OAKLAND, CALIF.: It wasn’t too long ago when the Cavaliers were preaching patience, when LeBron James kept reiterating that they didn’t have much time together as a unit and that they were still developing continuity.
One Finals victory and one huge Warriors addition later, now those roles have changed. Yes, Kyle Korver is a new addition still getting worked into the system, but he is a complementary piece to the Cavs’ machine. The Warriors are still figuring out how Kevin Durant fits alongside Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
Of course, they’re hardly struggling through the process. The Warriors entered Monday’s rematch between the league’s two best teams at 34-6, the best record in the NBA and on pace to host Game 1 of the Finals for a third consecutive season if it comes to that.
That doesn’t mean they haven’t had their issues to work through, however. Since losing to the Cavs on Christmas, the Warriors have tried getting back to the way they played the last couple of seasons, which means putting the ball back in Curry’s hands more and taking it away from Durant.
It means keeping Durant and Curry on the court together a little more and pairing Thompson with Green.
“We’ve tried a lot of different combinations this year and we’ve been very successful. We’re still experimenting and we still will,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We’ve got 42 games left, so lots of time to keep looking at different things, different combinations, and we’ll continue to do that.”
The Cavs, meanwhile, have the continuity of being together for three years now.
“The continuity they have now compared to a couple years ago is apparent,” Kerr said.
MLK day
The Cavs-Warriors were again the highlight of the Martin Luther King Day schedule, just as they were last season. Kerr said he’s proud of the NBA’s direction under Commissioner Adam Silver and called MLK Day one of the best days for the NBA.
“We celebrate the game, we celebrate Dr. King’s legacy and his impact,” Kerr said. “I’m really, really proud to be part of the NBA. Proud of Adam Silver’s leadership, I’m proud the league is so progressive in terms of tolerance and equality and they back it up. It’s truly from the heart.
“I’m proud of the players for the work they do and I just want to say thank you to all the people out there who are working toward those ideas, who are working not only in the league but everywhere.”
Dribbles
Korver played in his 1,000th career game Monday and began the night 56 points shy of 10,000 for his career. … Kyrie Irving entered 32 points away from passing Larry Nance (7,257) for eighth place. … Channing Frye was one block away from 500 for his career. … In 17 games against the Warriors since returning to Cleveland, LeBron James entered Monday averaging 31.6 points, 11.6 rebounds and 7.7 assists while recording 13 double-doubles and three triple-doubles (regular season and postseason combined).
Jason Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Cavs blog at www.ohio.com/cavs. Follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/JasonLloydABJ.