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We are on the cusp of one of the most intriguing NBA Championship duels of all-time. On one hand, we have the belligerent Cavaliers driven by the indomitable King James and a supporting cast that has far over-achieved even by their own estimations. On the other hand we have a reigning league MVP and a rookie coach in Steve Kerr showcasing a brand of effervescent brilliance that is pretty much the model that most teams in the league would like to emulate.
The Cavaliers seem to be riding high on the hopes and expectations of the city of Cleveland. A city that has seen multiple summers without any significant sporting glory and has set all its expectations on their hometown hero LeBron to land them the prized Championship. The last time a superstar had so much riding on his back was maybe Jordan trying to win it for Chicago and we know how that elevated his stardom. Not that LeBron needs the PR push, but without any doubt his decision to “come back home” after all that happened with the Cavaliers front office and the hatred the city bred for him while he joined Wade, Bosh and company on the Heat and won multiple Championships, surely needs this vindication. It is a legacy defining moment for the best player in the planet and with his unprecedented fifth consecutive Finals appearance he has finally established himself as a clutch performer to be ranked in the rostrum of greats such as Jordan, Russell and Magic.
The Warriors on the other hand have quite easily the most vociferous crowd and the rambunctious environment they conjure in conjunction to the jaw-dropping shooting of the splash brothers is most certainly a spectacle beyond the game itself. Steve Kerr with his admirable coaching staff has done the optimum bit to transform the potential built by Mark Jackson into legitimate Championship pedigree players. Curry has without doubt time and again proved his MVP credentials but the biggest positive for the Warriors has to be the 10-man rotation they were able to build up to back-up Curry and Thompson. Draymond Green has earned himself a huge pay-day and is the primal defensive weapon for the Warriors. One can’t speak enough about Green, as he has consistently proved his defensive prowess going up against players much bigger than himself and his defensive intensity and grit saw him nullify the likes of Randolph and Smith in the play-offs so far. The Warriors are the most efficient defensive team in the league and Bogut and Green are the primal reason behind it.
The Warriors most certainly have the better team and with Curry playing the way he has, it seems almost impossible to figure out a way to slow them down. However, if anything the Cavaliers have proved this season is that they play their best when they are put under pressure. Nobody expected a Cavs team without Irving and Love to beat the Bulls, but when you have the likes of Dellavedova, Smith, Shumpert, Thompson and Mozgov stepping up the way they have, it almost seems as if the Cavs are better off without Irving and Love. The Cavaliers defensive efficiency has improved significantly as what they have lost on skill with the losses of Irving and Love they have more than gained in terms of grit and defensive intensity with Smith and Shumpert. Thompson has been the hustler that excels in the presence of the defensive anchor in Mozgov, as he grabs multiple offensive rebounds for the team, crashes the board hard and wins multiple possessions.
However, one significant thing that can’t be negated is that LeBron hasn’t been at his effective best in the play-offs. He has struggled with injuries and his shooting in this play-offs has been abysmal. It will take a lot for anyone to defend 17% shooting from beyond the arc. What has worked for the Cavs that LeBron while having lost some of his motor and athleticism has been using his savvy to get through opposition defenses. His post-play has been impressive and his play-making impeccable. He is too skilled and too big to be denied by single coverage and if you do double team with a wing defender, the Cavs have two shooters spotting up on the wing and the weakside corner that he can pick out with ease. Plus the two Cavs bigs do a great job in setting elevator traps and work off flare screens on the weakside to keep the bigs’ of the defensive team occupied. Shumpert does a great job in using the flare screens to make cuts to the open lane and open up another passing lane for James. Thus it is almost impossible to double team James and not risk getting burned on the perimeter or leave an open lane to the hoop.
However, if any team has the arsenal to stop LeBron it certainly has to be the Warriors. Warriors have possibly four players they can use against LeBRon, namely Green, Igoudala, Thompson and Barnes. All four players have the length and the athleticism to defend and disrupt LeBron. Further the Warriors line-up specially with Livingston has genuine length that allows them to play and deny passing-lanes and also disrupt LeBron’s vision and pass-making ability. Maybe that is still not enough to stop LeBron who can possibly manage to average over 30 points, 10 rebounds and possibly 10 assists for the series. But if the Warriors can deny the open looks for the rest of the Cavaliers support staff, they have a very legitimate chance to negate the offensive threat posed by the Cavs.
Irving maybe back and if the Cavs are to have any genuine shot at beating the Warriors, it is essential that LeBron gets all the help he can get. It is not enough to have the spot-up shooter in Irving on the floor, as it is essential that whoever Curry is guarding does enough to ensure that the reigning league MVP spends as much energy as possible on the defensive end of the floor. Curry’s defense has much improved this season, but still fighting through all the pick-and-rolls that Irving specializes in and the down-picks can take a toll on his body and for a player who is having his deepest play-off run in his career, it may become a factor as the series progresses.
Mozgov and Thompson need to be the beast on the boards that they have been, and after dominating the likes of Noah, Gasol, Horford and Milsap the challenge posed by Bogut and Green can’t seem like a major threat. Pat Riley always professed that Rebounds win Championships and if one were to go by his theory, the Cavs already have the upper hand.
The city of Cleveland is ardently praying for its home bread star to take them to the promised land. LeBron’s legacy, his possible vindication is at stake. Coach Blatt can have the dream start to a NBA coaching career that even Steve Kerr is dreaming of. A lot is at stake for Cleveland and despite LeBron denying the pressure, he certainly knows what is at stake in the NBA Finals. A caveat: LeBron has played 168 play-off games in his career against the Warriors starting five who have played a combined 162.
He has the experience, the motive, the fire in his belly and the support. Can King James reign supreme yet again. Can the dream home-coming story be achieved ? I guess we'll know soon enough.
