Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Postgame Grades and Analysis
The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers clashed Thursday in a possible NBA Finals preview, and LeBron James stole the show with a relentless performance in Cleveland's 110-99 victory.
Playing against an oft-mentioned MVP candidate in Stephen Curry, James dominated throughout the game on his way to a season-high 42 points. Curry only scored 18 and trudged through a forgettable second half, as did most of his teammates, and the Cavaliers defense was as impressive as the offensive splendor.
A 14-2 Cavs run early in the third quarter provided a double-digit cushion, and the Warriors never threatened after that.
Out of 10 February games for the Dubs, eight have been on the road, and they've got three more games left in the current road trip. They'll need to shake off their homesickness to avoid a slide from first place in a tough Western Conference.
| Kyrie Irving | B |
| J.R. Smith | C+ |
| LeBron James | A |
| Kevin Love | B |
| Timofey Mozgov | B |
| Rest of Team | C+ |
| Stephen Curry | B- |
| Klay Thompson | B- |
| Harrison Barnes | B- |
| Draymond Green | B+ |
| Andrew Bogut | C+ |
| Rest of Team | C+ |
Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron James, Small Forward
LeBron opened the game like he had something to prove, with superb shooting from the field and an attacking instinct that yielded free throws. He finished the first half with 24 points in 7-of-9 shooting, getting to the line nine times.
That set the tone, but he was far from done, dropping another 14 points in the third quarter as Cleveland pulled away. His biggest offensive game of the season was just elementary math from there, as he was able to get seemingly anything he wanted against a team ranked first in the league in defensive efficiency, per NBA.com.
James finished with 42 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block. He played so well it almost seems spiteful to mention that he also committed six turnovers, but that can happen with a sky-high usage rate like tonight's, as seen on Basketball Reference.
Grade: A
Kyrie Irving, Point Guard
The home fans were feeling raucous late in the third quarter as the Cavs led by double digits, but then Kyrie Irving started grabbing at his shoulder and wincing. He headed for the locker room and returned to the bench with a shooting shirt on, but coach David Blatt confirmed in an interview on TNT between quarters that it was a cause for concern.
He returned in the fourth quarter, allowing the crowd a sigh of relief. Irving finished with 24 points, but he was also just 6-of-17 shooting and notched only one assist.
Grade: B
Kevin Love, Power Forward
Much like a hatchling velociraptor, Kevin Love is rapidly transforming into Chris Bosh right before our eyes. Some nights, he'll settle for a smattering of stats in order to facilitate the offense through the other two members of the team's Big Three.
Love totaled 16 points and eight rebounds, but LeBron might have thought he was Shane Battier the way Love preyed upon open three-point opportunities. He hit three treys, and the Big Three accounted for all nine of the team's triples. With LeBron destroying the elite Dubs defense, there was no need for Love to force the issue.
Grade: B
Timofey Mozgov, Center
One of several ex-New York Knicks on the Cavaliers, Timofey Mozgov's arrival via a Jan. 7 trade has resulted in a sea change on the court. Since Jan. 13, the team has won 17 of 19 games due in part to the stout Russian's presence in the middle.
He turned in another creditable performance and elevated his teammates with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and a team-high plus-17 floor rating.
Grade: B
J.R. Smith, Shooting Guard
J.R. Smith never started the engine, making only one field goal on five shots, but he was able to contribute in other areas. Smith tied for a team high in assists with five, and he grabbed four steals as well. So at least it wasn't a total wash for him.
Grade: C+
Rest of Team
Tristan Thompson had to be disappointed when Mozgov came to town in the wake of Anderson Varejao's injury. The young Canadian big man had an opportunity to step into a starting center role, but he's been relegated to the bench again. Still, he's contributing in significant ways at a position of need for the team, and he came up with 12 points and eight boards.
Iman Shumpert grabbed five boards and made a couple of hustle plays on defense, but he missed all three shots he attempted and failed to score a point. The main problem with his game is his completely unpredictable offense.
With the starters doing such an excellent job, coach David Blatt rode with his front line. However, Matthew Dellavedova did manage to carve out 10 minutes, getting two points and an assist.
Grade: C+
Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry, Point Guard
Steph Curry made three three-pointers in the first quarter, but after that, Cleveland blanketed him at the perimeter and hounded him throughout the offensive zone. Curry bricked his way to 1-of-10 shooting in the first half, and credit the Cavs for closing out and working against a myriad of screens set for him.
Curry ended up with 18 points, six assists and four turnovers, and he'll be eager to get the taste of this loss off his tongue.
Grade: B-
Klay Thompson, Shooting Guard
Part of Klay Thompson's job consists in shooting well when Curry is struggling, but that did not happen. Thompson did make five of his 13 shots, a respectable ratio, but his 13 points simply did not help the cause in sufficient measure. He also did not attempt a single free throw.
At least Thompson did his K.J. McDaniels impression with three blocked shots.
Grade: B-
Andrew Bogut, Center
Golden State's savvy Aussie center produced a modest stat line. While Andrew Bogut possesses crucial two-way skills and helps facilitate the offense, everything became choked for Golden State with the Splash Brothers failing to find their rhythm.
He only played slightly more than 20 minutes, as Steve Kerr tried to deploy a lineup to match Cleveland's speed. Bogut ended on six points, five boards and two blocks.
Grade: C+
Draymond Green, Power Forward
Draymond Green played his tail off on both ends of the floor, stuffing the stat sheet. The Cavs gave him plenty to handle as well, and the Warriors seemed overwhelmed and overmatched in the second half.
On the plus side, Green hooked up with Curry on a screen-and-roll during the third quarter that became a ferocious jam in Mozgov's face.
Green made his fantasy owners happy with 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and five steals, but he'll still feel the sting of this defeat—and that's actually a good thing. Stay hungry, Draymond, stay hungry.
Grade: B+
Harrison Barnes, Small Forward
As the starting small forward, Harrison Barnes spent a fair amount of time dealing with LeBron, so he'll need a spa treatment after this one. He scored 11 points, but he'll also have to watch game film of himself getting roasted on numerous possessions by LBJ.
Grade: B-
Rest of Team
David Lee romped through Cleveland’s frontcourt for 11 first-quarter points on 4-of-5 shooting, and it looked like one of those games where the Warriors would get bursts of scoring throughout the rotation. Then the Cavs stifled the offense, and Lee appeared like the only Dub with a nose for the basket. He ended on 19 points.
Andre Iguodala came up with nine points and five assists, but he also missed a couple of bunnies the Warriors desperately needed. It was just one of those kind of nights for the visitors.
Still, the veteran flashed his vintage form in transition at one point in the second quarter, breaking down Dellavedova like a card table, drawing a defender at the hoop and calmly dishing around his back to Lee for the gimme layup.
Neither Marreese Speights nor Shaun Livingston scored a single point in reserve duty, which is surely why the Warriors lost the game.
Grade: C+
Coming Up Next
The Cavs finish off the back-to-back by visiting the Indiana Pacers on Friday; then they'll play a Sunday matinee at the Houston Rockets. Following a meeting with the Boston Celtics, they face a pair of grueling road tests against the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks next week.
The Warriors continue their six-game road swing. They complete the back-to-back on Friday by heading up to Canada to play the Toronto Raptors. The trips wraps up with a comparably easier back-to-back at the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets starting Sunday.
