NBA Finals Preview
Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavs IV: Cleveland’s Chance to Tie Up the Series
Starting tonight is the showcase for the NBA. The Finals will be broadcast on ABC for all the world to see. The kicker is, we are getting Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors IV. In NBA history, two teams have never met in the Finals for four straight seasons. Throw on your life jacket, we are entering unchartered waters.
Most pundits think this is going to be a quick series. That the Warriors will handle their business and either sweep the Cavaliers, or at the bare minimum do what they did last year, and gentleman’s sweep them. I am not convinced it is going to be as easy as most think. First off, I understand that the top level talent on both teams is not fair. The Cavs have the best player in the world in LeBron James and a top 35 player in Kevin Love (my opinion). The Warriors have three players in the top ten (my opinion) in Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green and one on the cusp in Klay Thompson (again, my opinion).
But for a second, let’s throw these six players out the window. The rest of the presumed rotations should look like this; Cavs: George Hill, J.R. Smith, Tristan Thompson, Jeff Green, Jordan Clarkson, Kyle Korver and Larry Nance Jr. (we could see Rodney Hood if the Cavs get desperate enough). For the Warriors: Andre Iguodala (he isn’t playing Game 1, and who knows when he will be back), Kevon Looney, Shaun Livingston, Jordan Bell, Nick Young and Quinn Cook (we could see one or a culmination of David West, JaVale McGee or Zaza Pachulia, especially if the Cavs start cleaning up on the glass).
These players, as Shaquille O’Neal fondly states on NBA on TNT, are the “Others,” or the supporting cast that surrounds the star players on a team. I will say that I would rather have the Cavaliers’ “Others.” Now, I understand the Warriors have an embarrassment of riches in the superstar department, but they have relied on them more than ever this season. The Warriors have played more iso with Kevin Durant this season than last year. It’s probably due to the reason Curry was injured for a long spell, and they adopted the Durant iso and haven’t been able to drop it. And still a Durant iso is almost unstoppable in the NBA. There are only a few human beings that have a chance at slowing down Durant, and it just so happens that the Cavs have one in James.
Speaking of James, he needs to be super aggressive offensively in Game 1 because the Cavs do not have Igoudala, and outside of Kawhi Leonard, he might be the best player in the world at guarding James. When Iguodala is on the court, James shoots 49.3 percent, jumping up to 55.6 percent when Iguodala is off. Also, since Kevin Love is out of concussion protocol, this should mean he is in the starting lineup, and now most likely James will guard Durant from the tip. As much as it sounds exhausting to James, it’s better for the Cavs chances to pull off a victory. An old Richard Jefferson is not on this roster, and the Cavs will not be using him to guard Durant in crunch time like in last year’s Finals. It shouldn’t happen, but Jeff Green will most likely take the role. It’s a slight upgrade.
I will say this, James is one of the smartest NBA players ever. He has shown off his ridiculous memory throughout these finals, remembering plays like most remember their phone number. Throughout the playoffs, James has realized that he needs to be superhuman for his team to win. Currently, he is averaging 34 points, 9.2 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game in the playoffs, which doesn’t sound like enough to beat the stacked Warriors, but is one of his greatest campaigns. James always seems to find a way to make his teams competitive. It’s going to take more than just offensive domination from James. We need to see him show up on the defensive end and try his hardest to keep Durant in check. LeBron should wave off Green on Durant, and guard him every time he is on the court, if he even gets off of it.
With a better bench than last year but no superstar in Kyrie Irving, it’s hard to pick the Cavs to win this series. Most are hoping they can at least make it competitive. The Cavs will need to slow the game down. They do not have the talent nor personnel to compete with a run and gun Warriors club. They will need to keep their offense in check, much like the Cavs did to an inexperienced Boston Celtics club in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. It would also help if the Warriors miss wide open threes as the Celtics did, but the odds of that happening are slim with Klay and Steph on the other squad. But with a slowed down game, it could mean the Warriors turn to a Kevin Durant iso game and with James guarding him hopefully 95 percent of the time, it could turn fortunate for the Cavs because it would mean Curry and Thompson are less involved. Curry is the engine for the ultimate Warriors roadster, and as talented as Durant is, his iso ball will not be the most effective Warriors offensive option.
The other thing that needs to happen is the Cavs need to dominate on the boards, and they have the personnel to do it with Thompson and Love. Remember, the Warriors took Thompson out of the series last season. Thompson and head coach Tyronn Lue cannot let this happen again. The Cavs need Thompson’s constant effort, rebounding ability, and defensive prowess. He needs to be as aggressive as ever. He needs to play the series of his life.
In summary, I think the Cavs are poised to be more competitive than most think. I think LeBron will continue to look like a man on a mission. I think Love and Thompson will rebound quite well, putting a lot of pressure on the Warriors and even possibly make them go big, which they do not want to do. The Cavs “Others” will probably be better than the Warriors, but it will most likely be because they need more from them and will play them more. Finally, it’s a superstar’s league, and the Warriors have four of them. Four compared to one give the Warriors a huge advantage.
Unlike last year, I’m not going with my heart on this one. My mind thinks the Warriors should win. I expect the Cavs to be more competitive than last year. James is more determined and better than ever. Warriors in six.
