Six short months ago, a nascent Golden State Warriors team won their first-ever NBA championship by defeating the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Warriors have only lost one game since, winning 27 of 28 games to start the 2015-16 season. Cleveland's start wasn't bad either, ending November with a 13-4 record before losing three in a row; two were to struggling clubs in Washington and New Orleans.
If last summer's Final showed James anything, it's that Cleveland's success can't solely rest on his shoulders. If Golden State's hot start didn't drive the point home, a Christmas Day meeting with the defending champs just might.
Warriors-Cavaliers features second-best-ever combined record for Christmas matchup https://t.co/lR1k9E3H1W
— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) December 25, 2015
Friday afternoon, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and an invulnerable Warriors team host Cleveland for the first time this year. The Cavs are riding a six-game winning streak in which James led all players in scoring. Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love have played their part along the boards during the stretch, and Matthew Dellavedova sporadically mirrored his strong performance during last year's Finals run, but the Cavs will need more than that to beat the Warriors; a team averaging 115.5 points per night by making otherwise solid defenses look sophomoric.
"We haven't done anything," James said, following a loss to the Detroit last month. "We didn't win anything. We lost. We lost in the Finals. So, that's enough motivation for myself. I think we need to understand that."
The result of a Christmas Day game may not mean much to either team come June. But if the Cavs want to believe they can go toe-to-toe with Golden State, winning on Friday would be a good start.
When: Dec. 25, 2015
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
Time: 5 p.m. EST
Television: ABC
Live stream: ABC.go.com
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