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| The Cavs played to top form Tuesday. But the Spurs spoiled the party for the NBA's new "super team" Golden State |
The NBA tipped off Tuesday with highly anticipated matchups involving the two teams it seems everybody expects to battle next summer in the NBA Finals for the third straight time: the Cavs, who opened with the Knicks; and the Warriors, who drew the Spurs.
The result in the opener was no surprise. Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving picked up Tuesday where he left off last June, when he averaged 27 points in the Finals against Golden State in an MVP caliber performance.
And he got loose in the open court during the second quarter to finish a play reminiscent of one of his handful of signature plays from last summer.
If last season’s champion Cavs were flawless in their opener, the team 70% of NBA general managers predict will win this season’s title, the Golden State Warriors, looked like they missed the memo about the season officially starting.
But San Antonio’s 129-100 whipping of Kevin Durant’s new team had much more to do with Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs forward with a Finals MVP and back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards to his name, than it had to do with Durant or Steph Curry, or with the other two All NBA Warriors players for that matter.
Leonard scored a career high 35 points and Lamarcus Aldridge added 26 as the pair lit up what on the season’s first day seemed like a vulnerable Golden State defense. I’ll resist the temptation to draw conclusions about the egg the Warriors laid on opening night. Instead I’ll just marvel at Kawhi “the Claw” Leonard, whom my son declared before tip-off to be his favorite player.
Smart kid!
Kylie doing Melo nasty. Good effort by Melo, BTW. https://t.co/o77bXz4CMx— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) October 25, 2016
In the 117-88 win over New York, Irving scored 29 points, while the actual MVP of last season’s Finals, Lebron James, tallied a triple-double. James picked apart the defense with sweet dishes running Cleveland’s offensive sets, picking up 14 assists to go with his 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Raptors must still be having nightmares about this Cavs HORNS set. https://t.co/se5Jpw4D0b— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) October 26, 2016
And he got loose in the open court during the second quarter to finish a play reminiscent of one of his handful of signature plays from last summer.
Melo whoops, LeBron OOPS https://t.co/nTnnrUcqWa— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) October 26, 2016
If last season’s champion Cavs were flawless in their opener, the team 70% of NBA general managers predict will win this season’s title, the Golden State Warriors, looked like they missed the memo about the season officially starting.
But San Antonio’s 129-100 whipping of Kevin Durant’s new team had much more to do with Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs forward with a Finals MVP and back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards to his name, than it had to do with Durant or Steph Curry, or with the other two All NBA Warriors players for that matter.
You can't play his position better than Kawhi is doing it right now. No one could. https://t.co/COM9Fq2NXx— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) October 26, 2016
Leonard scored a career high 35 points and Lamarcus Aldridge added 26 as the pair lit up what on the season’s first day seemed like a vulnerable Golden State defense. I’ll resist the temptation to draw conclusions about the egg the Warriors laid on opening night. Instead I’ll just marvel at Kawhi “the Claw” Leonard, whom my son declared before tip-off to be his favorite player.
Smart kid!
Kawhi is clowning Iguodala before nailing it in his face. This guy is legit, serious https://t.co/UP30l0cxvP— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) October 26, 2016
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