Donovan Mitchell and the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers are home to face a familiar Western Conference rival: Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. One game ago, the Cavs defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 131-122, setting a mark in Cleveland franchise history. The Warriors, meanwhile, just knocked off the defending champions, with Golden State beating the Boston Celtics on the road 118-112.
The Warriors are heading into this game 7-1 and are in third place in the Western Conference. However, Golden State is tied record-wise with the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder for the best record in the Western Conference. So, when the game begins, the Cavs should expect their best shot. Here's how Cleveland can maintain control of the game from wire to wire against arguably the best foe they've faced this year.
Can the Cavs battle with the Warriors on offense?
Cleveland is an offensive juggernaut to start the season. According to Cleaning the Glass, they currently rank first in effective field goal percentage and second in three-point percentage. What’s most impressive about the team is that they do not generate their attempts in one particular way. The Cavs are dynamic on offense, reading and reacting to how opponents defend Cleveland's offensive attack.
The free-moving, fast-paced style has proven successful, and now it faces a great test against the Warriors, whom the Cavs have taken notes from offensively. Golden State ranks third in the NBA in offensive rating, scoring 119.3 points per 100 possessions. So, when both teams take to the hardwood at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, it might seem like the Spider-Man meme in real-time.
That's because the Warriors generate their offense similarly to the Cavs, emphasizing pace, ball movement, and three-point shooting. Moreover, Golden State is smothering opponents on defense, only allowing 103.8 points per 100 possessions.
Cleveland is allowing 110.1 points per 100 possessions, which might not seem as dominant as their opponent. However, considering that there's only a 3.4-point difference between both teams in net rating, this game will come down to the wire and depend on how either coaching staff reacts and adjusts.
The battle between Cleveland's Kenny Atkinson and Golden State's Steve Kerr
Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson is set to go toe to toe with his former boss, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. Atkinson, who spent the last three years on Golden State's staff, took the job with Cleveland after being highly recruited for years as a Warriors assistant.
“He’s a great coach,” Kerr said. “That’s the reason Cleveland just hired him, and I was very lucky to have him the last few years.”
With Atkinson as an assistant, Golden State went 143-103 and won the 2021 NBA Finals. While he's known for his offensive acumen, Atkinson was credited with being a two-way coach with the Warriors. While current Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown was on Kerr's staff, Atkinson ran the offense. When Brown left for Sacramento, Kerr trusted Atkinson with handling Golden State's defense. Through Kerr's guidance, Atkinson unlocked new ideas and visions for how to run his own program.
“I think he's a collaborator,” Kerr said in an interview with the Akron Beacon Journal. “He really became a part of the collaboration. That's how we do it here. I've never believed in authoritarian coaching, especially in the modern NBA. Everyone's got a gazillion coaches, so you really have to collaborate.
“But also in my experience, you have to collaborate also with your best players. Phil Jackson was great at that. [Spurs coach Gregg Popovich] was great at that. I've always tried to do that. I think it's an important part of the job is how do you sort of reconcile everything — what your staff is thinking, what your best players are thinking, how the team's feeling. So I think Kenny will do a really good job with that.”
When things get rolling between the Cavs and Warriors, it'll be Atkinson's first chance to go against his former boss. Fans will get a taste of Atkinson's legacy with Golden State while, at the same time, experience what he's building in Cleveland.
What was dead will never die between the Cavs and Warriors
For nearly a half-decade, there was no love lost between Cleveland and Golden State. It was a bitter, high-stakes rivalry where championships were the expectation and, in 2016, the Cavs forced Draymond Green to break the NBA. While the Warriors went 3-1 agaisnt the Cavs in their NBA Finals clashes and have won another championship since both teams last met in the postseason, the bitterness from a decade ago hasn't left either side.
Although Green is questionable, if he plays, Cleveland fans will drown him in boos. Even if LeBron James isn't on the roster, the Cavs have another superstar in Mitchell to match Curry. Both teams are utterly dominant on either end of the floor. Perhaps time is a flat circle and it's turning back to when the NBA ran through Cleveland and Golden State. This game will be the first taste of it. But if both teams have it their way, certainly won't be the last.
Follow Us
Subscribe
