The Bernstein Brief: We'll Always Have That 1st Quarter
By Dan Bernstein--
CBSChicago.com senior columnist
(CBS) As an opening act that may also have been revealed as a last gasp, the first quarter that began the NBA Finals between the Warriors and Cavaliers on Thursday night was something to be savored forever.
It was for those who may long have wondered what an All-Star Game would look like with everyone trying as hard as possible and everything at stake, with exchanges of shot-making brilliance and end-to-end attack and dunk after dunk over and upon defenders while officials let the players be the show. LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were all on full display at the peak of their respective powers, taking turns making us stand up from the couch or run around the room in amazement.
We waited nearly a year for this and were well rewarded.
This series may not last long, is the shame of it. The Warriors proved all but unguardable, even with Klay Thompson and Draymond Green misfiring. There's just too much for Cleveland to account for, too much to stop amid spacing and movement that stretches them too thin.
It felt like it couldn't sustain, and it didn't. The second units came in and it settled down, dissipating the magic as Golden State asserted its expected dominance. But all of that still happened, glorious as it was. We'll take any more of it we can get.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Bernstein and Goff Show" in afternoon drive. You can follow him on Twitter @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.
