Preview: Warriors face old rival Cavaliers in Chase Center

The Golden State Warriors are your, reigning, defending, undisputed heavyweight champions of the basketball world. They’ve made the NBA Finals six times in the last eight seasons, winning four championships. All that history aside, they’ve lost seven out of their eleven games to start this season, which is not exactly the new beginning Dub Nation has been hoping for.

Meanwhile the Cleveland Cavaliers, a team the Warriors bested in three outta four NBA Finals to build their golden empire, are off to a red hot start this season at 8-3. Are the Cavs rising again to Eastern Conference contendership status? Golden State will get a first hand look at the new and improved hoopers from The Land on Friday night.

Golden State Warriors vs Cleveland Cavaliers

November 11th, 2022 | 7:00 PT

Watch: NBC Sports Bay Area | Listen: 95.7 The Game

The Cavs can put the ball in the basket with the best of them so far this season, as they are ranked second in the NBA in both FG% and 3P% at 48.1% and 40.1% respectively. They have two offensive dynamos in the guard spots with Donovan Mitchell averaging 31.9 PPG and Darius Garland adding 16.4 PPG of his own.

They’ve also got size, with 6-foot-11 Evan Mobley and 6-foot-9 Jarrett Allen crashing the paint and protecting the rim. Old Stephen Curry victim Kevin Love is still out there representing the burgandy-and-gold, coming off the bench for 12.3 PPG. That’s a lot of dangerous weapons for Golden State to deal with, especially considering how porous the Dubs have been on defense.

Golden State currently has a bottom-5 defensive rating at 115.8, and have been getting lit up like Christmas trees for most of the season.

At least they’ve been able to beat the Sacramento Kings twice, the team that handed the Cavs a loss in Cleveland’s most recent game.

That loss was Cleveland’s second in a row after suffering a tough L to the L.A. Clippers:

“If we come out like this against Golden State it’s not going to look pretty,” Mitchell said. “Have to continue to build. I’m always going to say it’s early but this one was one where it can’t happen again. I think as a group we know that and feel that. We will be better.”

Let’s see if Curry and the gang make sure that this game isn’t pretty for the Cavaliers.