For those in a rush to bury the Warriors after Monday’s lopsided loss to the Spurs, it’s worth remembering how difficult it can be to integrate a new star
Come with me, if you will, to a time not too long ago; a simpler, more civilized time before the NBA arms race went positively nuclear. 31 October 2014, to be exact. The Cleveland Cavaliers were playing the New York Knicks, not unlike this very year. Just like this year, the Cavs were heavily favored, and the Knicks were predicted to lay down and play dead because, well, they’re the Knicks. It was a festive atmosphere in Cleveland then, too. LeBron James was playing in his first game as a Cav since the fateful Decision that sent him to South Beach. Emotions ran high. Expectations were through the roof. It was, as they say, a moment.
Except, James and the Cavaliers did not keep up their end of the bargain. They lost 95-90 to a Knicks team that would end up only winning 16 more times the entire season. LeBron was minus-13 that night and coughed up eight turnovers. The Cavaliers ended up trading for JR Smith, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov and advancing to the NBA Finals. They were said to be too small to compete for a title because that didn’t have a true center to complement Tristan Thompson. LeBron could not coexist with another primary ball handler like Kyrie Irving. He just didn’t fit with a team that wasn’t built to have a superstar of his gravity on the court 40 minutes a night.
Related: Spurs thrash Warriors in NBA opener as Cavaliers roar past Knicks
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