Stephen Curry Hopes Cleveland Locker Room ‘Still Smells Like Champagne’

For one, Golden State was coming into the Finals rematch on an absolute tear, losers of only one game to that point.

“We’re way past that”, Curry said when asked about people saying the Warriors beat depleted teams en route to a title.

Some of that was expected, because Irving is going to get his share of possessions. It may very well come down to who does better in the regular season. Cleveland has looked like a different team with Kyrie Irving back at full strength.

The Golden State Warriors’ next game could not be of greater important though.

Even with their recent slip, the Warriors still rank first in the league in offensive rating (111.9) and third in defensive rating (99.0), and their net rating of 12.9 points per 100 possessions has been topped by only one team in National Basketball Association history and is even better than the mark of 11.4 they posted a year ago on the way to the Championship.

James finished with 25 points and nine rebounds in this season’s first matchup, but no other Cleveland player scored more than 14.

In this unprecedented Cleveland sports season, the question, since Day One, wasn’t whether the Cavaliers could reach the playoffs, but who are they going to face in the Finals? Despite a solid victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder this past December, the Cavs also have uninspiring losses against the San Antonio Spurs and the aforementioned bout with the Warriors. But what they represent is a great team that’s been playing well and has a lot of momentum. He says the Cavs are in a better space.

Irving will need to prove he can go toe-to-toe with reigning MVP Steph Curry. Curry’s 44.8% shooting from there is better than every National Basketball Association team from mid-range and all but two teams in the paint (non-restricted area) without even accounting for the fact that 3 2.

Bryant is, apparently, aware of the breakthrough that the Warriors have had, perhaps because their interim head coach right now is someone Bryant played with before – Luke Walton.

Prior to his return to a reserve role Friday against the Houston Rockets, Tristan Thompson enjoyed a almost three-week stretch as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ starting center.

“We’re the two best teams playing”, Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving said after practice earlier in the day. The Warriors play at a meaningfully slower pace without the starters on the floor which makes sense if they are at a talent disadvantage but that also creates less opportunities for easy baskets.

In Game 6 of the Finals past year, Green had a triple-double, and in his last two games vs. Cleveland he has 38 points, 26 rebounds, 17 assists, three steals and three blocks.