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[av_heading heading=’FEEL THE GAME | Golden State Warriors vs Cleveland Cavaliers: Round 3′ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BOBBY MOTUS
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Friday, June 2, 2017
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WE WILL be witnessing tomorrow the third instalment of the widely expected NBA title showdown between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Even before the 2016-2017 season started, both teams were predicted to a star wars Finals. This is a league first, where the same two teams match up for the NBA title for the third consecutive time.
It’s the Fabulous Four of GSW against the Terrible Three of the Cavaliers. Both teams made serious upgrades to their respective units that they rolled over token oppositions on their way to the third chapter of the NBA’s new rivalry. With their rampage, both teams, including the one mentioned above, recorded several other firsts in league history. Combined, F4 (82.1) outscores T3 (77.7) but all depends on the bench mob’s performance.
Reaching the NBA Finals with a 12-1 record, Cleveland is the first Eastern Conference team since the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls with one or no loss to show. They won 9 consecutive road playoff games overall and ranks second to the LA Lakers (12-straight) with the longest playoff win streak in NBA history. They are the first team to score more than a hundred points in each of their 13 playoff games. They set an NBA playoff record in three-point conversions averaging 14.6 made per game.
In three playoff games at Boston, the Cavs won by an average of 30 points, in the process also making an NBA first by winning a 2-road game average of more than 30 points in the same playoff series. It also marked an NBA first where a home team was prevented from having a lead at any point in three different games. Total domination to say the least.
LeBron James (29.6), Kyrie Irving (25.5) and Kevin Love (22.6) account for at least 75 points of Cleveland’s total point production. In the Boston series, Love averaged a double-double in all five games and this is his best post season performance so far.
Golden State, with a 12-0 record, is the first team in league playoff history to reach the finals without a loss. The LA Lakers in 2001 was the last team to do so at 11-0. This is the 4th time in league history that a team recorded 3 straight series sweep in a single post season. The Lakers did it in 1950, 1989 and 2001.
Counting the few remaining games of the regular season, the Warriors won 27 of their last 28 games. They also scored 100 points or more in each of their 12 playoff games. They are the 14th team in the NBA doing their third consecutive finals. In total, the Warriors are on their ninth championship appearance, tying the Philadelphia 76ers. They are third on the league list with the most number of trips to the finals behind the Boston Celtics with 21 and the Lakers with 31.
Stephen Curry needs 5 more three-point conversions to reach 300 career playoff threes and join Ray Allen, Reggie Miller, Manu Ginobili and LeBron. With 295 playoff 3s made, he now ranks fifth all-time, overtaking Kobe Bryant (292). Very strong chance he cracks 300 tomorrow.
This will be Kevin Durant’s second trip to the NBA Finals and his second meeting with LeBron. LBJ is on his seventh consecutive championships and is the seventh player in league history to appear in at least seven straight NBA Finals, beginning in 2011 when Miami lost to Dallas in six games.
During the 2012 NBA title run against Miami, KD had a very good crew with an on-prime Serge Ibaka, sixth Man of the Year Awardee James Harden, a productive Kendrick Perkins, Thabo Sefoloshia and Nick Collison, plus a constantly improving Russell Westbrook. They won Game One but lost the next four games because of a shallow bench.
In my opinion, KD should have waited a year or two and stayed with OKC and they could have reached their dreams with the mentioned cast. Today, only Westbrook remained, Harden and Ibaka are now with different teams and had reached the post season but they failed to advance past the second round. Could it be that the four (KD, Westbrook, Harden, Ibaka) have a championship jinx?
LeBron had been fortunate to have a strong supporting cast and he has the abnormal talent to take over and control a game almost all by himself. I believe the bench will be crucial in this series and I personally favor the Cavs in seven games with the material they have on hand. Yet again, Andre Iguodala, David West and Matt Barnes could be GSW’s X factors.
CAVS-WARRIORS TRIVIA – GSW head coach Steve Kerr played for Cleveland from 1989 to 1993. GSW interim coach Mike Brown called the shots for Cleveland from 2005 to 2010 and was voted NBA Coach of the Year for the 2008-2009 season. GSW forward David West and Cleveland guard JR Smith were teammates at New Orleans for two seasons (2004 to 2006).
Warriors center Zaza Pachulia and Cavs guard Kyle Korver were teammates in Atlanta in 2012-2013. Also during that season, Cavs forward Richard Jefferson played for GSW. Steph Curry was born in Akron, Ohio and his father Dell played for Cleveland during the 1987-1988 season. His younger brother Seth played in one game with the Cavs in 2013-2014./PN
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