The challenges are coming for the NBA-best Cavaliers - ESPN

FOR 24 MINUTES, the Golden State Warriors had hung with the NBA's best team.

It was Dec. 30 inside San Francisco's Chase Center, and after a meandering opening half for the Warriors and the then-27-4 Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State cut its deficit to five points with an and-1 by forward Trayce Jackson-Davis on the opening possession of the third quarter.

Eight minutes later, the Warriors found themselves down 26, the victim of a 34-13 barrage full of 3-pointers — the same kind of third-quarter haymaker that had defined their dynastic run.

Roughly 90 minutes before the game, Steve Kerr sat in front of his team's blue lectern, as he has throughout his Hall-of-Fame run as the coach of the four-time champion Warriors.

He said he could see the parallels being drawn between the Cavaliers, now coached by Kerr's former assistant Kenny Atkinson, and his Warriors teams of the past. Cleveland, like those Golden State teams, features a dynamic All-Star backcourt in Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, a versatile, defensive standout power forward in Evan Mobley, a veteran anchor at center in Jarrett Allen and a deep supporting cast capable of overwhelming teams in waves over the course of 48 minutes.

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«I think the biggest thing [my first year] was just having to convince the guys that we didn't have to