cleveland is about to claw its way back into this series is delusional, and probably have based their theory on what happened a year ago.
For the Cavs, the losses have been disheartening and embarrassing, overwhelming and unpalatable. It’s my belief, after watching two blowouts, that this series is over. James, it should be noted, is everything the NBA wants in a star, but he seems to be disengaged and lackluster at times having to do it alone with limited help from his friends.
Most believe Kyrie Irving is more of a clutch performer than LeBron, but through three games, he’s only shooting 40 percent from the field. More surprisingly, the Cavs are running short of firepower with second-year man Tyronn Lue forced to direct a team and learn the hard way.
The Cavs now have the second best team in basketball. The Warriors, as of right now, are the team to beat.
That’s how deep this Golden State team is. Until then, Cleveland won’t have much luck.
