Six months ago the Warriors won the championship rubber match and of
course that didn’t sit well with LeBron James. He had a chance to
reflect on that series, which was basically decided by Kevin Durant, the
best player on the floor for the majority of those games. Durant hit a
3-pointer in the final moments of Game 3 that swung the series solidly
in Golden State’s favor and the rest was history.Joe Vardon of the Plain
Dealer Preston Tucker Youth Jersey caught up with James about that shot and that series and LeBron was
pretty frank:
James said "I wish I could have that play over again.
"I was a little bit too far off of him," James said. "I still got a
great contest but I was still too far off of him. So, I wish I could
have that play back but you can't. But it was a big-time moment for him,
obviously. They played exceptionally well last year in the Finals. He
was definitely the difference maker.”
Cavs Reymin Guduan Youth Jersey coach Tyronn Lue said he watched film of the Finals to get the game
plan ready for Christmas, but not Game 3. He watched how Durant shredded
the Cavs in Game 1, won 113-91 by the Warriors. Durant scored 23 points
with six dunks before halftime.
"We just gave KD too many easy dunks and layups right in the middle
of the floor, trying to get to the shooters with Steph and Klay
(Thompson) and he took advantage of that," Lue said. "When you've got a
great player like that, can't give him easy baskets like that to start
the game.”
The Christmas Day meeting, the third straight between these teams by
the way, will be missing a key figure in Stephen Curry, and of course Roy Oswalt Youth Jersey there’s nothing major at stake besides early season bragging rights.
Still, the Cavs are surging in the East after some November stumbles and
could be leading the conference before 2018 kicks in. Meanwhile, the
Warriors are using this time without Curry to sample different lineups
and try not to wear out Durant.
Until a few other teams prove otherwise, namely the Celtics and Raptors
and Spurs and especially the Rockets, this Warriors-Cavs grudge match
appears on course to happen again next June. By then, maybe the Cavs
will figure out a way to keep Durant in check. Maybe that should be
their main goal on Christmas, besides winning the game. Never too early
to send a message.
