The time has finally arrived! We are now mere hours away from the start of the biggest event in basketball: The NBA Finals. This season’s edition is packed to the brim with storylines, as the Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Golden State Warriors. From LeBron James appearing in his fifth straight finals, to the Splash Brothers gracing the series with their presence for the very first time, there is no shortage of narrative. For each of these teams, however, the only thing that matters is getting their hands on the Larry O’Brien trophy and raising their city from the long-awaited title drought they are both mired in.
For the city of Cleveland, a championship from LeBron would be everything. The city of Cleveland has not won any championship in any major sport since 1964(!!!) LeBron is their chosen one, and though he left and won in Miami, a championship for his hometown would unquestionably erase all of those scars. On the other side, the Warriors have been title-stricken for 40 years. In fact, they haven’t even been to the NBA Finals since they last won in 1975. There is almost no fan base as passionate about their team as the Warriors are, and a title would be long overdue in the bay area. With all of that said, it’s time to get down to the real action. Let’s take a look at the deciding factors of the NBA Finals, and see which team is most likely to come out on top.
Getting to 100%
Generally, I’m not a fan of the weeklong break between the Conference Finals and the NBA Finals. This year, however, it was a welcome break because two of the prominent stars in the series have been given time to recover from their respective injuries. For the Cavaliers, point guard Kyrie Irving has been dealing with nagging knee, foot, leg, etc. injuries all playoffs.
With a week-plus off, he’s been able to rest and at least get closer to full strength. Going against this Warriors team, the Cavs will need a close to healthy Irving to try to match Stephen Curry on the other end. We all saw how Houston’s backup point guards fared, and it’s likely that Matthew Dellavedova would endure the same fate.
For the Warriors, the conference finals saw their two stars suffer scary injuries at the hands of Trevor Ariza. Ok, so neither of them were actually his fault, but Steph Curry and Klay Thompson both were shaken up pretty badly. Klay’s injury in game five was a pretty scary concussion that included a bloody ear and some nasty concussion symptoms after the game.
A week off has given him time to recover, and now all signs point to him being ready for game one. While concussion symptoms are hard to gauge, and the NBA’s protocol has come under fire lately, it seems like he should be full strength. It should be no surprise that having the game’s best players being healthy makes this series that much more exciting.
Balling With the Stars
Bad puns aside, this series is not short on firepower and NBA royalty. This year’s MVP, Steph Curry, faces off against one of the greatest players ever, and the current best player in the world in LeBron James. Curry is ascending to the level of “unguardable,” where LeBron has been awaiting him for a few years now. LeBron has self-proclaimed that he is playing the best basketball in his career, and while some numbers don’t exactly back that up, he still has been a machine this postseason.
Joining LeBron is Kyrie Irving, who, when healthy, has the ability to take anyone off the dribble and get to the basket. At the same time, he is also one of the best three-point shooters in the league. Though he may not be 100%, he is still an all-star, and has played like one all season long.
Meanwhile, Curry has confounded defenses across the league with his lethal long-range shot, lighting-quick handles, and near-impossible passing all season. His specialty is hitting shots that defenses are happy to allow, and that makes him a nightmare to try to defend. He sees the floor exceptionally well, much like LeBron, but if you give him an inch of daylight he will make you pay. That, along with many other reasons, made him this year’s MVP.
Alongside Curry is Klay Thompson, and together they comprise the deadliest long-range backcourt in the league. We’ve seen defenses try to guard both for an entire game, and it shouldn’t be surprising that most have failed. Together, the Splash Brothers are just about unstoppable.
Best Supporting Cast
While all eyes will be on the stars, much of the conversation leading up to the finals is about the perceived depth disparity between Golden State and Cleveland. There is no doubt that the Warriors are the deeper team; Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes, Andrew Bogut, and the rest of the bench are fantastic role players and have played very well all postseason. However, the gap might not be as wide as most believe.
Cleveland has been operating with a relatively short bench with the absence of Kevin Love. However, that bench has outplayed their counterparts for the entirety of the playoffs. J.R. Smith has been lights out all playoffs, and Iman Shumpert is the vice-grip defensive stopper/3-point shooter the Knicks always hoped he would become (sorry, Knicks fans).
Meanwhile, Tristan Thompson has emerged as one of the best rebounders in the league, and Timofey Mozgov is the muscle on the inside that every team needs. Throw in timely contributions from Dellavedova and James Jones, and you have yourself a well-rounded squad. Again, Golden State is the deeper, more talented team, but Cleveland’s bench could have something to say about that before this series is over.
X’s and O’s
Finally, one of the more intriguing matchups will be between the head coaches, David Blatt and Steve Kerr. This year is the first time that the NBA Finals has featured two rookie head coaches since the league’s inception. Kerr has been the puppet master behind the Warriors’ success, while Blatt has managed egos and dealt with the pressure that comes with being LeBron James’ head coach. Which coach has the edge?
My money is on Kerr. The adjustments he makes both during and between games have been outstanding all playoffs, and he always seems to know how to get into his team’s head to spur them to victory. On the other end, Blatt has certainly done his job making adjustments throughout the season. However, he has also almost cost his team a win (game 4 vs. Chicago, anyone?) and has been blatantly overruled by LeBron.
It’s a good problem to have, but ultimately he may be the weak link on this Cleveland team. For that reason, the coaching advantage belongs in Golden State’s corner.
The Verdict: Warriors in 6
Regardless of who wins, we are in for one hell of a series. Both teams play exciting basketball and are led by absolute superstars. Both crowds will be electric as the series wears on. Both teams love to shoot threes, and are quite good at it as well. Ultimately, this series will be decided by which team can force the other superstar to blink first.
In his only game against the Warriors, LeBron went for 42 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists. Curry wasn’t as dominant in the Warriors’ win, but 23 points and 10 assists is nothing to laugh at.
The two teams split the series this year, and if Golden State does a better job of containing LeBron, or forcing him to do it all, then the Cavs could endure the same fate that last year’s Miami Heat did against the Spurs. I think Golden State’s grit and defensive prowess is the factor that most people overlook, and will open some eyes in this series. For that reason, more than anything else, I think the Warriors are going to seal the deal and complete one of the best seasons in NBA history. Here's to a great series, (and more Riley Curry)!