Great trilogies are a staple of boxing lore. Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier, Sugar Ray Robinson vs Jake LaMotta and Erik Morales vs Marco Antonio Barrera are just a few legendary championship trilogies in the sweet science. The NBA is far different.
Thursday night, the Golden State Warriors face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers for the NBA Championship. It will mark the first time in NBA history that two teams have battled for the crown three years in a row. Â
The Warriors took the crown in 2015. King (LeBron) James snatched the title back 2016, when his Cavaliers pulled the greatest comeback in NBA history, rebounding from a 3-1 deficit. Now, two stacked teams that have dominated their divisions for the past three seasons will meet again in a rubber match to determine who shall stand on the mountaintop.
This matchup between the Cavs and Warriors was inevitable. The Warriors’ return ticket was punched when the team added Kevin Durant to a 73-win squad. The Cavaliers re-entry stamp was always good to go as long as James was present and healthy. The Cavaliers chances at defending the title were bolstered when the team added former All-Stars Kyle Korver and Deron Williams via trades during the season.
Enough about the history and the buildup for this epic matchup. We all know why these two teams are meeting in the Finals. They have the most-talented teams.
I believe both teams have legitimate paths to victory. Here’s what they need to do if they want to raise the Larry O’Brien trophy after the dust has cleared.
Cleveland Cavaliers
There’s never been a question of who makes the Cavaliers go. James has been the best player in the league for at least a decade. He’s not showing any signs of slowing down. During the regular season, he averaged 26.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 8.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game. In the playoffs, he’s dialed it up, averaging 32.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.2 steals per game.
It looked like the Cavs would stroll through the Eastern Conference with a perfect record, until the Cavs were shocked by the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. James only posted 11 points during the loss. It’s no surprise that the Cavs only loss came during James’ only poor game of these playoffs.
Fortunately for James, his co-stars, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, are also shining during the postseason. Irving has become the Cavs’ closer. When the Cavaliers need a big shot or seem to be stuck in an offensive rut is when Uncle Drew seems to shine the brightest.
When Cleveland found itself down to the Celtics during Game 4, Irving went bananas and dropped 21 points in the third quarter, all in spectacle fashion. Last season he proved to be a severe problem for Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry as he torched the Warriors for 25.2 points and 4.7 assists during the Finals.
Love is sometimes seen as the odd superstar out in Cleveland. He seems to be thriving during this postseason however. Love is not only knocking down his open three-pointers (which he’s always done). He’s also attacking the basket more often and effectively. He also leads the team in rebounding (10.4), which is a surprise considering that Tristan Thompson seems to gobble up every board possible.
Cavs Wildcard
The Cavaliers’ wildcard is Thompson. While he may not lead the team in total rebounds, he dominates the offensive glass. Thompson is averaging 4.2 offensive rebounds per night during the playoffs. To put that in perspective, Deron Williams is second on the team with 1.3.
The Warriors have a reputation for being soft in the middle. If Thompson can bully them underneath the basket and give the Cavs shooters second and third chances, he can help his team defend its title.
Golden State Warriors
I said it before, but it needs to be mentioned again: The Warriors took a 73-win team and added former MVP Kevin Durant. Durant isn’t a former MVP like Dirk Nowitzki, who’s clearly at the tail end of his career. KD is in his prime. He’s arguably a better play now than he was during his MVP season.
People can whine and complain all they want about Durant joining the Warriors, but he didn’t usher in the super team era. James’ Heat and Cavaliers teams already set the bar for the talent needed to win an NBA championship these days. Durant got max money and a chance to play on an excellent team in a large market. It’s was a no-brainer.
In Golden State’s defense, the team’s pre-Durant All-Star trio, Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green, were all drafted by the Warriors. The Durant signing was the Warriors’ first big free-agent signing since super sub Andre Iguodala signed back in 2013.
Speaking of Durant, the best thing that could’ve happened to the Warriors was the knee injury he suffered towards the end of the season. Up until that point, Curry seemed to be cruising along. He was shooting the ball just fine, but the dynamic plays that made him seem like a suped-up video game character were few and far between for Curry.
After Durant went down, Curry didn’t feel the need to defer to make his new superstar teammate comfortable and returned to alpha dog status. Now, Durant has returned healthy but Chef Curry is still cooking. The two form one of the most lethal scoring duos in NBA history.
If that wasn’t enough, Thompson (now the most overlooked Warriors player) finished the season ranked second in three-pointers made (behind Curry). He’s been down a bit in the playoffs, but is liable to drop 50 on any given night.
Green is the heart of the Warriors. His defensive efforts this postseason has been second-to-none. There’s no way that Green will shut down James on the defensive end, but he will bother him more than any player in the game. Green is also shooting a remarkable 47.2 percent from behind the arc during the playoffs. Some of that is due to hard work on his jumper, but a lot of that has to do with the fact that he’s often wide open because teams know that Curry, Durant and Thompson and automatic without a hand in their face.
Warriors Wildcard
Javale McGee has been on the brink of being out of the league for the past several seasons. He career was resuscitated when he was signed by the Warriors to add rim protection.
There’s no coincidence that the Warriors’ collapse last year happened the same time that Andrew Bogut was lost for the rest of the Finals with a sprained knee. With Bogut out of the middle, the Cavs gashed the Warriors in the paint for the rest of the series.
For McGee to be effective though, he’ll have to stay out of foul trouble.
Prediction
I have tremendous respect and admiration for James and the fact that he’s been able to reach the Finals for seven consecutive seasons. When it’s all said and done, he has a chance to go down as the GOAT. However, the firepower by the Warriors is simply too much. The Warriors are a great team on both ends of the court.
Last season, the Cavs were able to be physical and bully Curry, who was already injured and his teammates couldn’t quite pick up the slack. This season, instead of searching for signs of life from Harrison Barnes, Durant will be left to feast if the Cavs go all-out on defending Curry.
In Game 3 of the ECF, Boston showed that Cleveland can be vulnerable when an opponent moves the ball around the court quickly. Nobody spreads the ball better than the Warriors.
This series could very well be a sweep, but I’ll spot the Cavs two games based on James’ greatness.
Golden State Warriors in six.
Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @IshmaelSistrunk
