Did the Golden State Warriors lose the NBA title themselves or did the Cleveland Cavaliers simply took it away from them? After the Western Conference champions’ dream run en route to the finals, them losing the series in this manner was unimaginable.
After going up 3-1, the Larry O’Brien trophy was supposed to grace the streets of the San Francisco Bay area in another grand parade. But they let their guard down, or, did their guards let them down?
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson comprise what’s arguably the best backcourt in the league, giving the Warriors a tremendous privilege on their side. Curry posted one of the best Most Valuable Player seasons in recent memory, enough for him to be named the first ever unanimous winner, while Thompson picked up from where he left off in 2015 and further established himself as one of the best two-way guards in the league.
But everything went south in the most important juncture of the season. Here’s a video reminder of how poorly these two stars fared against the Cavaliers’ defense and under the bright lights of the finals.
In seven games, their numbers, based on their standards, were atrocious. When the series started to turn in Cleveland’s favor, these two shooters played out of rhythm and resorted to taking bad shots and making poor decisions.
Stephen Curry averaged 22.6 points, 3.7 assists, and 4.3 turnovers, yes, more miscues than dishes, on 40.3% field goal shooting and 40% on three pointers. His plus/minus rating was a -1.
On the other hand, Klay Thompson was a shell of his normal self with series numbers of 19.6 points, 42.7% shooting from the field, and a 35% clip from long distance. His plus/minus rating was -6.1.
Their record breaking regular season is now a mere footnote to another team’s championship year, and the bad taste in their mouths, or Curry’s mouthpiece, is sure to remain for quite some time.
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