In today's NBA Christmas preview, the Cleveland Cavaliers dueled the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena, which was their first matchup since the NBA Finals. Even with Stephen Curry in the lineup, the Warriors beat Cavaliers 99-92. This was an impressive game that featured the long clash between two of the NBA's top superstars, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Durant seemingly outplayed James, scoring 25 points in the win. Actually, this wasn't the best game the two teams have played this season. Both teams turned the ball over too much, committed petty fouls, and shot poor from the field. The Warriors still won a hard fought victory, nonetheless.
Still, Cleveland Cavaliers fans can complain that the game was completely unfair for a variety of reasons. Here are five main excuses why Cavaliers fans can make in their team's loss to the Warriors.
5. LeBron got fouled
One of the main reasons that fans can blame in the Cavaliers' loss is that their hero, LeBron James, was fouled in the last two minutes of the much anticipated Christmas day matchup. Specifically, in the final two minutes of the game, the Cavaliers and the Warriors were close. The Warriors were once up by nine points, but they soon lost their lead thanks to two timely three pointers by Kevin Love and Jae Crowder. LeBron James started to take shape in the final minutes taking leadership with the Cavaliers' final possessions. On two different possessions, it appeared that James was fouled by Kevin Durant. To the ire of Cleveland fans, no foul was whistled, and the Warriors continued to on to win the game.
Although the referees didn't call a foul, a reasonable case can be made that Durant fouled James, and since the game was so close, it did alter the course of the game. If LeBron would have gotten those foul calls, maybe the Cavaliers would have won. Maybe not. Even so, those fouls will be the talk of every Cavaliers fan in the nation.
4. The officiating was bad
Not only will fans complain about the no calls on LeBron James, they might just complain about the officiating as a whole. In the first half of the game, the Warriors were drained to just two timeouts. This was obviously going to be a problem if the game remained close, and it did. In the final minutes, the referees engaged in a replay, which effectively gave the the Warriors a free timeout in the final moments. This is a common problem in the NBA, where teams can get a free timeout when the referees review calls. In this case, this could have cost the Warriors the game. While it does seem nonsensical, timeouts can cool off hot teams and allow for other teams to catch their breath.
This can give a team the advantage if they can regroup, and that's exactly what the Warriors did. As such, the Cavaliers fans are probably upset that the Warriors got an extra timeout and a no-call in the same play. It probably cost the Cavaliers the game. Probably.
3. There was no answer for Durant
Kevin Durant had a great game scoring 25 points, grabbing 7 rebounds and blocking 5 shots. He even got a crucial block on LeBron James with 24 seconds left in the game. In short, Durant was amazing. Though, it seemed unfair that the Cavaliers had nothing to throw at him. James had no answer for Durant on defense. Jae Crowder an Tristan Thompson couldn't do much to slow Durant down either. All in all, Durant torched the Cavaliers. In the entire game, it appeared that the Cavaliers were at the mercy of the Slim Reaper. Still, the narrative of the game is that the Warriors simply have too much.
How can LeBron James and the Cavaliers deal with a 7-foot small forward who can shoot on anyone? That's even a question that LeBron James himself cannot answer. Cavaliers fans can argue that the Warriors are supposed to beat the Cavaliers since they gave the former 2014 MVP. Especially in a close game, fans are probably frustrated that their team has to battle the defending NBA champions, who are supposed to be one of the best teams in NBA history. You have to wonder what the Cavaliers can do versus the Warriors with a LeBron-caliber player on the other side.
2. The Cavs had an off night
When teams lose, fans regularly are quick to point out that their team had a bad night. However, for the Cavaliers, this is probably an understatement. Kevin Love played extraordinarily well, scoring 31 points and grabbing 18 boards. Still, everyone else had a so-so or bad night. LeBron played well, but he shot poor from the field and the three point line. JR Smith played 31 minutes and somehow scored 2 points. Jose Calderon was a non factor. Dwayne Wade and Jae Crowder did okay, but not well enough to help in a winning effort, and the rest of the players were minuses on the court. This was a game that the Cavaliers were supposed to lose. They shot horrible and kept turning the ball over.
Yet, fans will point out that the game was close, and their team still had a chance to win. In other words, the Cavaliers fanbase can take a moral victory knowing that they performed poorly and came up short. It's an great reminder for fans, but an excuse nonetheless.
1. Thomas didn't play
A lot of fans were hoping for Isaiah Thomas to return to the Cavaliers starting lineup after missing the entire NBA season. Unfortunately, the Cavs didn't get their wish and Thomas missed the Christmas day showdown. This had to be bad timing since Stephen Curry didn't play for the Warriors. If Thomas would have played, the end result probably would have been much different. Even if Thomas would have came off of the bench, he could have provided a much-need scoring effort to help the Cavaliers win the game.
Especially in Curry's absence, the Cavaliers could have taken advantage in the point guard position, but they came up short. This and the rest of these excuses are bound to be used by disgruntled Cavaliers fans everywhere. This loss may be a bitter pill to swallow, but fans are still holding on to their faith in the Cavaliers' ability to beat the Warriors.
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