Steph Curry, Draymond Green think Cavs, Warriors underappreciated

Stephen Curry and Draymond Green think it’s time to appreciate the greatness of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors.

Is the NBA selling the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors short with all of the talk about the lack of parity in the league? Stephen Curry and Draymond Green think so.

Speaking to the media yesterday, Curry went as far as to say the talk about the lack of parity in the NBA was “almost disrespectful” to the teams that made to the NBA Finals, adding that the league’s talent pool is as great as it’s ever been.

Curry isn’t wrong to say that there is a lot of talent in the NBA.

Players are adapting to what’s become a positionless and perimeter-oriented league, becoming more skilled than ever. Even bottom-rung teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers have quality young talent on their rosters.

In addition, a collection of elite talents (or players whose reputations precede them) doesn’t guarantee success. The New York Knicks have been learning that lesson since 2010 with the acquisitions of Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, Danilo Gallinari, Tyson Chandler, Derrick Rose, Kristaps Porzingis and Joakim Noah.

As the Brooklyn Nets give the Boston Celtics lottery pick after lottery pick for the trade that brought Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to a team that already had Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, they have no choice but to remember that bundling up talent on paper doesn’t always work.

Larry Bird, former president of the Indiana Pacers acknowledged as much after Magic Johnson was hired as the Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations.

Via the Los Angeles Times:

"“You can put a team together, what you think’s gonna be a pretty solid team on paper, and then when they get out there they don’t mesh well,” Bird said. “I’m sort of going through that this year."

LeBron James lost in the 2011 NBA Finals to a team with a greater spread of talent but less talented players at the top of the roster. The Golden State Warriors lost to a less talented team last year, prompting them to acquire yet another one of the NBA’s top talents in Kevin Durant, forcing other teams to step up their game in order to compete with a potential dynasty.

The Cavs were one of those teams and while they follow the modern-era Big Three model and have the best player in the league in James, they traded for Kyle Korver and signed Deron Williams, two former All-Stars. They also signed Derrick Williams, who was selected one spot after Kyrie Irving in the 2011 NBA Draft and briefly employed Andrew Bogut and Larry Sanders, two reputable rim-protectors.

After watching the rise of two basketball empires, the tale of two cities, NBA fans and media members lamented the lack of parity in the league, forgetting that the game is played inside the lines, not on paper.

They also forgot the young talent on the rosters of low-win teams and the ascending talent of upper-end teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz.

Teams that seem destined to break up, like the Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Clippers have All-Star talent that could improve lottery teams and playoff contenders alike.

It’s also strange that a team like the San Antonio Spurs isn’t thought of as having a roster that can compete with the Warriors and Cavs. They have an elite two-way player in Kawhi Leonard, former All-Stars in LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol and aged Hall of Famers like Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli surrounded by young, solid role players. They’re also coached by Gregg Popovich, who could be the greatest NBA coach of all-time.

They’re underrated and undersold, as usual.

When it comes to their perception of the two NBA finalists Green is right on the money.

The Warriors and the Cavs have the best teams in a league where there is a lot of talent and future Hall of Famers dispersed throughout The Association.

They were both challenged by injuries. The Cavs were challenged by Father Time, a close friend of many of the Cavs veterans and met the challenge to improve their defense. The Warriors have had to change head coaches on-the-fly with Steve Kerr ailing from back injuries.

The Cavs and Warriors are giving fans of this era their own version of the mythic rivalry between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.

The on-court matchups, the two-way dominance, the bad blood, the storylines, the mounting and palpable excitement from both fan bases in anticipation of two stellar teams meeting in a tiebreaking NBA Finals series.

What’s not to like about it unless you’re a fan of one of the 28 teams that didn’t make it? Even those fans have someone to root for.

Fans of the San Antonio Spurs (thanks to Kawhi Leonard’s injury) and Oklahoma City Thunder (thanks to Kevin Durant’s departure) will probably find themselves hoping the Cavs win. Fans of the Los Angeles Lakers (Kobe Bryant fans) and fans those that dislike LeBron (or the comparisons to Michael Jordan) may find themselves cheering for Golden State.

Round 1 ended with a “Yup!” from Green, a sound-bite symbolizing his arrogance and what Warriors fans adore but Cavs fans hate.

Round 2 ended with the words “Cleveland, this is for you!“, as James led his team to their first championship in franchise history and ended a 52-year championship drought for Cleveland’s professional sports teams.

Round 3 hasn’t even started yet and it already is showing the potential to be an epic showdown with a more memorable ending than the first two. Both teams are playing exceptional basketball and the rivalry between the franchises and fan bases is as authentic as they come.

Let’s appreciate the basketball battle, and basketball teams, we’re blessed to watch.

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Do you think that Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are right? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.