Cleveland was locked in from the opening tip against Golden State on Monday night. Players were flying around on defense. LeBron James scored 16 points in the opening quarter. And the fans helped create an atmosphere not unlike a playoff game. None of it mattered. The Warriors still left with a double-digit win, completing a season sweep of the Cavaliers with a 118–108 victory. If the Cavs hope to avenge these defeats, they’ll have to wait until a potential Finals rematch, for which they’ve given no indication they’ll be anything besides substantial underdogs.
There’s one extremely obvious issue for Cleveland whenever it plays Golden State: Kevin Durant, who scored 32 points on 9-of-16 shooting Monday.