Warriors fans flock from afar for Christmas Day game at Oracle Arena

Had he been able to do something miraculous for the side, the result would have been completely different.

“Getting comfortable being uncomfortable”, Warriors backup guard Shaun Livingston said of the low-scoring affair. But it was a close game and the Cavaliers showed that they’re in Golden State’s league as they did a year ago in the Finals. And yet the scoreboard showed just a 3-point lead for the defending-champion Golden State Warriors.

“You got to knock down shots to beat a team like that”, Cavaliers coach David Blatt said.

Whether his game on Friday was actually “horrible” or just maybe a less-than-stellar display than his usual is a matter of opinion, but James’s harsh self-critique should not come as a surprise considering he recently declared himself “the best player in the world” in an interview with Sports Illustrated. Both shots came with Golden State holding a slight lead and Cleveland in “must get a stop” mode. “No complaints on my part”.

It was an interesting loss for the Cavs – a lump of coal when Cavs fans wanted a new puppy. “We’re not stopping until we go get it”.

James scored 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds but the Cavaliers fell to 19-8, 6-7 on the road, and saw their six-game win streak ended by the same team that beat them four games to two in last June’s NBA Finals.

The Blazers have had trouble against everybody and they present the Cavaliers with an opportunity to get right after a high-pressure game. After leaving the game briefly in the first half with a calf injury, the reigning MVP returned to score 19 points on 6-of-15 shooting and dish seven assists, but he managed a season-low one three-pointer.

He finished with 19 points. “At the end of the day, we’re 28-1”.

By far the most efficient offensive player in the game was Livingston, who hit eight of his nine shots en route to a season-best 16 points. Typically, fans start to trickle out during the fourth quarter, but not Friday.

Sitting in an uncomfortable style, the Dubs interim head coach sees that this win is just more than the rematch of the NBA Finals but instead, a practice for them against highly defensive teams and beating them in their own game.

“I don’t know if you’ll ever see [Kyrie] Irving and myself go 0-for-11 from the 3 ever again”, Cavs forward Kevin Love said after going 5-for-16 from the field and 0-for-5 from deep. Cleveland moves on to play Saturday night at Portland.

“We want more”, Curry said. “That did catch up with us”.

James had slam-dunks on consecutive possessions, then had a driving miss tipped in by Kevin Love. But James missed two free throws, and the Warriors took advantage. What he’s done is expand the definition of a “good shot” and help the game evolve.

Green’s versatility and high IQ served him well in the half court minded match up, because not only was he able to understand where he could make his mark on the game, but he was also able to utilize his skills to execute.

Wade’s tough jumper with 1:45 left in overtime gave him 273 points on Christmas, one more than Shaquille O’Neal for No. 3, and Bosh followed that about a minute later with a three-point play.