2016 NBA Finals Preview: Warriors vs. Cavaliers

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Jan 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) moves past Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) in the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

Point Guard

Stephen Curry (GSW) vs. Kyrie Irving (CLE)

For the Cavaliers to have any chance in this series, it’ll take a monumental effort from Kyrie Irving on the defensive end against the back-to-back MVP who began to finally round back into form over the last three games against the Thunder.

On the bright side for Cleveland: Curry hasn’t been his usual otherworldly self in these playoffs, with his production dipping across the board compared to the regular season:

Regular Reason: 30.1 PPG, 6.7 APG, 5.4 RPG, 2.1 SPG, .504/.454/.908 shooting
2016 NBA Playoffs: 26.7 PPG, 6.1 APG, 5.9 RPG, 1.8 SPG, .458/.407/.909 shooting

Unfortunately for the Cavs, those numbers are far better than the ones Curry posted in last year’s Finals, when the Dubs ousted them in six games.

There’s also the very real concern that Curry has shaken off any lingering rust from his two-week absence after decimating a Thunder defense that actually had bigs capable of switching onto Curry on the perimeter — something the Cavs are sorely lacking.

The onus will be on Irving, then, to play the kind of stellar defense we’ve never seen him sustain throughout his five-year NBA career. People will point to his game-saving block on Curry in Game 1 of last year’s Finals, but one good defensive play does not define a matchup, especially against a version of Curry that is somehow superior to last year’s iteration.

To his credit, Irving has had a very strong postseason showing this year after an underwhelming regular season that was hindered by his return from the very kneecap injury he sustained in last year’s Finals.

In the regular season, Irving averaged only 19.6 points and 4.7 assists per game on .448/.321/.885 shooting splits — the lowest numbers since his rookie season/in his entire career in almost every category.

But Irving has returned to form with a vengeance in these playoffs, averaging 24.3 points and 5.1 assists per game on stellar .480/.456/.836 shooting splits. He’s even been trying a little bit harder on the defensive end, all while shooting the ball with Curry-like efficiency.

Unfortunately, there’s a big difference between defending the likes of Reggie Jackson, Jeff Teague or Kyle Lowry and the two-time MVP, Steph Curry. Lowry averaged 30.0 points per game in three home games against Irving, and even Dennis Schroder lit Kyrie up a few times in the second round.

Curry is a teensy bit better than the rest of those players.

While it’s encouraging the Cavs held Curry to 19 points on 6-of-15 shooting in their Christmas Day matchup, that game felt like a fluke of a low-scoring affair, especially after he dropped 35 on them a few weeks later — in 28 minutes of action during a 34-point rout, no less.