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The game will be the second in two nights for the injury- and
illness-ravaged Cavaliers, who were thumped 109-99 by the Nets
on Wednesday.
Brooklyn had taken the court still stinging from a 117-99
drubbing absorbed courtesy of the Warriors on Tuesday night.
The three-team round robin of sorts concludes in Cleveland,
where the Warriors have enjoyed more than their fair share of
success over the years.
Golden State will tip off with the best record in the NBA at
12-2 as it pursues a fourth title in eight years. The first
three of those championships came at the expense of the
Cavaliers in the 2015, 2017 and 2018 Finals.
The Warriors have captured the last three regular-season games
on Cleveland's home court in this series, including 119-101 last
April.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr isn't thinking NBA Finals just 14
games into the season, but does like the path his team has taken
so far this year.
"It's fun to be back in the spotlight again," he assured after
Tuesday's nationally televised win. "Our team is really enjoying
being back here."
The spotlight surely has been following Stephen Curry, an Akron,
Ohio, native whose dad, Dell, played for the Cavaliers. Just 101
days after Stephen Curry was born, Dell was plucked from
Cleveland by the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA expansion draft,
prompting the family to move south.
Stephen Curry enjoyed his last three Ohio regular-season
homecomings, leading the Warriors to three wins by averaging
32.7 points. He had 33 in Golden State's triumph last April.
The Cavaliers got 25 points from Ricky Rubio and 24 from Darius
Garland in Wednesday's loss at Brooklyn, but couldn't overcome
the absences of Collin Sexton (torn meniscus in left knee), Evan
Mobley (sprained right elbow), Jarrett Allen (illness) and Lauri
Markkanen (COVID-related).
Cleveland has left the door open for Allen and Markkanen to
possibly return to face Golden State, but might have to go
without veteran Kevin Love, just back from a COVID-related
absence, on the second night of a back-to-back.
Love, who had missed the previous eight games, had 11 points and
nine rebounds in 21 minutes against the Nets.
With Golden State waiting in Cleveland, Cavaliers coach JB
Bickerstaff thought his guys might have lost focus early on
against the Nets.
"The second half was more who we are," he said of his team's
rally within nine points after having been down by 23 in the
first half. "That's the thing with us. We can't be anybody else.
We can't be the Brooklyn Nets. We can't be the Golden State
Warriors. We have to be the Cleveland Cavaliers and play
Cavaliers basketball all the time."
The Warriors have beaten the Cavaliers eight straight times in
the regular season dating back to Christmas Day 2016 and 12 in a
row including the 2018 NBA Finals.
--Field Level Media
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