After years of destroying teams that were constructed to take his crown, LeBron James is turning into the emperor with no clothes. Golden State is defending him like no other opponent, switching on him relentlessly with same-size forwards and forcing him to shoot dreadful percentages while his impotent teammates stand around and helplessly watch the slaughter.
Since emerging as the NBA’s next superstar, James has had his way with many teams, ending reigns in Boston and Detroit and foiling the plans of other teams that drafted, traded and rebuilt with the express purposes of bringing down the King. Now the crown is on the other head, or so it seems.
The Warriors have won an unprecedented seven straight games over James and the Cavaliers, beginning with last year’s NBA Finals, ruining their Christmas on Stephen Curry’s running long ball at the buzzer and now turning what was supposed to be a close and taut rematch into a laughing matter through two games in Oakland.
Everyone loves to see the Warriors run and score, but they are doing it with defense, holding Cleveland under 100 points in ten straight games. They usually start with Andre Iguodala on James, then smother him with Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut. They force LeBron into situations where he has to, and usually does, make a play. But he’s shooting poorly and has become a turnover machine.
In their last 10 match-ups, James has shot 32 of 91 for 35 percent with Iguodala as his primary defender. The 110-77 drubbing in Game Two was near humiliation to the super star and his team. He can’t seem to solve the speed and savvy of the Golden State defenders, and James has far less help from his teammates than the deep and determined Dubs give Curry, Green and Klay Thompson.
On defense, the Cavs are doing a decent job by doubling Curry and Thompson. But that leaves the 6-7 Green alone on the perimeter and he drained five three-pointers in Game Two. And Green is the player who averages more than 7 assists and almost 10 rebounds.
Golden State is a five-, six-, seven-headed monster that will have to split the NBA crown up that many ways after they keep it off LeBron’s head – again.
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