This is the real party right here, right now. The actual NBA postseason is FINALLY HERE!
It’s the Cleveland Cavaliers versus the Golden State Warriors, and now it’s the rubber match of the series. G.S. took the first one in 2015, the Cavs won last year, and now we’ll watch an epic NBA Finals series that should certainly redeem what was a dreadfully tedious and utterly pointless NBA playoffs.
You knew it was going to be these two teams all along, and the road here was filled with completely predictable and essentially boring chalk. Although we did all have some fun on social media with some of the laughable blowouts.
The whole postseason up to this point meant nothing beyond the arms race between the Warriors and Cavs. These two teams did the basketball equivalent of what the United States and Soviet Union did from the 1950s-1980s; showing off in order to instill fear into the opponent.
ODDS: the Warriors are favored and also lead the way regarding NBA Finals MVP candidates, go here for much more on that.
Cleveland Cavaliers Preview-
Reggie Miller on how Cleveland builds momentum through their transition game: “You can’t give up easy baskets and run outs against the Cleveland Cavaliers because it fuels their pace.”
Heart-warming aside: The official Cleveland Cavaliers hashtag is “defend the land,” and here’s a tale of a man who bravely did so. What the Cavs and Crown Royal did to thank him is a must-read.
Player to Watch: Lebron James
James surpassed Michael Jordan to become the all-time leading scorer in NBA Playoffs history last night. However PLEASE DO NOT do the MJ vs Lebron hot takes. That shopworn narrative has been long run into the ground.
“LeBron is amazing. If he’s able to win this championship, I’ll put him on the same level as Kobe Bryant,” said Charles Barkley. on
LeBron is heading to his seventh straight NBA Finals, but Reggie Miller had a lot to say about Kevin Love’s strong performances throughout the series:
“This is the best I’ve seen Kevin Love, especially at the offensive end. He is so engaged. He’s not looking at Kyrie [Irving] or LeBron [James] and saying, ‘Is it my turn yet?’ He’s being aggressive and initiating a lot of this offense.”
X-Factor: Deron Williams
These days, D. Will is basically an iPhone 3G. In 2009, it was the absolute top of the line. Today, you can take it off the shelf, and when it’s fully charged, it still works very well! Shaquille O’Neal on Deron Williams’ performance (14 points, 5-6 shooting, 2-3 from 3PT) last night in game five.
“Today, Deron Williams is the unexpected guy. He looks like the young Deron from Utah. When you have unexpected guys chipping and getting it done, it makes a difference.”
Williams was drafted out of Illinois in 2005 by the Utah Jazz. This is his first NBA Finals, so you know he’ll be all in it to win it.
The @cavs plugged in their Iphone 3G today ( Deron Williams ) and found out it still works very well! #DefendtheLand #Illini #nba
— Paul M. Banks (@PaulMBanks) April 23, 2017
Golden State Warriors Preview-
Golden State, essentially a super-team of galacticos, will enter the Finals on nine full days of rest. Kevin Durant has played just 33 minutes per game during the postseason—seven fewer minutes per game than in any of his previous five postseason trips.
Player to Watch: Kevin Durant
Nearly impossible to pick just one, the splash brothers, Draymond Green, but we’re going with the Durantula simply because he’s so well rested.
X Factor: Whoever is able to effectively box out Tristan Thompson
Golden State allowed an NBA-worst 11.8 offensive rebounds per game this season, which means Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson could really eat this series. Although the Cavs’ offensive rebounding as a whole has been very inconsistent this year, with Thompson, they have enough to dominate the glass. That is unless Green, Durant,
Fun fact: This series matches a team with a Flat-Earther (Kyrie Irving) against a squad that includes Draymond Green, who said he isn’t fully convinced the earth is actually round. Green even once disputed the authenticity of satellite photos proving as such.
I don’t ever believe in telling someone to “stick to sports,” but in the cases of these two….I don’t know man….maybe.
It’s an even more ironic since he has the name “Green” and he also once compared himself to Al Gore in an interview.
Hashtags: #NBA #NBAFinals #DubNation #DefendTheLand
Schedule:
Game 1 — Thurs. June 1 Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State, 9 p.m. ET
Game 2 — Sun. June 4 Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State, 8 p.m. ET
Game 3 — Wed. June 7 Golden State Warriors at Cleveland Cavaliers, 9 p.m. ET
Game 4 — Fri. June 9 Golden State Warriors at Cleveland Cavaliers, 9 p.m. ET
Game 5 — Mon. June 12 Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors, 9 p.m. ET
Game 6 — Thurs. June 15 Golden State Warriors at Cleveland, 9 p.m. ET
Game 7 — Sun. June 18 Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State, 8 p.m. ET
All games televised on ABC
Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers in 7
Lebron James can create so many mismatches with his driving ability because a lot of the time a power forward or a center has to guard him. He’s too quick for most of the guys that Golden State have at those positions to try and neutralize him. Thus, we’re picking upset.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes to WGN CLTV and KOZN.
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