The Big Show

Eastern Conference Finals

Cavaliers v Celtics

I said – 4-1 Cavs

Result 4-1 Cavs

Looking at the East, this went pretty much as I said it would. The Celtics got one game, what was surprising. it was in Cleveland.

To be honest, they were over matched and after losing Isaiah Thomas, what slim chance they did have walked off the court with him.

The Celtics can feel happy with their season, Brad Stevens maxed out the talent he had and making it to the East finals was a realistic ceiling for this team

Their future looks bright, like a big orange MF sun bright. With the No1 pick in the draft they should take Markelle Fultz, there’s the future sorted. They also have cap space to sign a stud, if they can do that and Isaiah becomes their second scoring option, the Celtics become a serious threat, to anyone.

As a Boston fan, two things have brought me joy across the playoffs, the first, watching Marcus Smart. He throws himself around like a miss-directed cannon ball and he’s just so dam competitive, he actually made some shots in game 3 as well. The second, Brad Stevens, the guy has continued to prove he’s a world class coach, with a bit more talent, well, lets wait and see.

See you next year suckers….

Western Conference Finals

Warriors v Spurs

I said – 4-1 Warriors

Result 4-0 Warriors

“the Mongol, hunchback, Zaza will injure someone.”

The above quote, is what I wrote in my last article regarding this match up, you can read it here, http://www.chewie.co.nz/single-post/2017/05/16/Then-there-were-Four

A lot of people speculated that, if Kawai doesn’t get injured in game one, the Spurs have a chance to win the series. I was not one of those people, they may have won that game, the Warriors looked rusty after having a break. But win the series? I don’t think so.

The Spurs are a fantastic franchise, they have one the greatest coaches ever but, when your back up to Kawai consists of, an ageing Pau and Manu, a non-defending David Lee and, LaMarcus, I’m a shadow of former playing self, Aldridge, you’re not taking down the Warriors.

The biggest disappointment for me in this series was, Paddy Mills, with Tony Parker out, his minutes went up and, he had serious opportunity to score big and nab a massive contract for next year. He underwhelmed and it may hurt him in the future.

There are Chris Paul rumors, which to be honest are probably just that. For me, Paul makes all the sense in the world, for both player and team. He’s a pass first point guard who can run a system better than most. I’d actually love to see Paul and Pop working together, it would also take some heat off of Kawai, who’s a wonderful all round player but, the front office need to find him some help.

Cavaliers v Warriors

The 2017 finals series comes to us as a threepeat, it’s The Cavaliers v The Warriors in a winner takes all decider.

This really comes as no surprise to anyone, if you weren’t picking this it’s fair to say your NBA experience consists of, watching the dunk comp and visiting foot locker. They are clearly the two best teams in the competition and we are in for a series of epic proportions.

I mean it better be epic, because the rest of the playoffs has been a procession. These two teams have played a combined 25 games in the finals and are 24-1. The Celtics stole one when LeBron decided to take a game off, he was on the court but was just a passenger. Perhaps he was giving his team and reminder of how good they are without him?

Meanwhile Steph and KD have been taking target practice, even JaVale has been scoring points, please…..

What I’m hoping for is a repeat of what we saw on Xmas day, easily the best game of the season.

The One Thing

Cavaliers

The Cavs have the best player in the world, you can argue otherwise on your own time but, in my mind LeBron James is the most complete player. A physical specimen like no other, he plays both ends of the court and is capable of taking over any game. This will be his 7th straight finals series so he has the experience and, over the past 4-5yrs he’s shown he has the competitive streak to win.

In saying all that he’s not the one thing the Cavs have over the Warriors, for me, it’s their bench.

In Deron Williams, Kylie Korver, Iman Shumpert, Richard Jefferson and, Channing Frye, the Cavs have a shit load of experience. About 2 trailer loads more shit than the Warriors. They might be a bit long in the tooth, Shumpert aside, but they won’t be afraid of the moment and in finals, experience counts. With every basket, every turnover, every miss-read on defense, the pressure will mount, until it’s too much and a trailer load of shit falls on your head. Older, wiser heads, stay cool in the moment and in finals its often a role player who makes a game deciding play.

Golden State have, Iggy and Shaun Livingstone, after that things look thin, unless you have a crack at Matt Barnes girlfriend, I doubt he’ll do much.

Warriors

This could be the best starting 5 ever assembled in NBA history, big statement considering the 5th player is either Zaza or JaVale McGee. The other 4 are really that good though and make up for whomever fills the center role. The offensive power in this team is staggering, either of, Steph, KD or, Klay can light you up on any given night. Add to that, Draymond is a triple double threat on a nightly basis, it really is a defensive mind fuck. Despite this arsenal of lethal weapons, I think it will be defense that could win it for Golden State.

It’s often stated that defense wins titles, if you can’t stop the other team scoring, we’ll you know, 2nd is just the 1st loser, right?

The Warriors defense is better than Cleveland’s, in the regular season by a country mile. They have a defensive force in Draymond, and JaVale has been protecting the rim with a passion. Klay Thomson is a lock down defender and KD has lifted that aspect of his game to another level. Steph maybe the weak link but, he’s steals the ball, a lot and pulls down more rebounds than he should. These games are going to be pressure cookers and the Warriors defense could get them across the line.

Outcome

I’m 50/50 on this, it could go either way, when it’s this close I usually go with my heart. Oh and I hate Draymond, Zaza and the Warriors crowd.

Cavaliers 4-3