By JJ MARSHALL, Jr./Designated Contributor
Did the regular season even matter? For the fourth straight season, and as everyone predicted, the Cleveland Cavaliers will play the Golden State Warriors for the Larry O’Brien trophy beginning on Thursday, May 31. I have a few questions and remarks regarding how we got here, and what happens next.
“Is dragging this group of losers to the NBA Finals LeBron’s greatest accomplishment?”
No. It’s not even the most impressive “dragging of losers to an NBA Finals.” In 2001, Allen Iverson drug Eric Snow and the corpse of Dikembe Mutumbo to the Finals, and even stole a game from the Legendary Shaq/Kobe Lakers (*steps over Tyronn Lue*). I don’t quite understand why guys like Mike Wilbon and Colin Cowherd immediately began posing this question after game 7 of the Celtics/Cavs series, but it’s obviously a narrative Bron wants pushed. It is certainly impressive, considering he did it without a healthy Kevin Love. But, let’s face it, the Eastern Conference was a disaster this season. The Raptors were the top seed, and LeBron ripped through them like they were a YMCA team. The Celtics made it to the conference finals without their two best players. Lebron’s stamina is the most noteworthy of this current achievement. Making his 8th straight NBA Finals, playing over 100 games each season, and continuing to dominate the league is something we will never see again. Kevin Durant doesn’t have to be “on” every night; the Warriors have two other All-World talents they can rely upon. Lebron has J.R. Smith.
“Will this be a Warriors sweep?”
Probably. That’s what everyone wants you to believe. But it’s not going to happen. The NBA loves Lebron, and the referees will reward him with a chance to win. I’m not saying that the refs favor Lebron (he gets fouled on every possession, much like Shaq, and doesn’t get half the calls), but some important calls will go in his favor. The Warriors have done this dance all post-season of being the greatest team of all time one game, followed by a lethargic ****-show thereafter. Obviously, Golden State is more talented, though I might argue that Cleveland is deeper. If Kevin Love returns from his concussion (surely he will play Game 1, right?), the Cavs should be able to make up some ground with their second unit. That entirely depends on which Jeff Green shows up, so don’t place any bets just yet.
“Where is Draymond Green?”
Last series, James Harden dunked on him so unbelievably hard, and then Green proceeded to dunk on himself shortly after. I told my brother that this was going to seriously affect Draymond, and it has. He’s never been a good shooter, but this season has easily been his worst. Teams are just not guarding him on the perimeter. He can still make precision passes, and he is still great at making the right decision catching a pass out of a double team and going two-on-one. But at this point, he has to make a shot now and then to truly be worth the trust Steve Kerr places in him. He is usually able to be a monster defensively, but without the energy he usually gets from the offensive side of the court, he has just looked lost on D as well. He needs LeBron to get him pissed off and engaged again.
“Is a fourth consecutive Cavs/Warriors finals bad for the NBA?”
Nothing is bad for the NBA. It’s the most popular sport in the world outside of soccer, and this rivalry has grown in intrigue each year. It’s the ultimate “Hero vs Team Ball” story. Sure, the Rockets beating the Warriors would have been fun, but when you wake up the next morning staring down a Rockets-Celtics finals, does that get you excited?
We may get a quick series. Who knows, maybe it goes seven games and James gives us his most unbelievable performance. The best part of this whole Finals is that you know this summer is going to be incredible. Odds are that the Cavs come up short, forcing LeBron into building his own superteam or going to the Rockets to join CP3 and Harden. If the Warriors win, the rest of the NBA has to make a huge adjustment. If the Cavs win, LeBron is officially superior to Michael Jordan. Don’t @ me bro.
