The Golden State Warriors (28-5) host the Cleveland Cavaliers (19-17) Friday night, and neither team is where the fans expected them to be at this stage of the season.
Golden State was supposed to be better than they were last year, but no one was betting on them having the NBA's best record at this stage. The Warriors sit atop the brutal Western Conference with just five losses, and Stephen Curry has emerged as a legitimate MVP contender.
Cleveland was one of the title favorites as soon as LeBron James announced his return, but the Cavs have struggled mightily and failed to mesh. While they were expected to cruise into the Eastern Conference Finals, they currently sit 5th in the conference, just half a game ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Here are three things you'll want to keep an eye on in tonight's game:
Who Steps Up For Cleveland?
Since LeBron James went out with a knee strain two weeks ago, the Cavs have lost five of six. Kyrie Irving has played very well in several of those games, but he hasn't had much backup - Kevin Love has been inconsistent and a liability on defense, and no other Cavaliers have stepped up to answer the call. Cleveland desperately needs someone else to help carry the load on offense if they're going to keep up with the Warriors.
Can Klay Thompson Keep The Momentum Going?
No one knows exactly how close the Warriors came to dealing Thompson to Minnesota in exchange for Love, but they reached a point where Thompson's own father told reporters a trade was "imminent". Thompson has been determined to prove that his team made the right choice by keeping him, and so far this season, it looks like Golden State dodged a bullet. Thompson is averaging career-high numbers in almost every single category, and his defense has also improved by leaps and bounds. Thompson torched the Indiana Pacers for 40 points on 14-25 shooting on Wednesday, and if he can carry that momentum into tonight's game, the Cavs are in trouble.
All Eyes On Steve Kerr
As well as the Warriors have played, a huge amount of credit for their 28-5 record is due to Steve Kerr and his coaching staff. Golden State has been absolutely ruthless in finding and exploiting their opponents' flaws this season...and Cleveland has plenty of vulnerabilities, especially with LeBron out. Kerr also has his full roster of players available for the first time this year, and it'll be interesting to see how he uses that to rest his starters and create mismatches.
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