The Cavaliers' new identity is perfectly ugly
CLEVELAND — Sure, they will play Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday inside climate-controlled Quicken Loans Arena, but the Ohio backdrop outdoors is still a bit striking as the venue for this series shifts.
It was overcast on Monday, with the thick gray sky packing light rain. Sunny California it is not. The forecast for Tuesday is more of the same. Rather ugly.
How fitting.
If the Cleveland Cavaliers are to wrest control of this series — which seems a lot more possible now — they had better embrace the formula that got them over the hump on Sunday.
Just win ugly.
For all of the subplots that have added spice to this compelling match-up between the Cavs and Golden State Warriors, it might ultimately be determined by the contrasts in style.
No doubt, the head Cav is on board with that notion.
"It's the grit squad that we have," LeBron James said Sunday, after his 39-16-11 triple-double fueled Cleveland to the overtime win that evened the series. "It's not cute at all. If you're looking for us to play sexy, cute basketball, then that's not us. That's not us right now. Everything is tough.
"And for us to win a Finals game shooting 32% from the field, it's just a testament of how gritty we can be. It has to be that for the rest of the series, no matter how many games it takes."
That identity, which has been forced upon the Cavs to a greater degree with the season-ending losses of All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, is their best hope.
Meanwhile, Golden State's best hope still figures to be built around the prospect for raining threes — although the Warriors are similarly challenged to find their inner grit.
On Sunday, we saw what can happen when MVP Stephen Curry gets cold. Too many quick, one-shot possessions. With Matthew Dellavedova, the fill-in point guard, hounding the sharp-shooter for much of the night, Curry had his worst game of the season.
Curry, who scored the most frustrating 19 points you'll ever see, was 2-of-15 from three-point range. He never connected on a trey when the pesky Dellavedova was in his pocket, and when the game might have been won in overtime on a long-range shot from the corner — the type Curry flicks through the nets with amazing consistency — he shot an air-ball.
"Shots I normally make I knew as soon as they left my hand they were off," Curry explained. "That usually doesn't happen. Mechanically, I don't know if there's an explanation for it. Just didn't have a rhythm and didn't find one the whole game."
Was it the result of aggressive, physical defense knocking Curry out of sync? The wear and tear of a long season taking a toll? Has Curry even been the same since suffering the head contusion during the Eastern Conference finals against Houston?
Imagine the woes if the MVP doesn't find his touch for Game 3. It can throw the whole scheme out of whack. The Warriors hoisted a Finals-record 35 three-pointers (hitting eight, for 22.9%) in Game 2, when they also had their lowest assist total (16) of the season. That does not cut it.
Still, it's no time to panic. The Warriors won an NBA-best 67 games in the regular season with their style. Curry insists he won't lose confidence and doubts he'll have another game like Sunday.
"I'm not going to let one game kind of alter my confidence," Curry assured.
Besides, they are so fun to watch, with all of the movement away from the basketball on any given possession and a fear-not mentality for jacking up jumpers. It's still a bit stunning to see Curry or others pull up on fast breaks, to take a three. But it has gotten them this far.
Whether it takes them all the way to a crown remains to be seen. But the wake-up call has arrived. Despite a wide-open style touted as a reflection of the new NBA, these are still the playoffs.
The Warriors don't necessarily have to win ugly, but when the treys are not falling, they need to be versatile enough to adjust. Pretty is not always the ticket.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr knows. Kerr, who won five rings as a player with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs, described Game 2 as a "grind out, old-school" type of game.
He doesn't expect that to change: "That's the style it's going to be when you get this deep in the playoffs. It's rarely a track meet."
In other words, the Warriors had better brace themselves for a full dose of ugly ball — and perhaps even find a way to beat the Cavs at their own game.