Imagine the pain of pushing your body to its limits during the offseason. Imagine grinding through a brutal 82-game regular season schedule against the most athletic and talented basketball players in the entire world. Imagine winning three consecutive best-of-seven series simply for the opportunity to play in the NBA Finals. Imagine reaching the NBA Finals -- at last -- and being locked in a total stalemate after six games.
Now imagine the pressure of playing in Game 7 after all of that. Finally, and most unbelievably, imagine EVERYTHING coming down to the final minute of that final game.
While it seems physically, mentally and emotionally unbearable, that's exactly what happened in the 2016 NBA Finals. All of the practices, tireless conditioning, hard-fought victories, soul-crushing defeats, euphoric highs and demoralizing lows boiled down to one, little minute of pressure-packed, pulse-pounding basketball.
And as Stephen Curry, the NBA's first ever unanimous MVP, suffered through one of the most excruciating choke jobs of all time, it was his point guard counterpart, calm and collected Kyrie Irving, who rose to the occasion by hitting the biggest shot in the history of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With the game tied at 89 with less than one minute remaining, Kyrie pulled up right in Steph's face and buried the backbreaking three that ultimately led to the city of Cleveland's first major sports title since 1964. The Cavs weren't able to pull it off during LeBron James' first go around, but this time, with Kyrie playing Kobe to LeBron's Shaq, Cleveland had just enough to pull off the first 3-1 comeback in NBA Finals history.
Now for my observations about Game 7, the rest of the series and its aftermath:
Like many others who grew up watching Michael Jordan go 6-for-6 in the NBA Finals, I've always been a bit skeptical about LeBron's clutchability.
He was swept out of his first Finals appearance by the Spurs without as much as a whimper. Years later, he followed up with a ghastly all-around performance against Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Jason Kidd and the Mavs, one of my all-time favorite NBA champs. "The (supposed) King" had completely lost his confidence at that point and everyone, including his head coach Erik Spoelstra and partner in crime Dwyane Wade, knew and could see it. It was a pathetically putrid performance.
Finally, the dominant LeBron we had always seen during the regular season appeared throughout Miami's Finals shellacking of the physically overmatched and horribly coached Oklahoma City Thunder. LeBron was an absolute beast in that series. I take nothing away from him.
But when it seemed that "The Chosen One" had finally turned the corner under pressure, he was surprisingly shaky throughout his second title run with the Heat, one that resulted in a narrow victory over the shell-shocked Spurs. In fact, I had written an article about LeBron's porous play at the time.
My fellow UConn Husky, Ray Allen, bailed him out in Game 6 with one of the biggest shots in NBA history. Had Ray missed that shot, LeBron would have been the goat who missed an open game-tying three-point attempt just seconds earlier. He also would have taken heat for playing poorly during different stretches of the series, particularly the first three games.
However, one extremely difficult shot made by a ballsy veteran teammate completely changed the trajectory of LeBron's much scrutinized career. Being the stat rat he is -- despite performing far below expectations -- LeBron was able to steal away his second Finals MVP trophy at the conclusion of that tightly contested series.
At that point, instead of analyzing the actual reality of that series, most pundits chose to close the book on the "LeBron is a choker" debate. I, on the other hand, was not so convinced.
LeBron played pretty well in his next two Finals appearances, but his Heat got steamrolled by the Spurs and his Cavs came up short against the Warriors. A 2-4 career record in the Finals? I was none too impressed.
I've always compared him to Peyton Manning because he's likely the greatest statistical performer in the history of his sport, but he only seems to play to his full potential when everything is going well and the adversity level is low. Peyton and LeBron will bury you when they are ahead and the game or series is slipping away from you, but when they are behind, it's a totally different story. That's when you see the hesitation and second-guessing. That's when everyone is watching, they feel the pressure and begin to doubt themselves. In the past, I always had Michael, Tom Brady and Kobe in one group and LeBron and Peyton in another. The true greats always have that killer instinct. Doubt is imaginary to them.
I've always compared him to Peyton Manning because he's likely the greatest statistical performer in the history of his sport, but he only seems to play to his full potential when everything is going well and the adversity level is low. Peyton and LeBron will bury you when they are ahead and the game or series is slipping away from you, but when they are behind, it's a totally different story. That's when you see the hesitation and second-guessing. That's when everyone is watching, they feel the pressure and begin to doubt themselves. In the past, I always had Michael, Tom Brady and Kobe in one group and LeBron and Peyton in another. The true greats always have that killer instinct. Doubt is imaginary to them.
Nevertheless, LeBron has now forced me to permanently dismiss my skepticism by becoming the first player in NBA Finals history to lead both competing teams in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks (thank you Justin Cohen for that stat). That's quite an incredible accomplishment, so I suppose I have no choice but to ease up on him. (Mostly) well deserved, Bron Bron.
However, as LeBron slips off my hook and back into the sea, Steph Curry gets reeled into my boat as my next potential meal.
2. No ifs, ands or buts -- Stephen Curry is a certified choke artist.
During the regular season when the overconfident Warriors were running up the score on lower echelon teams -- especially at Oracle -- Curry could be seen pretending to ride on horses, pumping up the crowd and hopping around like a little kid who just hit the first three-pointer of his life.
That Stephen Curry was nowhere to be found throughout Golden State's embarrassing collapse against LeBron and Kyrie's hungry Cavs. Instead we saw Steph getting into uncharacteristic foul trouble, constantly arguing with referees, bricking shots he had been making all season and moping on the bench to the point where his head coach needed to make sure he was okay.
Game 3 was when the alarms started going off in my head. With the Cavs down 0-2 and dangerously close to the chopping block, Game 3 was the perfect opportunity for Steph and the Warriors to make short work of Cleveland. An aggressive and emphatic performance in that decisive game could have sealed the deal for Golden State. That was the time for the Warriors to come out like maniacs and bury the Cavs before they ever had a chance to breathe.
Instead, Steph came out lazy, uninspired and mopey. After Draymond Green's particularly strong performances in Games 1 and 2, I honestly think Steph was concerned that he would fall short of the Finals MVP trophy for the second straight season. I think he was starting to have concerns about his legacy.
Why do I think that? Because there's no other possible explanation for his bizarre behavior in Game 3. Up 2-0 in the series with a high percentage chance of winning back-to-back NBA Finals -- how could he be so upset and down in the dumps? That shows you what kind of teammate and man he really is; when he's not playing well, he's not happy about his team's collective success.
There's a word for that: SELFISH.
Moving on to the back end of the series, Steph shot 22 of 60 from the floor in the final three games, an ugly 36.7%. He shot 50.4% during the regular season.
From beyond the arc, Steph hit 15 of 41 in the final three; that's 36.6%. He shot 45.4% from downtown in the regular season.
I've highlighted similar playoff drop offs in relation to James Harden. Maybe the days of the best players playing their best when it matters the most don't exist anymore. LeBron and Kyrie were able to do that, but what about Steph, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Harden, Damian Lillard, Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Love and DeAndre Jordan?
All of those guys have been questioned in recent postseasons, and rightfully so. Does anyone remember Michael, Kobe, Shaq, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson or Isaiah Thomas being questioned under pressure? Maybe today's ridiculously superfluous media coverage has something to do with it. Every little move is being over-scrutinized.
Anyway, Steph played horribly and displayed a childish attitude. He's clearly NOT the best basketball player in the world.
3. I was hardly a believer in the Warriors hype; now I get to say "I told you so" to many haters.
When the Warriors opened the season with a 16-game winning streak, I published a column entitled "Don't Buy Into the Warriors Hype...Yet," and I've been taking shit from readers ever since. As Vince Vaughn emphatically explained to Owen Wilson in Wedding Crashers, "I'm in the trenches taking grenades here!"
My closest friends even went as far as arriving at my 30th birthday party decked out in Warriors gear. I repeated the same response to them throughout the year, "The regular season doesn't mean anything."
Ichiro's 2001 Seattle Mariners tied the MLB record for regular season wins with 116, then promptly got bounced from the first round of the playoffs. Brady's 2007 Pats went undefeated during the regular season, only to lose to the Giants in dramatic fashion in the Super Bowl. If the regular season mattered, then Billy Beane wouldn't be known as a perennial loser.
I compared these Warriors to those two teams all season long. Looks like I was right, with one exception: I did admit to Sam Ytuarte and Steve Summer that I "bought into the hype" after the incredible 3-1 comeback against Westbrook, Durant and the Thunder. In the second halves of the final three games of that series, Steph and Klay Thompson duplicated their regular season confidence and statistical output. They played their best with their backs against the wall, but for whatever reason, could not replicate that in the NBA Finals.
Nevertheless, it's always fun to say "I told you so," so let's take a quick look back at some of the key points from the now vindicated "Don't Buy Into the Hype" column (copy and pasted in blue with zero edits):
History repeated itself this year. Looks like that was a legitimate concern of mine.
Two for two, huh? My primary concerns were Finals related, and that's exactly what it came down to. For the second straight season, Curry and the Warriors played their absolute worst ball in the biggest series of them all. There's a word for that, too: CHOKING. They can blow teams out of the water during the regular season, but that dominant squad is nowhere to be found when the suffocating Finals pressure is on. I saw that last year as well; they just happened to squeak by a lesser team without Kyrie Irving (and I guess Kevin Love). This time around they fell short. All-time great teams don't fall short. They win convincingly.
4. Kyrie Irving took the first step toward the legendary status I ultimately expect him to attain.
That Stephen Curry was nowhere to be found throughout Golden State's embarrassing collapse against LeBron and Kyrie's hungry Cavs. Instead we saw Steph getting into uncharacteristic foul trouble, constantly arguing with referees, bricking shots he had been making all season and moping on the bench to the point where his head coach needed to make sure he was okay.
Game 3 was when the alarms started going off in my head. With the Cavs down 0-2 and dangerously close to the chopping block, Game 3 was the perfect opportunity for Steph and the Warriors to make short work of Cleveland. An aggressive and emphatic performance in that decisive game could have sealed the deal for Golden State. That was the time for the Warriors to come out like maniacs and bury the Cavs before they ever had a chance to breathe.
Instead, Steph came out lazy, uninspired and mopey. After Draymond Green's particularly strong performances in Games 1 and 2, I honestly think Steph was concerned that he would fall short of the Finals MVP trophy for the second straight season. I think he was starting to have concerns about his legacy.
Why do I think that? Because there's no other possible explanation for his bizarre behavior in Game 3. Up 2-0 in the series with a high percentage chance of winning back-to-back NBA Finals -- how could he be so upset and down in the dumps? That shows you what kind of teammate and man he really is; when he's not playing well, he's not happy about his team's collective success.
There's a word for that: SELFISH.
Moving on to the back end of the series, Steph shot 22 of 60 from the floor in the final three games, an ugly 36.7%. He shot 50.4% during the regular season.
From beyond the arc, Steph hit 15 of 41 in the final three; that's 36.6%. He shot 45.4% from downtown in the regular season.
I've highlighted similar playoff drop offs in relation to James Harden. Maybe the days of the best players playing their best when it matters the most don't exist anymore. LeBron and Kyrie were able to do that, but what about Steph, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Harden, Damian Lillard, Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Love and DeAndre Jordan?
All of those guys have been questioned in recent postseasons, and rightfully so. Does anyone remember Michael, Kobe, Shaq, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson or Isaiah Thomas being questioned under pressure? Maybe today's ridiculously superfluous media coverage has something to do with it. Every little move is being over-scrutinized.
Anyway, Steph played horribly and displayed a childish attitude. He's clearly NOT the best basketball player in the world.
When the Warriors opened the season with a 16-game winning streak, I published a column entitled "Don't Buy Into the Warriors Hype...Yet," and I've been taking shit from readers ever since. As Vince Vaughn emphatically explained to Owen Wilson in Wedding Crashers, "I'm in the trenches taking grenades here!"
My closest friends even went as far as arriving at my 30th birthday party decked out in Warriors gear. I repeated the same response to them throughout the year, "The regular season doesn't mean anything."
Ichiro's 2001 Seattle Mariners tied the MLB record for regular season wins with 116, then promptly got bounced from the first round of the playoffs. Brady's 2007 Pats went undefeated during the regular season, only to lose to the Giants in dramatic fashion in the Super Bowl. If the regular season mattered, then Billy Beane wouldn't be known as a perennial loser.
I compared these Warriors to those two teams all season long. Looks like I was right, with one exception: I did admit to Sam Ytuarte and Steve Summer that I "bought into the hype" after the incredible 3-1 comeback against Westbrook, Durant and the Thunder. In the second halves of the final three games of that series, Steph and Klay Thompson duplicated their regular season confidence and statistical output. They played their best with their backs against the wall, but for whatever reason, could not replicate that in the NBA Finals.
Nevertheless, it's always fun to say "I told you so," so let's take a quick look back at some of the key points from the now vindicated "Don't Buy Into the Hype" column (copy and pasted in blue with zero edits):
1. The Warriors played their worst ball in the NBA Finals.
The Warriors were a joy to watch throughout most of the 2014-15 NBA season, but even they will tell you, they didn't play their best when it mattered the most. LeBron James' defensive-minded Cavs made the high-powered Golden State offense look like the Bucks against the Grizzlies. It was a messy slopfest.
The Warriors turned the ball over at an alarmingly high rate, and their collective field goal percentage was shockingly below norm. Not to mention the fact that the Cavs didn't have their second and third stars, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.
I agree with those who say, "You just have to beat the team in front of you," but we all know the Warriors drew the Cavs at far less than 100%. In a way, Cleveland was at 33%.
History repeated itself this year. Looks like that was a legitimate concern of mine.
2. Stephen Curry played his worst ball in the NBA Finals, while being guarded by a single player.
Matthew Dellavedova.
Let me say that again...
Matthew. Dellavedova.
The Little Engine That Could was so good that Andre Iguodala ended up winning Finals MVP for Golden State. That was shocking twist #2.
Steph can be stopped. To me, that's a concern.
Two for two, huh? My primary concerns were Finals related, and that's exactly what it came down to. For the second straight season, Curry and the Warriors played their absolute worst ball in the biggest series of them all. There's a word for that, too: CHOKING. They can blow teams out of the water during the regular season, but that dominant squad is nowhere to be found when the suffocating Finals pressure is on. I saw that last year as well; they just happened to squeak by a lesser team without Kyrie Irving (and I guess Kevin Love). This time around they fell short. All-time great teams don't fall short. They win convincingly.
4. Kyrie Irving took the first step toward the legendary status I ultimately expect him to attain.
While defending against the relentless barrage of "Don't Believe the Hype" attacks, I was also getting a ton of shit for the following Facebook status:
I've been saying this since he dropped 58 on the Spurs last season:#KyrieIrving could be the next Jordan or Kobe type player for the #NBA. He has the flair, personality, determination and ridiculous skill necessary to be a megastar. The #Cavs need to come back and win the title for his legend to truly begin...
Either you can see "It" or you can't. Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter, Dwyane Wade, David Ortiz, Paul Pierce, Reggie Miller, Isaiah Thomas, Madison Bumgarner, Buster Posey, Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill, Ben Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Patrick Kane, Larry Bird, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Robert Horry, Ray Allen, Adam Vinatieri, Eli Manning, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Dominik Hasek, Mark Messier, Michael Phelps...they all have or had "It."
But it's one thing to see "It" after the fact; anyone can see it then. It's entirely another to recognize it before it comes to fruition.
Kyrie Irving has It. I said it before he hit the most important shot in Cavs history, but I'm glad that so many others are jumping on the bandwagon now. Hopefully he will continue to showcase the magic in future playoff scenarios.
While Steph played his worst and Klay was (if I'm being generous) mediocre, Draymond Green was strutting and flexing through the game of his life.
Draymond can make threes, but by no means is he a pure three-point shooter. However, in Game 7 while the rest of his teammates shrunk like George Costanza's you-know-what in that famous Seinfeld episode ("I was in the pool! I was in the pool!"), Draymond performed better than ever, cashing in on 6 of his 8 three-point attempts.
His final line was nothing short of astonishing: 11-of-15 FG, 32 points, 15 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals. That's stepping into the spotlight while others cowardly slipped into the shadows. Draymond put together a performance for the ages, unfortunately, in a devastating loss.
My hat is off to him, nonetheless.
Throughout Steve Kerr's relatively short tenure as Warriors head coach, I've consistently complained that he doesn't utilize Barnes' skillset properly. While Kerr has been an overall improvement over his predecessor Mark Jackson, the latter was able to identify ways to get Barnes' confidence up.
Casual fans tend to forget that the Warriors started making some postseason noise under Jackson in 2012-13 and 2013-14. In 12-13 they bounced Andre Iguodala's favored Nuggets in the first round -- "if ya can't beat 'em, join 'em" -- before falling short against the Spurs and their championship experience. The following year, the Warriors suffered a devastating Game 7 loss at the hands of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and the Clippers. Dare I say...foreshadowing?
Anyway, my point isn't that the Warriors have always showed signs of choking (though, now that I think about it, that is a good point), it's that Barnes was effective as Golden State's #3 option in those playoff series against the Nuggets, Spurs and Clippers. Draymond was strictly a role player at that point, and Barnes was asked to do a lot more offensively than he is now.
So what was the difference? Jackson recognized that Barnes has a very underrated back-to-the-basket, post-up game. I honestly think it's the strength of his offensive repertoire. Now, with Draymond taking on a massive role in Kerr's offense, Barnes has been reduced to a mere face-up perimeter shooter. That's just not his game.
Obviously I'm not suggesting reducing Draymond's role, I'm just saying Kerr should have developed some sets where Barnes ends up with a one-on-one post-up opportunity. Those types of sets would have diversified Golden State's offense and allowed for some versatility during periods of stagnation against OKC and Cleveland's aggressive playoff defenses.
Barnes lost his confidence as a one-trick wing shooter because that's just not who he is. We'll see if his next team -- I'm thinking he's a nice fit for the Blazers -- will utilize his individual skills properly.
7. My final observations from the 2016 NBA Finals:
Casual fans tend to forget that the Warriors started making some postseason noise under Jackson in 2012-13 and 2013-14. In 12-13 they bounced Andre Iguodala's favored Nuggets in the first round -- "if ya can't beat 'em, join 'em" -- before falling short against the Spurs and their championship experience. The following year, the Warriors suffered a devastating Game 7 loss at the hands of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and the Clippers. Dare I say...foreshadowing?
Anyway, my point isn't that the Warriors have always showed signs of choking (though, now that I think about it, that is a good point), it's that Barnes was effective as Golden State's #3 option in those playoff series against the Nuggets, Spurs and Clippers. Draymond was strictly a role player at that point, and Barnes was asked to do a lot more offensively than he is now.
So what was the difference? Jackson recognized that Barnes has a very underrated back-to-the-basket, post-up game. I honestly think it's the strength of his offensive repertoire. Now, with Draymond taking on a massive role in Kerr's offense, Barnes has been reduced to a mere face-up perimeter shooter. That's just not his game.
Obviously I'm not suggesting reducing Draymond's role, I'm just saying Kerr should have developed some sets where Barnes ends up with a one-on-one post-up opportunity. Those types of sets would have diversified Golden State's offense and allowed for some versatility during periods of stagnation against OKC and Cleveland's aggressive playoff defenses.
Barnes lost his confidence as a one-trick wing shooter because that's just not who he is. We'll see if his next team -- I'm thinking he's a nice fit for the Blazers -- will utilize his individual skills properly.
1. Tristan Thompson may coast at times during the regular season, but he is a primetime performer when it really counts. It was another strong postseason for him, particularly in the final two series.
2. Hats off to Richard Jefferson for staying in incredible physical shape for his age and somehow providing useful minutes for the Cavs throughout the year. Enjoy retirement, RJ!
3. J.R. Smith was an unsung Game 7 hero, stopping the Warriors from pulling away in the 3rd quarter with one of his typical, all-of-a-sudden-I-can't-miss runs.
4. Kevin Love saved himself further embarrassment by hustling and playing with manic energy in Game 7. His one-on-one defensive stop against Steph may go down as the unexpected defining moment of his career.
5. Festus Ezeli was a productive player most of the year, but he was an absolute no show for the Warriors in the Finals.
6. I never thought I would say this, but, the injury to Andrew Bogut may have cost the Warriors back-to-back championships. I think Bogut is one of the most overrated players in the world, but at the very least he clogs the middle defensively. LeBron relentlessly attacked the rim once Bogut went down. Blood was in the water.
In the end, it was a Finals for the ages, and I'm glad the Cavs came out on top. The Warriors deserved a little dose of reality.