By Sean Simara @Sean_FootyMad @TLE_Sport
And then there were two: the NBA finals will see Cleveland Cavaliers from the Eastern Conference face the Golden State Warriors of the Western Conference.
This is where legacies can be made and destiny’s fulfilled. Can the ‘King’, LeBron James, the best player in the NBA, bring biggest gift of them all back to his spiritual home in Cleveland? The man attempting to stop LeBron is Golden State’s Stephen Curry, this year’s league MVP and the hottest player in the game at the minute, who is hoping to end the Warriors’ 40 year wait for an NBA title. Curry has been on fire for the whole season, so can he spoil the King returning to the top?
In the regular season these two had one win each but now the experience is clearly in the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron’s legacy will again be talked about, as it always is. How and where he goes down in history as one of the greats will be down to how many rings he wins. James is on the hunt for his third, which will leave him 3/6 which looks better then 2/6 if the Cavaliers are defeated. Cleveland hasn’t done much since James was last there, when, of course, he made ‘The Decision’ to go to the Miami Heat.
Cleveland have had to adapt all year, but now James’ experience could be vital for their success. The players around him will of course need to contribute. I can see James exploding in one game and scoring at least 40 points with double assists and rebounds to win the game almost single-handedly for the Cavs.
However for me it could be time for Kyrie Irving to let the NBA world know what he’s about. He has had a great season despite sitting out most of the Atlanta Hawks series with injury, but he should be ready for the big final. Irving has the belief that he can match whatever Stephen Curry can do and there’s no better stage to prove that than in the finals.
So what will, or can, the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, Steve Kerr, do about LeBron James? They could double team him but that leaves others like JR Smith open which could be risky if he gets hot. Or GSW could rough up LeBron in an attempt to upset his rhythm. One thing is for sure – they will have a job on their hands containing him. However it is worth noting that the Warriors have only lost twice at home court all season.
Golden State Warriors are the favourites and deservedly so – they have been the better team throughout the year. I have talked before in earlier features about the splash brothers Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry and how good they are. Klay did suffer concussion-like symptoms in the last game but should be fit for the finals series. As for Curry he has really gone through the NBA gauntlet, defeating Anthony Davies, Marc Gasol and James Harden on his way to this final series. Is it his destiny to go all the way?
I can see the Warriors living up to the hype and winning the big one. It might need all 7 games of the series but GSW have just enough in the tank to pip Cleveland. Curry is something special and this will be a fitting end to what has been a memorable season for him and Golden State. The two sets of fans to are probably the best in the NBA and will make every game a special atmosphere – let’s hope the action on court is equally exciting.
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