GOLDEN STATE’S DEPTH WILL LIKELY SINK CAVALIERS
It’s difficult to bet against LeBron, but Warriors have too many scoring options
What a long, strange route we took to the outcome most of us expected: Golden State against Cleveland for the NBA championship. Again.
LeBron James once more had to be Superman in leading a shoddy supporting cast back to the NBA Finals for a fourth straight meeting (the Warriors took a 2-1 edge in the overall series last June behind new addition Kevin Durant), boosting his nearly peerless resume.
The Warriors battled injuries, were lucky enough to not have to face an injured Chris Paul, and then saw Houston plumb new depths of shooting blanks (fivethirtyeight.com pegged the odds of a team missing 27 straight three-pointers like Houston did at 1-in-72,000). And down went the Rockets in Game 7 in the Western Conference final. Both conference champions rallied from 3-2 deficits in their conference finals, something that has happened only 16 per cent of the time, and they are the first squads since 1983 to win a Game 7 on the road in Round 3.
Golden State is once again the massive favourite, and it says here it will take five games to make it three titles in four years. But it’s still never easy to bet against James, who now undeniably must be placed among the best of the NBA pantheon: Michael Jordan and Bill Russell (with Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson also being in the mix if you talk to old-timers).
James has played every game this year, hasn’t even bothered resting for a minute for some of the recent outings, and is 7-2 in elimination games since returning to Cleveland, both defeats coming against the Warriors.
Depending on the status of Kevin Love, James might have to turn back the clock to the 2015 finals. He averaged an absurd 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists minus Love for all six games and Kyrie Irving for all but the opener as the Cavs slowed it down and worked everything through James, before eventually falling.
And while James probably has a bit more help compared to 2015, even if Love is a no-go for all or part of the series, Golden State still has ample firepower (though former finals MVP Andre Iguodala has ben sidelined recently and won’t be 100 per cent even if he does suit up, largely to guard James).
Durant has been unstoppable at times, oddly not so good at other times, but Steph Curry or Klay Thompson have been there when needed, dropping jaws and turning games with their shooting prowess.
That’s the beauty of the Warriors (or the horror if you are facing them). There are simply too many great options on hand, too much elite talent.
But the presence of James should at least make it competitive, albeit briefly.
Golden State is once again the massive favourite, and it says here it will take five games to make it three titles in four years.
This fourth consecutive finals meeting is a first across the four major North American sporting leagues … As pointed out by James Herbert of CBS.com, the Toronto Raptors now lead the playoffs in offensive efficiency at 110.1 points per 100 possessions. Golden State is 0.1 behind. A slight difference: The Warriors lead all teams surrendering only 99.7 points per 100 at the other end, while Toronto gave up 112.5, the third-worst mark of the 16 teams … James will be an underdog for the seventh time in his nine championship-round appearances. He brings a 3-5 record into 2018 and has three finals MVP awards, tied with Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan for second behind Jordan’s six.