What to watch for in the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors game

Once again, the Golden State Warriors face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Christmas. Here are some points to keep in mind in case these teams face in the Finals again.

They say Christmas Day is to the NBA like Thanksgiving is to the NFL. It’s a chance for the league to showcase its top talent and most entertaining basketball.

And like your mother’s Christmas ham, this year’s main dish hasn’t changed. The Cleveland Cavaliers will clash with the Golden State Warriors in the early afternoon game. The NBA’s top contest is purposely aired around the time you’ve said hi to all your relatives, but the conversation with your slightly-too-political uncle becomes sharp and you need a diversion.

Predictably, the Warriors and the Cavaliers are near the top of their respective conferences. And this comes after both teams weathered early injuries and scorching starts from rivals.

Now they battle for the first time since Golden State trounced the Cavaliers in Game 5 on June 12. A major difference for this Christmas is both teams are down starting point guards, so backcourt depth will be tested.

“Why does this matter?” you might question. It may seem superfluous to zero in on replacements. But everyone doubted Rudolph until a great fog coated the earth, and Santa Claus relied on him. Similarly with the current injury pattern of our two teams, Jose Calderon and Patrick McCaw become more valuable.

More importantly, it was McCaw who toasted the Cavs off the pine during the Warriors’ decisive Game 5 win. Not saying Cleveland hoists the trophy if the Warriors are sans McCaw. But he certainly made a difference and it will be interesting to see if the Cavs found a counter.

Another point to watch? The play of Kevin Love. The Cavs’ post man performed poorly in five Finals games, averaging just 16.0 points per game on 38.8 percent shooting. Slimmed down, Love is crafting an All-Star caliber season, averaging 19.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game with a 47.8 field goal percentage.

But how will a more efficient and defensively improved Love fair against the Warriors’ speedy front line? Last year, Durant effortlessly scored in the paint frequently with little resistance. Often, he would knife past the initial line of defenders before devouring Love’s post coverage like Christmas fruitcake. Here is an example from Game:

With Love now the team’s primary center, he must be better at challenging KD at the rim. We’ll see how he does in his first opportunity.

Can the Cavs win the bench matchup?  Cleveland’s backline is much improved, with Dwyane Wade anchoring the backups and Kyle Korver playing his best basketball since his Atlanta days. The group is explosive, with Wade at the point and flanked by multiple shooters.

While the Warriors’ starting lineup is elvishly fast, the bench slows the tempo with Shaun Livingston at point. With a revamped bench, Cleveland has the ability to control the tempo when the starters exit.

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It’ll be interesting to watch how they utilize this dynamic. Last year, Golden State’s bench outscored Cleveland’s 145-92 in the series. Without their Big Three on the floor, Cleveland crumpled. This year the Cavs rank sixth in bench scoring after being 28th in 2016-17.

That difference should be noticeable.

Maybe most significantly, it’s important to watch the impact of Jae Crowder. Cleveland simply lacked the defensive muscle to match up with each of Golden State’s weapons last Finals. If it wasn’t Durant erupting, it was Curry or Klay Thompson when he found his stroke in Game 3 with six 3s.

Head coach Tyronn Lue often picked his poison when deciding who to stick LeBron on. And Crowder is like a second antidote vial, another equalizer for the Warriors weapons.

Wise Cavs fans will take notice of whether he can he slow down Draymond Green, Thompson or whomever he matches up against. The battles will have huge significance should the two teams meet in the Finals.

Finally, the James vs. Durant matchup is always a point of emphasis — two of the game’s greatest wings ever sharing the floor during what may be their career primes. When it comes to mano a mano matchups, there is not one more entertaining in the league. And yet, it’s been that way for a number of years.

Not only are we witnessing greatness clash, but we are probably watching the best star-on-star rivalry since Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Yes, the NBA as always thrived off one-on-one battles. But rarely do we see elite players’ careers overlap in unison like James and Durant.

Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft: End of 2017 edition

So on this Christmas, with the fire roaring and the relatives settling down after a late lunch, maybe it’s best to turn your NBA brain off. Maybe save your analysis of the Cavs bench, or Crowder and Love for Boxing Day. Just sit back and watch two all-time greats battle. Because we don’t know how many more Christmases like this we are going to have.