Despite the injuries that leave LeBron James quite alone for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Golden State Warriors are, at least on the outside, acting like this NBA Finals series is going to be competitive and difficult, while the opposite is probably the truth.

This is what coaches should be doing, obviously. They need to keep their players on edge, focused, sharp. While the Cavaliers are far from full force in this series, this is still a good NBA team, with the best player in the league. Taking them seriously shouldn’t be too surprising.

But the media and fans don’t work this way. They see a certain truth, and that is the Cavaliers missed their big opportunity in game 1, and any chance of being competitive in this series ended when Kyrie Irving slipped, resulting in knee surgery. Combine that with how well the Warriors have been playing, how injured the Cavaliers are; it’s not hard to come to the conclusion that his Finals series is pretty much over.

So Steve Kerr and Ron Adams won’t let the Warriors let their guard down. They shouldn’t be that worried. Their time might not be experiences this far in the postseason, but it doesn’t matter. They’ve stepped up to every challenge they’ve faced in the playoffs. From the Pelicans forcing Stephen Curry to make some late game magic, to the Memphis Grizzlies giving the Warriors some adjustment problems for a short while to the Houston Rockets who folded, but not too easily.

Every time the gauntlet has been thrown they’ve answered the challenge and seem to get better through it. Just like in game 1 against the Cavaliers, leading for most of the way, but blowing it in the fourth quarter and overtime. Now, after such a promising start to the series, we aren’t left with all that much to be excited about.