Cavaliers’ Christmas Day comeback vs. Warriors stokes NBA’s hottest rivalry

CLEVELAND —  There was no air of satisfaction in the Cleveland Cavaliers locker room Sunday after the defending champs overcame a 14-point fourth quarter deficit to notch their fourth consecutive win over the Golden State Warriors.

Nor was there talk of a Finals three-quel that would be the first in NBA history.

The down-to-the-wire victory was nothing short of a Christmas Day miracle to the 20,562 fans in Quicken Loans Arena. But to the Cavs, it was just another tally in the win column.

It was another step forward in the LeBron James-led journey that reached uncharted territory 189 days earlier when he helped put an end to Cleveland’s 52-year title drought.

“It’s Dec. 25,” said Kyrie Irving, who hit the game-winning shot. “We’ve got a ways before we even start considering the carryover or anything else like that. It’s just a Christmas Day game, another classic with a great team. It’s exciting. It’s just all respect when we go out there and play. Just high level players making high level plays.”

For fans and reporters, it was another must-see heavyweight bout. Another chapter in what’s quickly become the league’s fiercest rivalry.

It was a not-so-subtle reminder that anything is possible when these two teams play, and anything less than a third Warriors-Cavaliers Finals would be a letdown.

“We know that we’ve played them the last two Finals, but it’s not really so telling for what the future’s gonna hold,” said Kevin Love, who’s playing his best basketball since being traded to the Cavs in the summer of 2014. “Both teams are gonna get a lot better. The rest of the league’s gonna get a lot better.”

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And for the Warriors, it was a realization that no matter how super the team, no lead is safe, especially after a slew of late-game turnovers (19 in total) and questionable calls.

The loss confirmed that, to close out the games that matter most, like, say, Christmas Day in Cleveland, the NBA’s Golden Boys still have a lot of work to do.

“Oh, we’re mad, man,” said Klay Thompson, whose would-be game-clinching three with 13 seconds left came after the shot clock expired. “The way we lost that game, we gave them a gift, shooting ourselves in the foot. We’re up 13 in the fourth quarter and we just have to be solid and not turn the ball over, help each other on defense and win the game. Instead we’re throwing the ball all over the court, leaving open shooters and just not playing our brand of ball.”

Kevin Durant, who finished with a game-high 36 points and 15 rebounds, said the Warriors should have been able to close it out.

“We had that game in our hands,” he said. “But nobody’s sobbing in the locker room. Move on.”

Despite the loss, the Warriors still sit in first place in the West with an NBA-best 27-5 record, boast the NBA’s second-best offensive and defensive ratings — behind the Toronto Raptors and Memphis Grizzlies, respectively — and haven’t fully gelled since Durant’s addition and the departure of key guys like Andrew Bogut, Marreese Speights and Harrison Barnes.

The Cavaliers have the all-important psychological advantage for now, but as we see so often in the wild world of hoops, it’s all subject to change — change that could certainly happen by the time the two teams meet again on Jan. 16 in Oakland in their final matchup of the season.

Until June, that is.

Follow AJ Neuharth-Keusch on Twitter @tweetAJNK