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Marcus Thompson on Warriors-Cavs rivalry: ‘It’s done’

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The Warriors easily dispatched of the new look Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night, beating them 118-108 for the first time with Isaiah Thomas in their lineup. For three seasons, the Warriors-Cavs rivalry has been the best in the NBA, and after meeting three consecutive times in the NBA Finals, will undoubtably go down as one of the best of all time. Even if they meet for a fourth time this June, however, Marcus Thompson of The Athletic believes that Monday’s easy victory for Golden State is a signal that this rivalry has run its course.

“I was just watching that game, and you know they’ve played 27 times in the last four years, and in every game they met you felt it,” Thompson said. “It was a big deal, it was coming, it was drama. Even in blowouts you felt it. I was watching that game like, ‘yo, this is kind’ve boring.’

“We already knew what was going to happen. It feels like I don’t want to disrespect the rivalry with like five more of these, where it’s like you know what’s going to happen. It’s done, the luster is off. Even if they somehow meet again it will be nothing like what we’ve already experienced. It’s over, it’s done.

“The Warriors-Cavs is no longer a thing, unless Cleveland makes two trades and really revamps their team, but even then it won’t be 2015, it won’t be 2016, it won’t even be 2017, it’ll just be less than what we’re used to with this rivalry.”

While not as consistant this season, the Warriors are still the most dominant team in the NBA, leading the league in both record (36-9) and average point differential (+9.1). The Cavs on the other hand have taken a significant step back, currently sitting 7.5 games out of first place in the Eastern Conference, and with a point differential (+0.8) of what you’d expect from a team around .500.

The Cavs have been atrocious on the defensive end, currently ranked 29th in the NBA in defensive efficiency. And that’s largely without Thomas, who ranked as the second worst defender (467 out of 468 in defensive real-plus minus) in the NBA last season.

“I just don’t think they have a chance,” Thompson said of the Cavs. “Even with a healthy Isaiah…alright. Steph, I don’t know what he was doing in the first half…Draymond didn’t show up in the first half, Klay got completely phased out…It’s David West and Jordan Bell. They got dominated by the Warriors’ second unit. They think Jeff Green is the answer?

“LeBron can’t take a seat anymore. Even if you throw in another 15 points from Isaiah Thomas, he still can’t play defense. (The Warriors) can still pick on him whenever they want, they didn’t even go 1-3 pick-and-roll really and pick on him with Curry and Durant. (The Cavs) just don’t have the answer. They need to add like 3 or 4 players just to answer the questions that they have, and Isaiah Thomas brings as many questions as he does answers.”

Listen to the full interview below. To hear Thompson on the rivalry, start from the beginning.