The Future of The NBA Rides on This Year’s Conference Finals
The outcomes of the Eastern and Western Con fence matches may very well determine the direction of the league
The wait is over. The curtains are finally lifted and NBA fans are ready to witness the penultimate finals between the top teams in the East and West.
Today at 3:30PM the Eastern Conference Finals matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics takes place and fans couldn’t be any more excited. Last year these two teams met and the Cavaliers walked away with a 4–1 victory. After a couple trades, first round picks evolving their game, and a serious team overhaul, the Celtics and the Cavaliers are right back to where they started.
The Celtics have been preparing to overtake the NBA for more than five years now. After fleecing the Brooklyn Nets for their first round picks, general manger Danny Ainge has put the organization in a position to be competitive to win a title for several years. It’s an impressive feat considering that most people weren’t expecting the Celtics to be so far along in terms of rebuilding and development.
The young Celtics are looking forward to their rematch against the Cavaliers and want to ensure everybody that they are comfortable being the underdogs in the series.
“We’d rather y’all count us out,” Celtics point guard Terry Rozier said to reporters last Friday. “We don’t want anybody on our side now. We’re doing good and we play better when our back is against the wall.”
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers have done a surprisingly adequate job of surviving the NBA Playoffs considering this roster is weaker than last year’s team. The Cavaliers made it past the first round of the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers, going seven games and narrowly escaping the series with a victory.
They soon made quick work of the Toronto Raptors in the semifinals. The defeat was so humiliating that it led to the firing of head coach — and recent Coach of the Year award winner — Dwane Casey.
Despite their accomplishments, there are still no guarantees that the Cavaliers will even make it back to the NBA Finals despite having the best player in the world on their roster. For one, the team benefited from the matchup problems of the Toronto Raptors. They struggled mightily against the defensive minded Indiana Pacers and the Celtics have had experience in dealing with the Cavaliers so expect a sly Brad Stevens come up with strategies to slow down the Cavs momentum.
“Even if LeBron scores 42 points, if you can shut down Korver and Love, you’ve got a chance,” an Eastern Conference scout told Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report. “JR Smith is so damn inconsistent you never know what you’re gonna get. He’s either going to go 0-of-6 or 6-of-6, there’s no in between. Take away Korver’s catch-and-shoot, and you can stop him. Boston has the ability to do that. They’re so much more athletic and versatile defensively than Toronto and Indiana were. Let LeBron get his and limit the supporting cast. When James wasn’t getting help against the Pacers, they weren’t winning.”
If the Celtics defeat the Cavaliers and manage to move on the NBA Finals — especially with a limited roster — you can expect LeBron James to seek greener pastures and leave his hometown once again to join a contender. James has stated in the past he wants to keep playing as long as he can continue to win titles. If the Cavaliers do not have the talent that will help him achieve his goal, it could factor his decision-making this offseason.
The Pacers proved that the Cavaliers are not invincible and can be beaten. The Celtics have taken cue from that and you can expect the same type of fight come this afternoon when these two teams square off.
Meanwhile in the Western Conference, another rematch is about to take place between the two dominant offensive forces in the league.
The Golden State Warriors have pretty much dominated the NBA and have constructed a new breed of “super-teams” that are looking for supreme predominance. Teams such as the Celtics, Cavaliers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and even the Philadelphia 76ers have tried to recapture the success of the Warriors. Some are near completion like the Celtics and 76ers while others have tried and failed like the Thunder or couldn’t sustain success like the Cavaliers.
The Rockets assembled their roster in hopes of defeating the Warriors on the big state in the Western Conference Finals. It’s arguably the most important matchup of the year, bigger than even the match between the Celtics and the Cavaliers.
The reason? Whoever wins this series has pretty much secured victory in the NBA Finals.
It’s no secret that the West has had superior talent in the NBA for many years. Although the Celtics are team on the come up, they are doing so without their crucial superstar talents in Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. The only dominant All Star playing is Al Horford. Although the likes of Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, and Terry Rozier have taken leaps in terms of play, they’re not on the same level as Stephen Curry, James Harden, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, or Draymond Green (at least not yet anyway).
“The winner of this series will win the NBA title,” CBS Sports writer John Schmeelk said on his column. “The Rockets won 65 games this year to win the top seed, with the Warriors winning only (insert sarcasm) 58 due to a number of injuries, including one to Stephen Curry at the end of the year. It’s clear the Warriors have dialed up their intensity since the playoffs started, but they’ll be up against a Rockets team that has been the best in the league all season long.”
The Warriors rely on team basketball play. That means limited isolation, heavy ball movement, key switches on defense, and space to utilize the three point shot. The Rockets thrive on isolation basketball for skilled outside shooters who can create their own shot like James Harden, Eric Gordon, or Chris Paul. However, both teams rank top in defense in the league ( Houston had the sixth best defensive efficiency rating in the league this year at 103.8 while the Warriors were ninth in the league at 104.2).
They also have two of the most dominant point guards in the NBA handling the duties of controlling the offense. It should make for an exciting show.
The Rockets have constructed their team to go toe to toe against the Warriors and it remains to be seen if general manager Daryl Morey’s plan has come to fruition. Fans can find that out tomorrow evening.
The winner of this series guarantees a title in the next round. That could force either side to reevaluate if the roster talent is enough. If the Warriors lose, then it could be a sign that their dynasty isn’t designated to last long. Remember, teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, and Boston Celtics have obtained multiple championships in the past but those reigns came to an end at some point. The Warriors losing to the Rockets could signal the same fate and who knows the kind of offseason the front office is prepared to handle.
The games can’t come soon enough.
*additional credit to CBS Sports, ESPN, Bleacher Report, NBA.com/Stats, Basketball Reference, Boston Herald, DawkIns
