4-0 sweep for both Warriors & Cavs seen

AGAIN, I wrote this in advance to beat yet another deadline— hours before Game 2 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. If the Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Boston Celtics, darn. I can’t imagine the Cavs losing after what they’d done to the Celtics in Game 1, which was to zoom to a 117-104 victory to douse doubts they had developed rust from their 10-day furlough.

LeBron James, the greatest basketball player on the planet today, had 38 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for Cleveland as he virtually toyed with every defender thrown at him.

His yet another intellectual Game 1 performance allowed him to score 35 points or more in his last five games— another testament to James’ greatness that helped give Cleveland its first ever NBA title last year.

Said Cavs coach Tyronn Lue of James after the Game 1 win: “He’s playing at a high level. And that’s the reason we’re riding him so much. When LeBron’s playing at that level, other guys just have to be solid and we have a good chance to win.”

Not just a good chance to win, I tell you.

They have all the chances to dispose of the Celtics, if not via a 40 sweep, by a curtly cruise.

Kevin Love, playing with fire in his eyes, more than gave James an ample support by firing 32 points. That was a huge hop from his 13.8 points average in the first two rounds of the playoffs. It was a performance that sent a chilling message to Kelly Olynyk. Getting tangled with Love, Olynyk dislocated Love’s shoulder and knocked the deadly Cav out of the 2015 playoffs.

“We wanted to come in and set the tone and dictate the game,” said Love after the Game 1 win. “It wasn’t just me. Everybody was moving the ball, passing the ball well.”

As for Golden State, the road to the Finals seems also as smooth as silk. After routing the San Antonio Spurs for a 2-0 Western Conference lead, I see no reason why the Warriors won’t prevail in Game 3 on Sunday.

Paramount in the ongoing Conference Finals playoffs is the question: Will Cleveland and Golden State both score a 4-0 sweep each to complete a rare 12-0 result?

Seemingly, it’s headed towards that direction.