Now that we’ve got the conference championship matchups set, let’s take a completely subjective look at the best and worst case scenarios for the 2016 NBA Finals.
Cavs vs Warriors
Pros:
- The completely healthy Cavs get a second chance to knock off America’s favorite son, Steph Curry.
- The Warriors get a chance to prove that they probably would have won the championship last year, regardless of Cleveland’s injury woes.
- Golden State gets the opportunity to keep their “Best Team of All Time” hat in the ring by putting a championship capstone on the best regular season ever.
- LeBron gets a chance to bring a championship to The ‘Land. (Mostly a pro because once it’s over, hopefully people will stop saying “The ‘Land” so much.)
- Draymond Green vs LeBron James; Steph Curry vs Dellavedova; Kyrie vs LeBron vs Kevin Love (to be fair, this applies to all series involving the Cavs)
Cons:
- The potential for a series reduced to a three point shooting contest between the two teams with very little ‘basketball’ to speak of. It could be fun for a few games, but has the potential to get out of hand.
- It’s possible Delly irritates Steph so consistently and completely that he throws a punch and is suspended for a game. The Cavs then take this opportunity to win the series and we argue for eons about who was truly better.
Rating: 8.11/10
Raptors vs Thunder
Pros:
- Valanciunas and Steven Adams going head-to-head makes this a must-see series…for maybe three games. (I bet Adams would get the better of Jonas, for those keeping track.)
- DeRozan should more or less have free rein against whoever guards him (looking like Roberson, Waiters, or Foye) and should have the opportunity to put on a bit of a show as Lowry tries to shake Westbrook.
Cons:
- First of all, Lowry can’t guard Westbrook and that will be the beginning of all of The North’s problems.
- As the defense sags to help stop a driving Westbrook, Waiters, Ibaka, Roberson, and Durant are going to get open looks. I’m confident at least two of those guys can hit a high percentage of open shots.
- Maybe the Raptors steal one or two games, but in the end we get a mediocre series with no real drama.
Rating: 2.89/10
Warriors vs Raptors
Pros:
- It would be amazing to see the fiery (and hopefully healthy by this point) Valanciunas bang with all-time son-of-a-bitch Andrew Bogut.
- It could be fun to watch DeMarre Carroll try to completely shut down Klay.
- Definitely the matchup with the most future Lakers. (Not sure if that’s a pro, but it’s certainly a fact.)
Cons:
- There’s real sweep potential here if Lowry and/or DeRozan cool off.
- The Raptors just don’t have the depth to keep up with Golden State and they just had to play a seven game series with several overtimes. That’s a lot more minutes than the Warriors have logged. Not ideal if you’re lacking depth.
Rating: 3.2/10
Thunder vs Cavs
Pros:
- Westbrook and Durant vs Kyrie and LeBron…what’s not to love!?
- Dion Waiters and J.R. Smith in a streaky shooter/perplexing decision-making contest…what’s not to love!?
- The opportunity for Steven Adams to absolutely dominate Tristan Thompson and his max contract is tantalizing. Serge trying to keep track of Kevin Love is…mildly intriguing.
Cons:
- NONE! This seems awesome!
Rating: 9.6/10
