(1) Golden State Warriors vs (2) Cleveland Cavaliers
The 3-peat, round 3, the trilogy…
Call it what you want. This series promises to display the highest levels of basketball and to be incredibly entertaining.
(Photo: Brian Spurlock, Custom)
The Warriors
You may have heard the Golden State Warriors are pretty darn good. They are 12-0 during the first three series’ leading up to the NBA Finals. It has been said many times before; they are the most star-studded team in recent history, maybe ever. Due to this fact, each member of their big-four (Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green) are all under 30-years old and are all in the primes of their career.
Since losing the 3-1 series lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 Finals, LeBron James had been in the head of both Curry and Green. They knew they had to do something. I’m pretty sure it came down to these two options: 1. Frame LeBron James for murder or two. Recruit Kevin Durant during the off-season. They (obviously) went with the latter.
With the addition of Durant, paired with growing postseason confidence and experience, the Warriors have a legitimate chance of shutting James’ championship window as close to shut as it will ever be. Durant and “The Bay’s” original big-3 came together to accomplish one ultimate goal they all share: Dethroning King James.
The most crucial part in this series is going to be who is guarding who and specifically when. Every shot counts in the Finals, possessions are to be cherished like a first born child. It is about taking advantage of mismatches out of pick-n-roll plays and being efficient. Both teams can score, we know that. But who is going to be able to exploit the other teams smallest of weakness the best?
The Defending Champions
The Cavaliers match up fairly well with the Warriors, even after the acquisition of Kevin Durant. The biggest worry about the Cavaliers is their inability to keep up with the Warrior’s scoring prowess when they get it going offensively, and they will.
James and Kyrie Irving are going to do their thing, so one can’t expect them to lay an egg out there. Both players have been outstanding together ever since their performances in last year’s finals. Both wholeheartedly believe they are better than Curry and Durant, and they are going to come out firing playing like it.
The Key for the Cavaliers
The guy one player that must step up in this series is Kevin Love. He holds the key for the Cavaliers. They are going to need him desperately on offense if they want to hang in there with the Warriors’ scoring. If he can knock down big shots, get crucial rebounds late in games, and play decent defense, the series can absolutely swing in the Cavalier’s favor.
The next big thing for the Cavaliers is to slow down the tempo offensively and play defense. The Cavalier’s supporting cast are going to have to channel something special defensively for them to have a serious shot at the Warriors. The Cavaliers will not simply need to outscore the Warriors, they are going to need stops. A lot of them.
The Key for the Warriors
On the flip side, Stephen Curry holds the key for Warriors. Here is why: if he is not performing at a high level, the Warriors are going to fall into a hole. Sure, the Warriors have plenty of other weapons but he holds the path towards the team’s success. That offense goes as he goes.
Curry has quietly had a really solid playoff run no one seems to be talking about. If for whatever reason he is not hitting his shots and facilitating the ball at a high level, they automatically become vulnerable. Thompson has been hot and cold during the playoffs and it does not seem like Durant wants the responsibility of having to take over if Curry gets hurt or is simply having a bad series. Not saying he can not do it, there is a difference.
Being the kind of passive guy Durant, one can not be sure if he has it in him to just take over the Finals while LeBron James is guarding him in a one-on-one situation.
This is where Draymond Green comes in. The only way Durant channels his inner killer is through Green. He is incredibly valuable to them, not only for what he does on the court physically, but also because of his ability to elevate his teammates psychologically, allowing them to take their game to a higher level.
The Verdict
With all that being said, this series is going to be a chess match. In-game and game-to-game adjustments are going to be huge in this series. This is where not having head coach Steve Kerr on the floor may hurt the Warriors some but not enough for it to play a big enough role for them to lose. Curry will not fall into a two-game slump bad enough to cost his team the series. James and Irving are going to will the Cavaliers to two, maybe three, wins but it will not be enough to overcome the Warriors’ scoring prowess. But not to worry, LeBron James will be back to another NBA Finals.
2017 NBA Finals Prediction: Golden State Warriors in 7