Warriors and Cavs are Headed to Their Third Finals
It is pretty hard to dispute the NBA finals will be a repeat of the two best teams. The Warriors and Cavs are above the other teams who are still trying to win a game in the playoffs. How dominate was the first and second round sweeps by the Cavs and Warriors. A 16 game playoff win streak is a remarkable display of the two best teams.
Are the Cavs and Warriors headed for the finals for the third year in a row.
NBA fans and basketball experts predicted the long waited story trilogy for the third deciding series with each ream winning and losing one. The Warriors face the San Antonio Spurs for the Western title and a finals berth. Do not expect the Warriors to sweep the Spurs as they will be tested but expect them to advance to the finals. The Cavs face the winner of the Celtics and Wizards which is undetermined. If the Celtics win they will have home court advantage against the Cavs.
The Cavs have played their best ball in the post season after slipping at the end of the regular season and finished behind the Celtics. But the Cavs ripped through the playoff field and have found their game chemistry with their superstar leader LeBron James and a great supporting cast. The Cavs gained confidence from last years dramatic series win at Golden State after being down 3 to 1 and rebounding to win game 7. They will be much better prepared to face the Warriors again with a more mature team.
The Cavs will deal with Curry by denying him the ball as much as possible and play more physical. Curry surprised everybody last year with his style of play and his high percentage shooting from anywhere on the court. His previous year of excellence is not as dominate and it will show in the playoffs. Perhaps adding Durant this year has something to do with it, but Curry could not contain Irving in game 7 last year and could be vulnerable this year. Kyrie Irving will play better defense and his shooting ability makes him hard to defend as Curry found out in game 7 last year.
The missing link from last year is the addition of Kevin Durant.
He is superior when he goes one on one and the Cavs will double him and give him the mid-range jumper. Durant is a streak shooter who can knock down 5 or 6 shots when he is hot. Spurts like that are bound to happen but the fourth quarter is where it counts. Containment is how the Cavs try to defend Durant and Curry. The Cavs will create different looks and adjustments on defense to curtail shooting percentages. One or two shooting percentage points less or more could be the game difference.
The Cavs bench players are older and wiser with more experience and confidence. The same can be said about the Warriors. These bench role players are evenly matched and will be a huge factor. The superstar players will need help, rest and relief at certain times during the game especially in the second and third quarters. Both benches have skilled veterans who can hit the three pointer off a designed play.
The Cavs have been able to contain Curry and Thompson at times but now the Warriors have that third shooting weapon with Durant. Only one of those three has to get hot and the Cavs defense will be thinly spread out. Can coach Lue make those crafty decisions. One little adjustment can be the difference. Of course, when you have the best player on your team with LeBron James, you can never be counted out as last year heroics were a tour de force.
