Storyline: We assumed a Warriors vs. Spurs showdown, but OKC has a say in that. And the Cavs are adding a level of intrigue to the mix.
On Sunday the Cleveland Cavaliers swept their way back into the Eastern Conference Finals by once again dismantling the Atlanta Hawks.
The San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder are locked in an entertaining-as-hell ‘steel cage’ match.
The Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat continue to keep us guessing in a back-and-forth series with who wins being a guess by anyone.
And, on the West Coast, all eyes are on the health of Steph Curry as the Golden State Warriors try to hold off the very game Portland Trailblazers.
Courtesy: NBA.com
The 2016 NBA playoffs have had their share of blowouts and really bad games, but now is when the real intrigue starts. We are starting to see who are the true title contenders and … surprise! They’re pretty much the same teams that NBA followers have expected all season to rise to the top.
In the immortal words of the totally average Dennis Green: “They are who they thought were!” Still there are plenty of interesting things happening in this NBA title hunt.
Cavaliers, Onward!
We all assumed that LeBron James and the Cavs would conquer the East in 2016. However, I wonder how many pundits considered them to be actual title contenders? Head coach David Blatt was kicked to the curb mid-year and the inexperienced Tyronn Lue took over. Not much changed. The team still was not getting the most out of Kevin Love and the rotations were a mess. Sure, the Cavs could take on the Eastern challengers based on talent alone, but could they beat the Spurs or Warriors?
Not a chance back then. But now?
Courtesy: hoopshabit.com
Sure, the Cavs have yet to be beaten in these Playoffs, but we’re talking about just Detroit and Atlanta. Can they really compete with the best in the West? Right now I say yes. The major reason is on-court chemistry. That’s refreshing to see in The ‘Land. Only LeBron could call it and make it work but, now, James, Love, and Kyrie seem to be on the same page with a pecking order that rivals the roles that James, Bosh, Wade played on Miami’s 2012-13 championship teams.
With these guys set and happy with their roles, the rest of the team has fallen into place. J.R. Smith and Channing Frye fit perfectly into their court spacing, spot-up shooter roles. Tristan Thompson remains a top-notch rebounder and defender, while Iman Shumpert and Matthew Dellavedova can provide grittiness and effort off the bench.
What a difference it is from last year when injuries forced guys into roles beyond their talents. If the Cavs stay healthy and committed to defense and ball rotation on offense—like they’ve been so far—then this team can definitely win the title.
Yes, they can … even over the Spurs and Warriors.
Spurs and Thunder
Speaking of Spurs, will they even get to the Conference Finals and the assumed showdown with the Warriors? I’d still lean towards yes, but the Thunder are putting a question mark on the outcome. It’s a very challenging task not to trust San Antonio, but this is not the same Spurs team to which we’ve grown accustomed.
Courtesy: Latinpost.com
In this series Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili have been nothing more than below average role players. Duncan (3 pts 4 reb 1 assist avg. for the series) can’t even get on the court in the 4th quarter. And Ginobili (8 pts 3 reb 2 assist avg. for series) only seems to play because Gregg Popovich doesn’t trust any other guard.
Veteran Tony Parker still has impact at point guard, but this is now fully Kawhi Leonard’s and LaMarcus Aldridge’s team to lead.
Many series come down to the play of the best players on the team, so do I trust Leonard and Aldridge to win out over Kevin Durant and Bryan Westbrook? That’s an extremely difficult choice to make because it’s as breakeven a match-up you can have. Kawhi is a finals MVP and Durant and Westbrook have already shown they can beat a championship-ready Spurs team. So I guess that leaves Aldridge. Can L.A. deliver in clutch games at a championship level? The next three games should give us the answer.
Right now I still say Spurs over OKC because two of the remaining games are in San Antonio and Pop is an all-time great coach. But, based on the first two games, I think it’s a toss-up. If Westbrook and Durant can control their Q4 turnovers, show trust in their teammates, and make some “hero” shots then they can topple the Spurs. (OK, I will move now because my changes on this match-up each minute I think about it.)
Courtesy: USAToday.com
Warriors and Trail Blazers
With or without Curry, I still believe the Warriors will get by Portland. The length of the series may depend on the two-time MVP’s availability, but the Warriors should be headed to the Western Conference Finals when the series is over.
Portland has fire power with Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum and a bevy of decent role players, but defense will be their downfall. Plus I can’t see them taking a game in the mighty loud Oracle Arena, where they must steal at least one game.
I don’t mean to dismiss the Trailblazers, but I guess I just did.
Heat and Raptors
The Miami Heat have looked unbeatable at times in the Playoffs and appeared to be on a destined path of revenge against the former savior, LeBron. But don’t count out Toronto. The Raptors performed a miracle 4th Quarter comeback against Indiana in Game 5 to win that series in seven and, then, looked mediocre against Miami in the first two games in ‘We Up North’ country. Yet, here we are with a very evenly matched series between the Heat and Raptors.
Courtesy: pagesix.com
I don’t think either of these teams can give the Cavs much of a run, especially if injured centers, Hasson Whiteside for the Heat and the Raptor’s Jonas Valanciunas, don’t get healthy. But this series has offered some sweet NBA entertainment!
Games 1 and 2 went into OT with a half-court shot forcing the extra session in Game 1. Watching the journey of Raptors’ star, Kevin Lowry, as he turns from goat to star each game has been a thrill. The continued clutch play of Dwayne Wade is always a joy to take in.
Sure, these are two flawed teams battling only to be eliminated by the mighty LeBron’s, but there’s no harm in putting on a show in the meantime.
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The NBA playoffs haven’t been perfect this year, but the good stuff is just getting started.
We all want, and assumed, a Warriors vs. Spurs showdown, but OKC is proving otherwise right now. And the Cavs hope to add another level of intrigue to the mix.
Play on!
