We have that and more in Monday’s NBA newsletter.
One of the biggest revelations of the 2018 NBA playoffs has been that the Warriors aren’t necessarily unstoppable. The Rockets darn near stopped them cold in the West finals, and the Cavaliers almost peeled off Game 1 of the NBA Finals in Oakland.
The Warriors aren’t unstoppable in the wide sense of the word, which is to say they are no longer inevitable. But the Warriors can still be unstoppable at times, as they were on Sunday in a rollicking Game 2 win over the Cavaliers to go up 2-0 in the Finals.
No team ever created was beating the Warriors last night.
Cleveland defended reasonably well most of the night, outside of the opening minutes where the Warriors took advantage of the Cavs’ switching action to slip to the rim. But on a lot of action involving either Stephen Curry frolicking on the perimeter or Kevin Durant setting up in the mid-range, there’s just nothing anyone can do.
The Warriors aren’t the only team with this feature, but they are the team that can most reliably call on it and sustain it for the longest. Heck, they could carry it right into Game 3 on Wednesday in Cleveland.
Perhaps that’s a consolation for LeBron James and the Cavaliers. It’s not just that there’s nothing they can do when the Warriors are cooking like that. There’s nothing anyone, ever could do.
Mmmmmmockin’
Rick O’Donnell put together a consensus mock draft, which further shows that Luka Doncic -- the best European prospect ever, no exaggeration -- could slip out of the top three.
It brings to light something interesting about Doncic and the other high-upside prospects in the top five chatter. Wonder Boy doesn’t have the athletic markers that the Americans do. He has something that college partisans usually give to successful, multi-year D-I players: an unimpeachable record of team success.
You would think that plus his young age and obvious high basketball IQ and skill would keep him atop everyone’s board. Perhaps that speaks to just how much promise Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley, and Jaren Jackson have.
Links Galore
Uh, the reigning WNBA champ Minnesota Lynx have now lost four straight for the first time since drafting Maya Moore. They are 2-5 on the season. Only the winless Fever and young Aces are worse. This is ... abnormal.
Paul Flannery on LeBron being good enough to steal the Finals if there’s an opening.
Wonderful Kevin Arnovitz piece on the NBA’s referee operations, and the infamous block/charge call in Game 1.
Just incredible footage of the Cavaliers’ bench after the end of regulation in Game 1. When LeBron finds out they had a timeout left, he gets mad all over again.
Ranking Steph’s Finals-record nine threes.
An oral history of Kevin Durant’s Warriors meeting in The Hamptons, from Tim Kawakami.
The Warriors are simply more fun when Stephen Curry is leading the offense. Curry might be well on his way to his first Finals MVP.
Klay Thompson is one tough dude.
Only a dozen or so NBA players have signature shoes ... but just about everyone in the league wears them.
Breaking down the Curry peek-a-boo play.
This little dust-up between Curry and Kendrick Perkins (!) was funny. The Warriors are mad because Perkins didn’t ... move his legs out of the way as Curry fell backwards into him on a wild shot attempt? Like, with all of the advantages they have, the Warriors want Perk to trust fall with Steph Curry too?
If you were wondering whether Warriors fans would be extremely petty to J.R. Smith, well of course they were.
The shorts-suit contagion is spreading.
Fascinating Kevin Pelton dive into the all-important question about whether LeBron makes his teammates better.
LeBron’s left eye is getting redder every moment, he’s basically turning into Cyborg.
The Suns’ future is about more than who they take No. 1.
The NBA might introduce a challenge flag at Summer League.
And finally: Foul Play: Paid in Mississippi is a triumph in storytelling and production. Watch it and read the long piece by Steven Godfrey on the underbelly of NCAA enforcement of college recruiting violations. This work, together, is a masterpiece.
Be excellent to each other.