CLEVELAND: Kyrie Irving’s 13-foot turnaround fadeaway jumper with 3.4 seconds remaining Sunday brought back memories of “The Shot” in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
What made the latter unforgettable was the championship it brought.
What made his Christmas Day dagger memorable was the snarl it wrought.
The look that crossed Irving’s face after his basket gave the Cavaliers a 109-108 comeback victory over the Warriors captured the animosity that’s aroused every time the foes of the last two NBA Finals meet.
It may not be hatred; the league doesn’t carry the same vitriol among rivals like it did a couple of decades ago. Since the Cavs came back from 3-1 down to capture the title, the Warriors have added Kevin Durant, a friend of LeBron James, although not in James’ inner circle.
But there is angst, there is heat, and I suspect there is a little bit of jealousy involved every time the Warriors and Cavs take the court. The Cavs are the champions, but in their eyes, the Warriors may still be the media darlings, subjects of constant fawning.
When James scored 16 points in the third quarter, which ended with the Cavs trailing by seven, it felt as if he had a point to prove against the supposed super team of Durant, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
As the seemingly meaningless game in December proved, the Cavs are must-see TV no matter the circumstances. The ESPN buildup for Sunday’s showdown on ABC seemed over the top and it lived up to the hype.
It took Draymond Green only two minutes and 35 seconds to get sucked into the fray, drawing a technical foul after his second personal on what looked like a bad call.
He took off for the other end of the court, protesting vehemently, pushing the boundaries of a second T.
The final 9½ minutes were fraught with emotion as the Cavs fought back from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit. Then Irving finished off his 14-point quarter with another clutch jumper and ferocity crossed his face.
Whether Cavs-Warriors will become a rivalry to match Celtics-Lakers of the 1960s and 1980s remains to be seen, although a third consecutive NBA Finals meeting should cement that.
But part of what has the rivalry on the brink already is not just the amazing plays displayed by some of the league’s most talented athletes, but the intensity their meetings carry. Fans who feel it’s not necessary to turn on an NBA game until the fourth quarter would never consider that for Cavs-Warriors. Every turnover feels like a disappointment, every dunk poster-worthy.
Things were so heated that Richard Jefferson’s wink at Durant after Jefferson’s driving dunk on him with 9:21 remaining drew a technical foul.
“I was a little bit surprised by it, but I think they were trying to rein it in,” Jefferson said. “The only thing I said to [official] Sean [Corbin] was, ‘Given everything going on out here, there’s no screaming, there’s no yelling, there’s no fist pumping, there’s no nothing, just a smile and a wink to another competitor.’ ”
All involved felt the emotions ratchet up a few notches. The atmosphere in Quicken Loans Arena befit a playoff game.
“They’ve got out-of-this-world talent,” James said. “Obviously, emotions come out for not only the players but for you guys and for the fans. It’s the last two Finals matchups, so everyone just starts thinking back to what’s happened.”
Cavs coach Tyronn Lue thought back to what Draymond Green said of a possible third Finals matchup on Nov. 1, telling NBA.com’s David Aldridge he wanted to “annihilate” the Cavs and “destroy Cleveland.”
“You saw Draymond Green’s comments early on in the season, when they play us what they wanted to do to us. We feel the same way,” Lue said. “After the game we can like ’em or love ’em, but when we get between those lines it’s a battle. That’s what you should have when two great teams are playing.”
No matter the motivation, whether it be anger over Green’s kick in the 2016 Finals, jealousy or the drive to prove which is the better team, Sunday’s game delivered a taste of what lies in store. While the two meet again on Jan. 16 at Oracle Arena, June can’t come soon enough.
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her blog at www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.