If the rivalry between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers doesn't seem the same after two regular season matchups in less than one month, it's likely because it isn't.
Not only have viewers, reporters, and analysts noticed a different air in this three-plus-year epic battle between these two teams, but also the players themselves.
While the Cavs haven't dwelled on the loss of Irving and have tried to make the most with the pieces available, it's become evident the void left by a special player is very much felt in these high-pressure games.
via Michael Lee of The Vertical:
“One Warriors player compared the importance of taking Irving off the Cavaliers to removing Klay Thompson or Curry from Golden State. Irving is a star — a dynamic weapon who reached 40 points in three Finals games over the past two years, and whose shot delivered that 2016 title to a city that knew misery far too well.”
Irving wasn't only a 25-plus-point scorer with 3-point prowess and a near-infallible shot at the free-throw line, but had the clutch factor written all over him. It was his shot-making that kept them alive after going down 3-1 to the Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals, and his shot that sealed Cleveland's first-ever NBA championship.
The Cavs are now the oldest team in the league and the second-worst team in defensive efficiency, and despite having a generational talent in LeBron James, the Warriors don't only smell blood, but hunt it down with reckless abandon, as they have in two regular season games thus far.
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