Cavaliers – CLEVELAND WINS !

A Child’s Belief .. A City’s Hope .. A Team’s Destiny

Often in our lives we wish we could turn back time and see the world like a child again. So much hope, so much belief, unspoiled by failure, supported by family. Although this is not the reality for some children, it is the idealized life we dream for ourselves. It is a place where we can go when times are hard and the world seems to be collapsing around us. If we could just believe like that child again, we would see our reality in a different way … a better way.

Sports is such a small part of life but can have a big impact on each of us. It can support self-belief or self-doubt. It can color our day with candy sprinkles or darken it like Raven’s feathers. Do we understand why sports can do this for many? Not really. Is it true? Yes! Does it make our lives better? Some cities sports fans would say yes. Cleveland sports fans would say a qualified “yes?” with trepidation. For those rooting for teams in other cities, they would have a tough time believing that a “yes” was even possible in Cleveland. For us, we always believe “next time” will be THE time.

As I stood in awkward sadness watching the Cavs let Golden State get to every loose ball and nearly every stray offensive rebound, I looked around at my now adult children standing beside me. My daughter in tears, my son ever defiant, and my son-in-law uncomfortably stunned. I had thought I was a good father after spending a small fortune taking them to that Finals game. Now, I wasn’t so sure. My confidence in my being a “good father” was being taken away by a sports team. Odd. Nonsensical really. But happening. I wondered if all the times we had spent watching and following Cleveland teams … ALL Cleveland teams … was a smart idea. I had thought I was so wise introducing them to sports as young children, something I loved and had played in and followed with my family since childhood. It would give us a family centered activity we could always enjoy together.

My wife, ever the trooper, has been with us every step of the way and supported our journey. On this day she was watching the grandchildren at our home, hoping and praying with the rest of us that the “real” Cavs would show up like two days earlier. They did not. And, for a small bundle of time, we went down the black hole with them. We argued in the car about listening to the post-game, a tradition I have had driving home for 40 years. My daughter didn’t want the anger and openly questioned why she cared so much for Cleveland sports if this was the result. My son-in-law buried in his shirt not wanting to see or hear anything. My son just mad. Honestly, I couldn’t blame them. How could I have made such a mistake for their lives?!! Sanity eventually prevailed and we are trying to look at the better side of everything again. But that dark time still makes me wonder ………… ??

I wish I could say that my experience was vastly different than other Cleveland sports fans but I can’t. I wonder how many other families, if even for an instant, were torn asunder by the Cavs failure that night. I suspect a number higher than I wish to imagine. If we could just look at this NBA finals like my 13 and 15 year old children did in 1997. They just couldn’t understand why Dad was crying on the bed after that devastating 7th game defeat by the Tribe. The Indians were an awesome team!! They would come back and win a championship next year. It would happen!! They knew it. So there was no reason to be sad and cry! Why can’t you see that Dad? Well now, many years later, we are all doubting our emotional investment in Cleveland sports. And I am doubting exposing my kids to this mess.

You see, our family gained a tiny bit of notoriety in 1996. A year after that spectacular Tribe team went to the World Series and lost. They went down 2-0 in a best of 5 ALDS series with Baltimore. We made a sign and a slogan. Three In a Row and ON WE GO!! It got into the paper and we were mentioned in an article about it. At that time and with that team, Cleveland fans honestly believed it was reasonable and could happen. It was a rallying cry. If you tried doing that now and with this Cavs team, as great as they are, it would be an object of derision and appear laughable. How weak have we become? How hard have we all fallen?

As I said many weeks ago and long before this year’s playoffs started, it takes true belief to have a chance to win. When I wrote that article, neither the team nor the fans believed. Since that time the team gelled and LeBron seemed to believe like the rest of us that this team was special. Three of the four games in this series, the Cleveland Cavaliers have not looked very special. And I can see the belief being drained from the team and their coach. So again maybe it won’t be THIS year. WFNY may win again! Trust me, when my blog ClevelandWins prevails, we will all be much happier!!!

So I have some advice to myself and all of the Cleveland fans out there:

1) Don’t believe you ruined your children’s lives by fostering their love of Cleveland sports

2) Keep rooting for all Cleveland teams but avoid dropping down the black hole when a team fails

3) Understand that when Cleveland wins a championship, it will probably be when we least expect it and with a team that just doesn’t seem good enough

4) There is not now and never has been a “curse” on Cleveland sports

5) Cleveland professional sports teams do not play “for” the fans, they play for themselves, fans are separate, don’t mix this up

6) ESPN is not worth watching 99.9% of the time

7) The NBA is not fixed, it just appears that way

8) This Cleveland Cavs team down 3-1 now fits my definition in #3, so stranger things have happened

GO CAVS!!!!!! And keep believing fans ……….. Our time will come.

“All In” Is Easy. True Belief Is Not. A #Cavs Perspective

I really liked the Cavs slogan last year as we moved into the playoffs. “All In” signified that the Cavs management, the players, the coaching staff and the fans were all focused on and driven towards a common goal. The beaten and bloodied Cavs fought as hard as any team could fight down to the bitter and painful end. The truth is that they had just come within 2 games of an NBA title. The reality is that they “lost” to the Golden State Warriors, a team with the most charmed path to an NBA finals victory I have ever witnessed. With virtually no injuries and the remarkable good fortune of missing any confrontation with San Antonio, they won.

Cleveland and Golden State each added a few marginal pieces but their basic rotations have not changed substantially since last year. I really doubt that you could make a strong case that the additions have moved the needle strongly in either direction for these teams. They are, in essence, unchanged. But the perception has certainly changed because of the teams current fortunes. Golden State is running roughshod over the NBA. No one is close. Cleveland has just fired their coach because the team and management didn’t believe in him. They weren’t having enough “joy” after wins. The Warriors have also been together longer and the perception is that they must be hitting their stride. Well …… maybe they are or maybe they are just ridiculously hot. Either way, what the Warriors do or don’t do or what the Warriors believe and don’t believe or what the perception of the Warriors is or isn’t doesn’t matter. So, by my way of looking at this, the Warriors don’t matter. And neither do the Spurs.

What matters is LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. When I refer to the Cavaliers I am referring to the players, management, coaches and even the fans. Because, after all, we are “All In”. When I place LeBron James in front of the Cleveland Cavaliers I am referring to the true order of things. Because, with all the talk of Kyrie being the “head of the snake” or someone else, it has been and will always be LeBron. Like it or not, he is the true “head of the snake”. Everyone knows that, if you can cut him off, you will ALWAYS beat the Cavaliers.

Last year I told everyone who would listen that they just needed to stay cool and the team would come around. No need to panic at 20-21 (or whenever it was that everyone started to panic). I would love to tell you the same thing this year, but I can’t. The Cavs have just made a dramatic move to change the coach who led them to within a whisker of an NBA title. They are now beginning to falter under the rejuvenated Tyrone Lue philosophy of “up tempo” offense and “having fun” after wins. David Griffin, regardless of whether the move was the correct one or not, has taken a huge gamble. He has just told the team, “if you don’t like the coach and if you are not happy, I will just change the coach and all will be well.” Now I am not here to ramble on about whether that move was the right one or wrong one. Honestly, I don’t know. But I do know one thing ……………. If the team falters and begins to doubt this coach, the Cavaliers are lost and the season is lost and David Griffin’s monster bet is a losing one.

Maybe that is why Griffin is reported to be desperately trying to add a piece to this puzzle. His magic worked last year. Maybe he can do it again. Only problem is that the Cavalier assets in a trade are nearly nonexistent and the team is approaching or has reached an NBA record for player salaries. The flexibility has been all “cashed in” for this team. So ……….. We can all wait for another miracle from Griffin ………….. Or ………….. We can all do the one thing that will win an NBA title …………….. BELIEVE !!

And by believing, I am mainly referring to one person, LeBron James. Because you see that is the person that we all need to hope sees the light. It is LeBron James that didn’t believe after two 60+ win NBA seasons that he could win a championship with that Cleveland team. And he was almost certainly correct. It is LeBron James that needed an existing champion, Dwayne Wade, to keep him believing that the Miami Heat could win championships. And they did. But now it is LeBron James that needs to be the proven champion that convinces the rest of his team and his All Star partners they can win a championship. But to do that he needs to be convinced, and he isn’t. That is what concerns me. Not the recent lackluster play or the coaching change or least of all, the Golden State Warriors.

This is not an essay knocking LeBron James. I am convinced that he truly cares about winning a championship in Cleveland. I fervently believe that he would do anything in his power to make that happen. For his own legacy and for the people of Northeast Ohio. He REALLY cares. And I mean REALLY cares. His actions and words are completely aligned with that caring. I do not see the slightest shred of evidence to the contrary. But sadly that could be the problem ……… he cares so much that he cannot believe. Sound familiar?? You see LeBron James is simply the reflection of us. He came from us and is us.

I hear so many fans who can’t believe now. It is like a battered and beaten team which came within two games of a championship didn’t even exist.
All of this can be changed by one man. It is a ton of pressure on one person but that is what a leader must do. I have been a leader enough in my life to know that if I don’t believe in my team, no one else will.

So it is time for LeBron to let go of his doubt and his fear. Strive for greatness as he says but BELIEVE he can get there with THIS team. And let them know that he believes. And show by his actions that he believes. No more need for “Hero” ball. If they lose as a team, than they lose. At least they did it as a team. If LeBron can do that and simply believe in this team, they will elevate themselves even above their talent toward an NBA title. The pieces are there. The belief is not. From any of us.

#Cavs Determination and Fight Should Be Celebrated

In a season filled with lows and highs, the final take on the 2014-2015 Cleveland Cavaliers basketball season should be a celebration of their determination and fight. Many story lines dotted the Cleveland landscape before, during, and after the season. The media stuffed them with negativity, innuendo, speculation, unnamed “sources”, and sensationalism. The majority involved the head coach and his star player but these primarily negative narratives slowly bled the life out of the most successful season in the 44+ year history of the Cavaliers. Whether the fans and media are willing to admit it or not, there was a constant din of noise that detracted from what was going on right before their eyes. Neither group was totally focused on the magic of a severely undermanned, tired but determined group of men trying to write their own history instead of succumbing to the downdraft of unnamed sources and a now superior fully healthy team in the midst of a nearly unblemished season.
As annoying as it was, objectively there is no reason to bemoan the press or the distracted fans. The media has a job to do and, as Cavs GM David Griffin recently said, “sensational sells”.

A picture of this Cavalier season could be painted on many canvases with many colors. If the story is told from the end of last season, it was all started by another stunning NBA draft lottery pilfering of the first overall pick. Cleveland had a nearly perfect off season that witnessed the return of LeBron James, the signing of Kyrie Irving, and the trade for Kevin Love. Telling it from the first game of the season, it was a spectacle of hype followed by the drama of a disappointing loss to one of the NBA’s worst teams. The storybook off season was marred by early failure, weaknesses exposed, and the growing pains of a team trying to understand each other and their first year coach. The unforgiving reality of the NBA was thrust in front of all of us and the team. That reality was shrouded in dark grey and sometimes black. Purple hew emerged with the cranky backs of Kevin Love and LeBron James and LeBron’s angry knee. Wins were difficult to come by, especially when LeBron went down, and the resulting 19-20 record was hard to stomach.

Retrospectively, that dark period during this Cavs season is best characterized by unyielding impatience when unyielding patience was required. LeBron James is frequently quoted that having patience is very difficult for him. As with the end of the season, the early season reflected LeBron James leadership. His teammates mirrored his lack of patience. Kyrie Irving trying to find a way to be a “side kick” instead of a solo blossoming superstar. Kevin Love trying to carve his initials in a LeBron/Kyrie dominated offense where he was asked to catch and shoot threes more than dominate the paint. The media was struggling to explain the deficiencies and looked to the strain between the star and his coach instead of the lack of roster “fit”, the team impatience, and the injuries to LeBron and Andy Varejao that led to the unexpected losses. Was there any factual reason to believe that LeBron’s impatience was all directed at a “deficient” coach rather than the greatest challenge he had ever faced in the NBA, his own health? It is doubtful that Blatt was ever his most pressing concern. The resistance or inability of Dion Waiters to fill the needed three point threat. The inability of Love and Kyrie to define their play by what was best for the team. LeBron’s inability to play effectively through his injuries. And LeBron’s most trusted teammate being lost for the season probably were the key reasons why LeBron was sulking and dissatisfied. As it is with many parents, Coach Blatt was simply at the receiving end of that impatience and fleeting fear that James may have made a mistake “Coming Home.”

It is captivating that LeBron foretold all of this in his letter but, when faced with the reality he predicted, he showed signs of lack of trust in his team and his coach. The most clear reasons he could have been taken aback and reacted poorly in a situation he himself predicted were his physical inability to play at a high level and the loss of Andy. Once LeBron returned to the court with near full ability and had faced the sad reality of Andy being lost, both he and the Cavaliers took off at a dizzying trajectory. Of course, everyone knows that the reason for that upward dizzying trajectory was only partly based on LeBron’s return to health and improved patience. The explosion of the Cavs needed a dollop of dark blue, light blue, yellow and white. It seemed that the blue from the Knicks and Nuggets represented blue skies ahead for Cleveland. In two rapid fire stunning trades, David Griffin shot nearly all the bullets he had to create a fit on the Cavs roster they sorely needed. His ability to use Dion Waiters (who couldn’t or wouldn’t fit), a second round draft choice and two first round draft choices to capture Iman Shumpert, JR Smith, and Timofey Mozgov saved the Cavs season.

Once all became healthy, Cleveland went on a run that showed no signs of stopping. They won 14 out of 15 games against the vaunted Western Conference and it didn’t matter where the games were played. At home the Cavaliers were virtually unbeatable and on the road nearly so. Everyone who wished the team success was praying that Cleveland would enter the playoffs healthy. And they did. Maybe the Cleveland “Curse” would finally end. In my view, despite the almost unblemished season of the Golden State Warriors, it appeared the Cleveland Cavaliers entered the playoffs with the best team. I think the results going forward in the playoffs clearly verified that view to be correct. If healthy, Cleveland was the best team with the best player. And, only basing their opinions objectively, Las Vegas agreed sans their stubborn clinging to the Warriors as the favorites. As it turned out, Las Vegas was correct again because the magical health that had followed the Warriors all year continued through the entire playoffs. In fact, they were getting minor injured players back by the time the Finals began.

After the playoffs started, new colors were added to the Cavalier canvas, black and blue. By game number two in Boston, the Cavs second best player would be hobbled by a foot injury. Irving continued playing but was clearly not himself. He tried to compensate and the knee on the other leg began to fail him. The tendonitis would vex him until his final game, game one in the Finals, and culminated in a freak fracture to the same kneecap covered by that balky tendon. Remarkably, the injuries were unrelated but the results just as devastating, rapid surgery and gone until next season. Kevin Love had already preceded Kyrie to the operating room with an almost unheard of ripping out of his left shoulder from it’s socket by a wide eyed Kelly Olynyk responding to the admonishment of his coach to do “whatever necessary” to not allow another offensive rebound by Cleveland. He certainly didn’t try to dislocate a shoulder, but this picture says all you need to know about him not performing a basketball play.

So there it was…………. Kevin Love out for the season because of a freak play that no one has ever seen previously and, I would bet, will never be seen again. And Kyrie Irving suffering a fractured kneecap after weeks of tortured play from two other separate injuries. The Cavaliers, despite losing their second and third best players, found a way to do what no other team had ever done when that has happened. Make it to the NBA Finals. They did it because of the historic play of the best player in the game and the determination and toughness of the team that reflected his championship drive. So, in the end, the team still was a reflection of LeBron James. Only this time it wasn’t duplicating his lack of patience. This time it was honoring his unquenchable desire to bring a championship to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Whether that desire is grounded in the honest emotion of bringing joy to a sports starved community void of a championship in over 50 years or a desire to put a stamp on his legacy that can never be exceeded is irrelevant. What mattered was what was on display for all to see. A team that wouldn’t be stopped despite the odds historically stacked against them. Whether James called his own number on an out of bounds play to win a critical game in Chicago or shook his head at Blatt to change another play Blatt had designed is monumentally miniscule compared to the drive and focus needed for the Cavs to take the NBA Finals to a game 6.

It took two more colors to finish off the painting of Cleveland’s season. One was purple that represented all the players that earned purple hearts by playing through and with painful injuries during most of the playoffs. The other was red signifying all of the courage necessary to face those historically bad odds and NBA’s most fortunate and best team in the Finals. Then making them sweat to the last basket. You can package the negative narratives and send them all to Siberia for the winter. The performance of this Cavalier team should allow Cleveland fans to stick out their chests and strut. Be proud if you were “ALL IN”. The Cleveland Cavaliers have a bright future.

#Cavs Can Conquer Challenges – Win NBA Title

The Cleveland Cavaliers are back in their original position before this series began. They have no chance. Despite basically controlling the first three games completely with Golden State rarely having the lead and the fact that the Warriors were ¾ inch short of being behind 3-0, the Cavs can’t possibly have an answer for the Warriors brilliant move of going small in game 4.

When you parse all of this out, it simply means that the major media and pundits now can return to the narrative that was written before the Finals began. LeBron James was being replaced by Steph Curry as the face of the league. The already crowned Warriors would take their rightful place as NBA champs. The scrappy and outmanned Cleveland team were just that, inferior mosquitos simply making GS uncomfortable before they were inevitably squashed. And anyway, the opponent was from Cleveland who has a curse and can’t possibly beat a team from the vaunted Bay Area.

The reality is that the Cleveland Cavaliers were the better team through the majority of the three games preceding game 4 even without their All Star point guard and power forward. They controlled the tempo. They controlled the score. They were barely an inch short on Shumpert’s put back that would have turned the narrative around. The interesting thing is that this narrative might have been written similarly even if the Cavaliers still had their two injured All Stars playing. Amazingly, the Warriors would still be considered the better team and prohibitive favorites. So, for all of those people drinking the elixir of the magical narrative that is the Golden State Warriors, reality might creep into your dream so be prepared.

I saw nothing in the first four games to change my belief that the Cavaliers are the better team at handling adversity and overcoming challenges. Golden State did win a desperate game that they had to have, so I give them props for that. They finally manned up and came out swinging. They made an adjustment that did cause some difficulty temporarily and enough to finally get a lead. Big leads allow the Warrior role players to play free and gives Curry (who didn’t have a particularly good game) and Thompson the freedom to let the game come to them. When that occurs, the advantage shifts to the Warrior game of up tempo, pass and shoot basketball and they look “cute and pretty” as LeBron indirectly and mockingly called them.

With the way the Cavaliers came storming back in the third quarter after just a halftime to adjust only to “burn out” in the fourth, does anyone honestly think that the Cavs have no answer to that strategy? I think the reality is that the Cavalier coaching staff and players already have an answer but didn’t have the energy to pull off the comeback playing their third game in 5 nights. That scenario will not play out again in these Finals. If this goes to a game 7, it will be the third game in 6 nights. That is a major difference and a game 7 is always unpredictable anyway. Of course, the Cavs plan is to finish this off in 6 games and that plan just might have some legs.

It was very clear before game 4 that the Warriors might be a desperate team. They kept saying over and over that they had to play harder. They knew their backs were against the wall. At NO TIME before that game did the Warriors play like or act like they had to play hard to win the NBA Finals. They clearly believed in their press clippings and allowed the Cavaliers to basically control three games, almost to lose them all.

Now that the “brilliant” move of going small has made them prohibitive favorites again, I doubt you see a desperate Warriors team tonight. They now view this as simply the Memphis series and will discount the fact that Tony Allen did happen to get injured in that series, creating a huge gap in the Memphis defense. Tonight the Cavs will be the desperate team not wanting the series to go seven games. The only way to make that happen is to win tonight.

This NBA Finals will not be won or lost simply on strategy or whether Curry and Thompson might “go off” together, or whether JR Smith might find his stroke just in time to torpedo the Warriors in one game, or whether LeBron will score 50. It will be won by the team with the most heart and determination to win. The Cavaliers proved that their strategy was good enough to virtually control 3 games. The Warriors proved that, if desperate, they could finish one off with a strong fourth quarter. How game 5 will go is anyone’s guess. But I think the least likely scenario is a repeat of game 4. I don’t think that being on the road has any effect on the Cavaliers. They were one 10 foot put back away from winning in regulation in game one. Without a furious fourth quarter comeback, game 2 would have been put away easily by the Cavs. It wasn’t, and that might be the only pause for Cleveland fans about that game and the series.

The Cavaliers must find a way to control the game and the tempo as they did in the first three games. They have a player called LeBron James that has a proven capability to do just that. It seems that the Cavaliers would have a problem coming back from way down to win, even though it is possible if they have the energy. So the Warrior role players need to be contested “slightly” to make the game less likely to get out of control. They shot for an uncharacteristically high percentage and did so on some completely uncontested shots. The Cavs have revealed their strategy pretty clearly as they are absolutely happy to have Green and Iguodala crank up shots and threes keeping the ball out of Curry’s and Thompson’s hands. However, they need to contest them slightly and not let them shoot like they are in warmups. So, if the Warriors rely on the exact same strategy as last game, the result could be quite different as long as the Cavs adjust.

Obviously game 5 is a key game and could be the turning point in the series. For the Warriors, they feel that they have already had their “turning point” game. For the Cavaliers, they see game 5 that way. As I said, the Finals will be won by the team with the most heart and determination to win. For tonight, I give that advantage to the Cavs and I think the Cavs “break them” in game 6 as they did every other team in these playoffs. No one other than Cleveland’s fantastic fans expect them to win. A few stragglers in the media persist but they are the vast minority.

I absolutely believe that not one Warrior player has any fleeting thought that they can lose this series. I also fervently hope that every Cleveland player knows they will lose if they don’t play every second to win. That is the Cleveland Cavalier’s unquestioned edge in a tight series. I think I am right. I still have Cavs in six.

Cleveland #Cavs Toughness Will Prevail In NBA Finals

The 2014-2015 NBA regular season was a virtual coronation for the Golden State Warriors. They have the reigning NBA MVP in Steph Curry. They won 67 games in the regular season, losing only 15. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, the Warriors won the regular season. The problem for them is that they don’t give out any trophies for the regular season, only playoff seeds. And now they have their last gift from their magical regular season, home court advantage in the NBA finals. The question for all of us looking on now is “Will that last gift be enough to bring them an NBA Championship?”

The Cleveland Cavaliers won 66 games in the 2008-2009 season. They had the reigning MVP in LeBron James. They also lost in the Eastern Conference Finals 4-2 and couldn’t get out of the “weaker” East to even appear in the Finals. Everyone knew that the Cleveland team in 2009 was mainly “LeBron and a bag of marbles” and yet they dominated the regular season and won those 66 games barely breaking a sweat. In that year, almost every Cleveland Cavalier other than LeBron wilted in the playoffs. No one could hit critical shots, which virtually negated LeBron’s masterful ability to create. Plus, LeBron wasn’t the player than that he is now in terms of knowing what it takes to win playoff games consistently. He admits that himself when asked.

So now those tables are turned. Don’t get me wrong. The Warriors have many very good role players and one, Harrison Barnes, has proven that he can hit tough shots when the game is on the line. They have a very tough “tweener” small forward/power forward in Green who has proven ability on both ends of the court. Bogut is a tough nose player who will not be intimidated in the middle. Everyone knows about the famous “splash brothers” and there is not much to say except that they are very good players. Thompson especially can defend as well as shoot. Curry played like an MVP this year and can hit contested shots with a quick release and deadeye accuracy. So the perception that Golden State is a very good team is deserved. However, they are not playoff tested from a tough minded defensive team that also has great offensive skills. That reality is about to smack them in the face and we will see if they can recover from the blow. I wrote recently before the Atlanta series that the Cleveland Cavs are coming together at the right time. Those words are even more true now than they were before the Eastern Conference Finals.

Once you give the Warrior’s their due that they are a very good team, the reality starts separating from the fantasy. The oft used word is that the Warriors are a “very deep team” and Cleveland is not. Well, the reality is that the Cavalier “roll players” (Shumpert, Smith, Delly, Mozgov, Thompson, and Jones) have all performed far better at the offensive end than the Warriors after Curry and Klay Thompson. The Cavalier roll players have had more games total with 15 points or more than their Warrior counterparts. The Cavs players minus each team’s “big two” have had 15 games with over 15 points and the Warriors have 11 games with over 15 points. If you take away both team’s starters (indicating depth of scoring), the Cavs have 7 games of 15 or more points and the Warriors have 2. The gaps close considerably when you include games by role players over 10 points but the Cavs margin of players with 15 or more points counters that easily.

Defensively, the Warrior role players are talented but not elite. Shumpert, Smith, Delly, Mozgov and Thompson have all been defending at very high levels and contesting shots on the perimeter and at the rim with high efficiency. The Cavaliers and Warriors are eerily similar in terms of rebounds both offensive and defensive. No difference in either area. The Cavs have about .8 blocks per game more than the Warriors but the Warriors have 2.2 more steals per game. To counter the steals, the Cavs have 3 less turnovers per game than the Warriors. The Cavaliers in the playoffs have a field goal percentage against of 41.2% vs 43.1% for the Warriors. In terms of 3 point percentage against, the Cavs have the edge 28.1% vs 31%.

In terms of advanced statistics, I could not do a better job than John Schuhmann did on NBA.com. His article titled: Numbers Preview: The Finals outlines the key advanced statistics. One statement basically confirmed what I am trying to show with standard statistics when he said “And the Cavs have been statistically better, both offensively and defensively, than the Warriors in the playoffs, even when you account for weaker competition. Cleveland has better marks in adjusted efficiency (taking their opponents’ regular season marks) on both ends of the floor.”

Based on the play of both teams in the playoffs, I strongly challenge the oft repeated contention that the Warriors have a “much deeper” team. They do play more players in their rotation (generally 10 vs 8 for the Cavs) but the productivity of those extra players, even combined as I noted above, is no greater than the Cavalier reserves. Plus, just because Cleveland plays Miller, Marion, and Perkins very sparingly doesn’t mean that those players are useless or do not account for additional depth that the Cavs do not use. The wild card for the Warriors is David Lee and, even though used very little, is a highly productive player when called upon.

If someone wants to drop the “East is so much weaker” you can’t compare the Cavs statistically to the Warriors, I would point out that the Cavaliers were 14-1 against the Western Conference after January 15th when the current team was fully assembled. Cleveland beat virtually every playoff team in the Western Conference during that span including the Warriors, Clippers, Spurs, Grizzlies, and Trail Blazers. The only game they lost was to Houston in overtime and the Cavs did not have Kyrie Irving on the floor during that game.

But statistical analysis can only take us so far when it comes to analyzing this series. The Warriors may have the best scorer in the series but the Cavaliers clearly have the most dominant single player in LeBron James. His ability to be a triple threat on any night is a separator in a playoff series. Cleveland has great team chemistry and, even without Kevin Love, they are a superior team in terms of toughness and have been challenged with large numbers of injuries during the playoffs. Most of these injuries are nagging and not completely resolving. Shumpert, Irving, James, and Thompson have all been dinged up by varying degrees. And Love was lost for the entire playoffs. This is an edge for the Warriors but an edge for the Cavaliers in terms of resiliency and ability to adjust to adversity.

Kyrie Irving’s health and ability to maintain a high level of play is critical for the Cavaliers to have a strong chance to win a championship. Even with Irving hobbled he has been reasonably productive but he needs to stay well to avoid being a defensive liability. That would be a hole that the offensively gifted Warriors could exploit. The Cavaliers will remain creative but really cannot hide Irving defensively as well as they could against the Hawks and Chicago.

In an NBA finals, unless one team is substantially better than the other team, both teams will go through adversity and be challenged in the series. It is the team that can respond best to that adversity who will likely prevail. By that measurement, Cleveland seems to have a huge edge. The tough “grind it out” style that the Cavaliers have played in the playoffs will not be easy for Golden State to counter. If the Cavaliers protect the ball and avoid silly turnovers outside the three point line, it will be difficult for Golden State to control the tempo and avoid a half court grinding defensive game. If that is true, advantage Cleveland again.

Baring major injuries to James or Irving, Cleveland wins in 6 games. The 50+ years of misery will end.