Arsenal Win Community Shield to Launch New Season

Arsenal came back from a goal down in the second half to beat Chelsea 1-1 on penalties (4-1) for the third time on the bounce with a trophy on the line and the third time in the past four competitive matches. Some like to discount the value of the curtain raiser for the season, but besides allowing their goalkeeper to take the second penalty shot, which he appeared to mistake for a goal kick, this was a game with teeth and midseason intensity. Arsenal started the brighter of the two sides in the first half, but Chelsea grew into the game as halftime approached. The best opportunity of the half fell to new Arsenal signing Lacazette, who sent a curling shot onto the post. Chelsea sniffed a couple of half chances of their own, but Cech was solid as was the supporting cast.

That all changed right after halftime, as a poor clearance from the otherwise excellent Granit Xhaka fell to Cahill, who headed it goalward. Holding lost his man and Moses stormed forward, taking an excellent touch before rifling the ball past the outstretched Cech. It would have been sweet respite for the man who saw red in the FA Cup Final 10 weeks ago, ultimately costing Chelsea the double, but for the equalizer that came 36 minutes later. Arsenal kept their cool, though, and seemed to be finding another gear, though without the finished product. Giroud and Walcott replaced Lacazette and Iwobi and Walcott had a couple of chances, following a howling cannonball from Xhaka that Courtois just tipped wide. In the 82^nd minute, the pressure paid off, as Xhaka sent in a perfect dipping free kick that Kolasinac deftly headed across goal with panache.

The game ultimately went to penalties, in the new ABBA format and, after Cahill coolly slashed in the opener, Walcott and Monreal responded with successful kicks. Then, in one of the more bizarre moments you are likely to see, Chelsea’s keeper Courtois took to the spot, sending his effort high over the bar. Morata was up next and kicked wide of the far post, with Cech looking to have his shot covered even if it was on target. Ox stepped up and confidently slotted his chance in before Giroud sent Courtois the wrong way and sealed the penalty shootout 4-1, and the Community Shield for the third time in the past four seasons.

Three thoughts on the game:

1.    Wembley’s Been Good to Wenger

Arsenal have won the FA Cup three of the past four seasons and followed that up with the Community Shield each August. All told, it was their ninth straight victory at Wembley and the sixth “trophy” in just over four seasons. Sure, we would like to win the league or get past the first ask in the Champions League knockout stage, but for fans like me that went nine long years without a solitary trophy, things could certainly be worse … take, for example, being a Spurs fan. Of course, Chelsea have bigger fish to fry this season and have two league crowns over that span and Champions League and Europa League titles if we add another season to the equation. But this must be satisfying for Wenger, who has beaten Conti in three of the four competitive matches they’ve played – though that one loss would have pushed Arsenal over the hump and into the Champions League this season (ceteris paribus).

Arsenal dominated stretches of the game and seem to have Chelsea’s number at the moment, but for two sloppily conceded goals in the last two competitive matches. Arsenal ultimately bossed possession to the tune of 54 percent and outshot Chelsea 11 to 7, with 5 corners to the Blues 4. They carved out more chances throughout the match and will likely feel aggrieved to have allowed the opener, after the poor clearance from Xhaka. However, as has become a pattern since the disastrous stretch last winter/early spring, Arsenal have shown a renewed vigor and will to win that they could very well carry into an important season for them.

In fact, for the first time in a long time, Arsenal seem to have a bloated squad that actually needs culling. Up front, they have Lacazette, Giroud, Welbeck, Sanchez and even Walcott to choose from as the center of attack, Ox, Walcott, Sanchez and Iwobi to play on the wings, Ramsey, Xhaka, Elneny, Ox, Coquelin and, maybe someday, Cazorla to choose from in the midfield, and in their new three-man back, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Mustafi, Holding, Gabriel, Monreal and Kolasinac can all deputize, with two of Monreal, Kolasinac and Bellerin playing wingback (and Ox or Gabriel other options on the corners). Who can go of this gang? Well, rumours abound that one of Welbeck or Giroud might head out of town (I would choose the former), that Walcott could be a casualty if the right bidder came knocking, that Wilshere might be best served by leaving (even as he wants to kick on) and that Gibbs, Debuchy, Perez and a few others are clearly surplus to requirements.

On top of all these names, some youngsters might just be blooded in the Europa League and Cups, including the exciting Reiss Nelson, developing Akpom and two who impressed in limited work last season – Maitland-Niles and Reine-Adelaide. And there is still the possibility that Arsenal can come to an agreement with Monaco on the exciting winger Thomas Lemar.

2.    Players Ratings

Lacazette was solid without being exceptional, though he was probably starved of the service one expects Ozil, Ramsey and Sanchez (fingers crossed) will provide once the season begins. All three were missing for different reasons, with Sanchez still lacking fitness, Ozil out with a knock to his ankle he suffered in training and Ramsey hobbled by a thigh injury, though it is not thought to be terribly serious (even as we’ve heard that one before). In their absence, others shined, including the rejuvenated Xhaka, who has bedded in after a rough start to life in England. His range of passing was on display throughout, providing the free kick that assisted the equalizer. Ox also looked solid, though he lost the ball a few times in dangerous positions that could have easily led to dangerous counters. The backline did its job ably, with Holding again displaying his potential as a future leader and the others largely keeping Chelsea at bay.

The equalizing goal was scored by one of the more astute signings of a summer of transfer excess that would leave a reborn Louis XIV envious. While PSG try to figure out how to recoup the half a billion pounds that Neymar will ultimately cost them and Man City sweat over coming good with their humongous summer outlay, Sead Kolasinac was gotten on the cheap earlier this summer. And by cheap, I mean free! The Bosnian defender has the perfect physique for the rigors of the League and appears to have an eye for goal as well. He was excellent throughout his 60 plus minutes on the pitch and looks like a great signing that can play in the back three or on the left wing. Bellerin looked back near full speed, but still lacks the sharpness of the first half of last season and must improve if he is to stave off Ox for the right wingback spot.

On the Chelsea side, it is hard to make a fair assessment of Morata in such a short stint on the pitch, but the moment and tension did seem to get to him, as he fumbled the ball a few times before the poor penalty miss. Rudiger seemed fine and the rest of Chelsea’s back line were solid throughout, but for the moment they abandoned the far post at the most inopportune of moments. Pedro made some storming runs before being sent off (maybe rather harshly) and Fabergas continues to impress with his range of passes. Moses scored for the first time in 27 games and Willian looked lively, if a little off his best. Finally, as one would expect, Konte was solid, if quiet, missing some of the outlets he is used to relying on on the counter. One clear concern for Conte moving forward, is what to do without Hazard on the pitch and how long it will take Morata to adapt to his new home.

3.  Don’t Read Too Much into this One

While I would love to prognosticate the beginning of an epic campaign for the Gunners and another collapse on the backend of a title for Chelsea, one should not take too many augurs from this match, as both sides were depleted of some of their biggest stars. For Arsenal, Koscielny, Sanchez, Ozil, Mustafi and Ramsey were all missing and Mertesacker had to leave after a, seemingly inadvertent, elbow to the face from Cahill in the 30^th minute. On the losing side, Hazard, Bakayoko and, of course, Diego Costa were all missing, though the former has played his last game with the Champions. The other two new signings, Rudiger and Morata did come on later in the game, though neither acquitted themselves particularly well, as mentioned above.

Potentially informative is the fact only Manchester United have repeated as Champions in the Premier League era and most recent champions have fared rather poorly the following season, including Chelsea just a couple of seasons ago. With the increased competition of the league, one does wonder if they have the tools necessary to repeat, along with the requisite will and hunger. Morata is an exceptional player, but Diego Costa’s fiery side arguably helped them over the line both times they won the title and he might be sorely missed in the end. They might also rue the loss of the experience and winning mentality now playing in the Championship with Aston Villa.

For Arsenal, we won’t know much until we get to the money end of the season, as false hopes have been extinguished far too often over the past decade plus, including two seasons ago, when they really should have beaten Cinderella Leicester to the crown. The run of form since last April is certainly something to build on, along with a further taste of trophy glory that should leave the youngsters and more seasoned stars hungry for more. It also appears that Sanchez has resigned himself to staying this season, particularly given that PSG’s outlay on Neymar seems to end any foreign bidders worthy of consideration (Bayern balked at his salary demands of around 400,000 pounds a week earlier in the summer window). Of course, we shouldn’t count out Barcelona showing up at our doorstep with a mouthwatering bid, but Wenger seems set on retaining his best player. City might just be a year away for Sanchez, but with the World Cup on the horizon, one expects the diminutive Chilean who can to give it his best throughout the season. We’re only five days away from its commencement. Here we go again!

Donald Trump as a Child

The Absurdity of Our Insularity

One of the biggest problems facing America today is the insularity that appears to spread across the political spectrum, or at least outward from the center with increasing magnitude as it nears the dual poles. There are arguably many reasons to explain this insularity from the echo chamber offered on digital and traditional media platforms that allow one to only receive news and perspectives that reinforce what you already believe to the increasing segregation in society in general. Both conservatives and liberals are both guilty of abiding this new paradigm, existing in blissful ignorance of arguments that might differ with their own.

The costs of this insularity are profound, from the inability to engage in political discussion and debate across ideological lines to the very real and deleterious ways it has created an uber-partisan environment in DC that undermines compromise and forward movement on issues that affect our lives. It has led to increased violence, though predominantly from the right-leaning end of the political continuum, and an inability to even consider confounding evidence or arguments. Maybe most troubling to our long-term prospects, is the ways it has cut off the critical thinking facilities essential to the effective functioning of democracy.

One way in which we see this new political insularity is exposed is, of course, through those who continue to support President Trump, and those who blindly reject everything conservatives do from one day to the next (though one has to admit that has become more reasonable in recent years). Another way is the reactionary fervor that seems to sprout out from every corner of our cultural landscape, often more fervent and fiery than an Evangelical sermon.

The latest example emerged just yesterday, on the heals of the absurd imbroglio started by Trump himself, as he tweeted a video of him body slamming and punching CNN, followed by claims that CNN blackmailed the adult reddit user that made that video. The latest event to cause an Internet uproar? Well, that most offensive of American documents, The Declaration of Independence.

That’s right. A group of Trump supporters thought that NPR was tweeting propaganda, as it used 113 consecutive posts over a 20-minute period to convey the entire 1776 document to its followers, a tradition, one might mention, that has been going on for 29 years now. Some just thought it was spam, but others figured lines like “He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary power” and “A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people” were a reference to our current Commander in Thief. And they were not going to take those remarks from the very media outlet they are hoping to defund as soon as possible.

While this is a minor example, and some even took the time to apologize for the reactionary posts, it does show how quick many are to apoplectic frenzy any time anyone writes, says or posts something they disagree with. It is a troubling trend that only seems to worsen with each passing year. On the left, activists seek to silence anyone who says anything offensive to their social justice agenda, which I do largely ascribe to I should admit, while on the right confounding perspectives are attacked like the words of Beelzebub himself.

I don’t believe the answer is simply more civility in the public sphere, as many have argued, as there is nothing wrong with being impassioned about your positions and arguing for them vigorously. In fact, one could argue the Democrats tendency to try to stand above the fray of political disagreement has cost them dearly, maybe none as clearly as Hillary Clinton. Others call for increased tolerance, but as Zizek so cleverly points out it too has its limits. Maybe the answer instead resides in finding ways to cross ideological boundaries, to talk to one another without the generally held notion that whatever your beliefs, those who disagree with you are just less intelligent, and to seek to stem the inflamed passions that have stoked the insularity toward silos of identity that are immune to all outside influence.

More than anything, we need to return to public spaces that are diverse, whether in our schools, our media or our daily interactions with others. We need to learn to actively listen, rather than simply wait for our turn to talk. We need content producers to stop feeding the flame of partisanship and violence. Ultimately, we need to find ways for those with different values, beliefs and cultural traditions to live harmoniously together. Easier said than done, one must admit, when one of the two founding documents of our country sends those who claim to love it most into a fury, on the very day we are celebrating its birth … 

Inequality in Focus

Seven Thoughts on the NHL/NBA Playoffs

Two teams are a game from winning their respective championships, the Golden State Warriors, still arguably slated as one of, if not THE, best team of all times and the Penguins, pushing to be the first to win back to back Stanley Cups in 19 years and solidify their position as the best franchise over the past two decades. Some thoughts on the playoffs so far in both leagues …

1.    Pittsburgh Uneven Performance Startling

The Penguins cruised 4-1 through what was supposed to be a tough first round series with the Columbia Blue Jackets, but were then pushed to the limit in their next two series, with a decent chance they will have to win Game 7 back in Pittsburgh to lift the cup for the second year in a row. In the second round, they won two games against the Caps that they probably should have lost and then somehow survived a resilient comeback to dominate and ultimately win Game 7. The Caps had all the momentum and home ice going into the clincher, but Pittsburgh found a way with veteran Marc-Andre Fleury delivering a momentous effort to shut them out 2-0.

In their next series, Ottawa was even closer, taking them to double overtime in Game 7 and having several chances to advance before the heroics of Chris Kunitz, 5:09 into that second OT. In Game 3 of that series, Ottawa won 5-1, before losing the next two 3-2 and 7-0. The series seemed over, but then Ottawa held on for a 2-1 lead in Game 6 and had their opportunities to take Game 7. Pittsburgh’s veterans were the difference in the end, but it was the second series in a row they arguably could, and should, have lost.

In the Finals, home ice has been king, with Nashville coming back to tie up Game 1 3-3 before two goals from Pittsburgh ended that night 5-3. The second game was an easier turn, with the Penguins winning 4-1, but Nashville road the home crowd to 5-1 and 4-1 wins that seemed to turn the tide of the series. That was until Pittsburgh got back home and absolutely steamrolled the Predators 6-0. Crosby was the hero, even without scoring, putting in three assists to take over the Finals scoring record from Lemieux at 20 (though it is only 4 goals and 16 assists) and Murray threw down a shutout of a Nashville team that was hot coming in. Malkin chipped in to continue his hot playoffs and Crosby, clearly the greatest player in the world at the moment, could add a third Stanley Cup to two Olympic Golds, a World Championship, Junior World Championship and World Cup of Hockey. Nashville could well win Game 6 on Sunday, but it would be hard to bet against this Pittsburgh side winning one of the last two, having overcome injuries, long series and momentum going against them to stand on the cusp of another Cup.

2.    NBA Playoffs Largely a Yawn

Golden State finally lost a game after sweeping through the first three rounds of the playoffs and the first three games of the Finals and, while Cleveland could argue that they could – and should – be knotted at two games apiece, it seems unlikely they will be able to overcome a 3-1 deficit this time around. The reality of these playoffs is that there have only been three competitive and entertaining series so far – the Celtics-Washington seven gamer, the Houston-Spurs series (4-2) and a Clips-Utah first rounder that also went the distance (even as LA had to play the latter part of that series without star Blake Griffin). Even in these series, there were a number of blowouts. Cleveland only lost once, to the Celtics, before the Finals and Golden State has only lost once all postseason, while the Spurs overcame slow starts to close their two series’ wins relatively efficiently.

The main problem has been the competitiveness of the series (only one has gone to 7 games and 5 have been sweeps) and the games themselves, which have more often than not been blowouts. Let’s move backwards from the Finals to look at the yawnfest in detail. With the exception of Game 3, when the Warriors roared back in the final 3:09 to steal the game, each of the other three has been decided long before the final whistle. In the two conference finals, the Cavs and Warriors crushed their opponent, with Cleveland winning their four games by an average of 25.8 points (including a 44-point decimation in Game 2) and Golden State by an average of 16, including a 26-point comeback after Leonard went down in Game 1. Moving to the Semifinals, Golden State swept by Utah in four easy wins (average margin: 15), the Spurs won four of the last five after getting blown out in Game 1, winning three of those games by a combined 75 points (with only the Game 5 OT win being close) and Cleveland made easy work of Toronto in a sweep with the average margin of victory 15.25. Only the Boston-Washington series was competitive, though two of those seven games came down to the wire (the Game 2 OT win for the Celtics (129-119 in the end) and the Wizards one-point win in Game 6). The first round was actually the most competitive of the entire playoffs, with the Celtics having to recover from an 0-2 home deficit to get past a Rondo-less Chicago, the Bucks and Raptors trading blows in the first three before Toronto ended it with three straight wins, Washington taken to 6 by a resilient Hawks side, the Spurs needing six to get by Memphis and the Clippers losing a tough seven-game series to Utah.

This all leads to a troubling question …

3.  Verdict Still Out on Whether Kevin Durant Broke the NBA

Charles Barkley, Karl Malone and John Stockton, to name three, might have chosen the same path as Kevin Durant if provided with the opportunity, but super teams used to be built from the ground up, with good drafts, smart trades (Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish for Joe Barry Caroll, anyone?) and strong team chemistry. Sure, the Lakers and Celtics seemed to stockpile talent during their long successful runs, but neither in my memory ever added a Top 3 talent to a side that had won a title two seasons previously or lost a close one the year before. Durant wants the ring(s) and can’t be blamed for giving himself the best chance to do so, but could that victory be a little bittersweet, knowing he was never able to accomplish it with OKC, that his old side really should have beaten the team he joined in last year’s playoffs and that other opportunities might have kept his cred more intact (say the Celtics?).

Blaming Durant himself, though, is beside the point. Hearkening back to point #2 above, the real problem is that a dynasty in the making added a tool that makes them all but unstoppable. Until the Game 4 defeat to the Cavs, Golden State had lost once since April, a stretch of 31 games. That is absurd and shows how top heavy the league has become. No two teams have played in three straight finals in the history of the NBA and one wouldn’t be surprised to see these two going at it again next year. Sure, Golden State lost the Finals in 7 games last year and figured they needed to improve to get past LeBron again, but taking one of the top three players in the league seems beyond the fold, particularly on the back of the best regular season in history.

The irony is LeBron can partially blame himself, helping to craft a new collective bargaining agreement that allowed a signing like this to happen in the first place. Remember a few years back when the league actually blocked the Lakers from signing CP3, forcing him to move on to the hapless Clippers instead? Well, look how that turned out … the Lakers have been one of the worst teams in the league the past three seasons and the Clips one of the better in the regular season, even as their playoff collapses and bad luck have become as predictable as a Super Hero sequel, prequel or reboot. In any case, barring some change in this series or the team over the next few years, a dynasty might well be in the making, but one built like never before and that threatens to undermine the competitiveness of the entire league – along with its entertainment value (even as rating are sky high at the moment).

4.  Ovechkin Continues to Underperform in Playoffs

Ovechkin could never get to the conference finals, much less win a Stanley Cup, and still retire having had an admirable and Hall of Fame worthy career. But his inability to perform in the playoffs will mar memories of his professional career if he fails to take that next step and lead his team to the Cup. After a poor start to the Pittsburgh series in Round 2, Ovechkin helped keep his team alive and actually bring the momentum into a Game 7 on home ice. Yet once the game got going, it became clear the Caps attack was well below par and Ovechkin, unlike Crosby, or other greats of the past, failed to lift his team to victory. In 12 seasons with largely quality regular seasons, Ovechkin has been unable to get his team two series wins in any playoffs so far.

The career playoff numbers aren’t bad, actually, with 90 points (46 goals and 44 assists) in 97 games, and a plus/minus of 5, along with 6 game-winning goals. However, this year, surrounded by probably the best supporting case he has ever been offered, was far less impressive, with only 8 points in 13 games, including 5 goals and a measly 3 assists, a -4 plus/minus and no game-winning goals. In his NHL career, Ovechkin has scored more than a point a game (1,035 in 921 games, an average that puts him 17^th all time), 554 goals (27^th at present – though 5^th all-time in goals per game (.626) and 20^th in game winning goals (88). Some of the greats never do it in the playoffs and there is a chance Ovechkin might well join that group, though he still has some years to right that gaping hole in his resume. It might be with a new team, though, as rumors are swirling the Capitals might move on for their talisman of over a decade. Stay tuned for next season …

5.  No Lead Safe in These NHL Playoffs

While Ovechkin will be disappointed, alongside a host of others, the NHL playoffs have far outstripped those of the NBA this time around. The Finals are heading to Game 6 with every chance of going the distance, the Conference Finals were six and seven games, respectively, with the Eastern Finals going to double OT to decide, with 11 series going at least six games and three the full seven.

What has been more impressive is the number of improbable comebacks, including these finals, where the Predators scored three straight to erase a Penguin lead early in the third, before Pittsburgh stormed back to win 5-3. The Rangers blew two leads in their series with Senators, but came back to win one, and two earlier in the playoffs. Anaheim scored three late to actually win a game outright and had several other impressive comebacks and Pittsburgh scored two in the last three minutes to force OT in a game they ultimately lost to the Caps. The result is no lead of less than four games seemed completely safe and pulling the goalie reaped rewards far more often than in the past. With one or two games left in the season, these have been the best playoffs I’ve witnessed in many years, even with the more lopsided wins for both sides in the Finals.

6.  LeBron Still Building Case for GOAT

Even if the Cavaliers fall short on Monday night, and LeBron’s Finals record falls to 3-5, he continues to rack up numbers and records that will keep the debate of Greatest of All Time up in the air. In Game 4 Friday night, he moved to third on the all-time finals scoring list, behind only Kareem and Jerry West and surpassed Magic Johnson for the most triple-doubles in Finals history (9 to 8); with the next closest chasers all stuck on a measly two. He is already the leading scorer in playoff history (with 6,122 points) and seventh in all-time scoring, though still almost 10,000 behind the inimitable Kareem. He is the first player to go to seven straight finals and, over the past few seasons, seems to play his best when the season is on the line. In these finals, even with talented scorers like Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and JR Smith, the Cavs have been dominated when LeBron is off the court. In Game 3, which turned on three misses down the stretch by the Cavs, as they went the final 3:09 without a single point, LeBron was +7 on the court, and before that game-ending 11-0 run by the Warriors, that was a +18. This has been true all season and was the case again in Game 4.

Many will point to that 3-5 record in Finals if the Cavaliers do not follow up being the first in NBA Finals history to come back from a 3-1 deficit to become the first ever to come back from a 3-0 deficit, but it is important to acknowledge that his side has been the underdog in all but two of their Finals and that this was the case last year. The Cavaliers should be tied 2-2 in this series, but for misses by Korver on an open three, Irving on a fade away and, to be fair, LeBron on a tough shot with the clock running down. Yet a player’s career is not defined only by Finals wins, as can be attested to by greats like Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Wilt and West himself.

Many will look at the 6-0 record of Michael Jordan in Finals and I still think there is a strong case to be made he is the best ever, but LeBron can play any position on the court, a feat only matched by Magic Johnson, who had much better teammates top to bottom throughout his career. In the end, the GOAT question is impossible to answer, given changes in the game, the difficulty in comparing different eras and the subjective nature of the questions itself. But those who refuse to field the question simply on the basis of number of Finals won fail to recognize the incredible performance of LeBron over all these years, the workload he sustains – which far surpasses any of the others in that conversation – and the pressure that has followed him throughout his career. GOAT, maybe not yet, but add another Championship and he might close the book on that debate.

7.  Underperformance of Steph Curry Largely Under the Radar

While LeBron continues to sparkle, even in defeat, Steph Curry has been far below his best in the Finals going back to Game 5 of last season. In last season’s finals, Curry’s numbers dropped precipitously, from 30.1 ppg during the regular season and 26.7 in the Western Conference playoffs, to 22.6 in the Finals. His assists per game dropped even more precipitously, from 6.7 to 6.1 to a measly 3.7, while his rebounding was also down (5.4, 5.9, then 4.9). The most troubling drop was in his shooting efficiency, though, as his overall field goal percentage dropped from 50.4 to 40.3 and his three-point efficiency from 45.4 to 40. Behind these numbers were some troubling trends, including attacking the basket much less frequently (with more pull-ups (48 vs. 43.7 percent) and less shots from within 10 feet (26.6 vs. 29.8 percent), throwing up more contested jumpers (54.8 vs. 47% of his shots were “defended tightly” in the Finals), dribbling too much and then the costly turnovers at the backend of the series, particularly in Game 7.

Moving forward to this season, Curry looks poised to add a second Championship in three years, maybe as early as tomorrow night. And yet it is hard to ignore the drop-off in performance this series. He is actually shooting lights out from behind the arc (42.5 percent), but that percentage is higher than his overall FGP: 42.3. To put that in perspective, he shot 46.8/41.1 during the regular season. This decline was particularly noticeable in Game 4, where he shot 2-9 from behind the three-point line and 4-13 overall, though he did chip in with 10 assists and 5 rebounds. In fact, to be fair, he has been far above his season average in assists (9.3 vs. 6.6) and rebounds (8.5 vs. 4.5) in the four games so far.

But there is a sense that he has become more of a defensive liability over the past two games, that he is taking bad shots a little too often and that his overall efficiency has declined in maybe 6 of the last 8 Finals games. Some will disagree, and others will argue having Durant by his side means that his numbers are likely to decline. But one could argue that the addition of one of the best scorers in NBA history should actually lead to more open looks and thus better performance overall. Whatever the reason, it might become a minor storyline if the Warriors finish the job, either Monday or in any of the next four possible chances.