The NBA playoffs are almost upon us, and there are two teams that are on a collision course of destiny: The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors.
The path couldn’t be clearer for the Cavs, as the Eastern Conference has been parting like the Red Sea as of late for Cleveland.
The Bulls were once considered the favorites, but yet another Derrick Rose injury has all but eliminated them from serious title contention. Even if Rose does come back, don’t expect to see the Bulls in the NBA Finals.
The Miami Heat, a potential first-round matchup for Cleveland, seem to be fading as the season draws to a close. Had Chris Bosh not suffered from blood clots and been shut down for the season, the Heat would have to be serious Eastern Conference contenders. Even with the emergence of Hassan Whiteside and the addition of Goran Dragic, it will not be enough come playoff time and they will struggle to wrestle a playoff spot away from the Indiana Pacers.
The Toronto Raptors and the Washington Wizards were two teams that a lot of people picked to make a deep playoff run at the beginning of the season, but both have struggled the past two months, and now they are likely to meet in the first round. Both these teams have incredible young talent, but both seem to be a year or two away from being able to make a serious run at a title.
The only team in the East that pose a legitimate threat to Cleveland are the Atlanta Hawks. They have had the best record in the East all season, and many people call them “The Spurs of the East”. They move the ball incredibly well, and have a great starting five willing to share the ball and who don’t care who scores. This is usually a formula for success in the postseason, but not this year. While they would have home court advantage against the Cavs in the Conference Finals, Cleveland would be favorites for one reason and one reason only: they have LeBron James.
James has been to the Finals each of the past four years, winning two of them. While team basketball is pretty to watch and fundamentally sound, the fact is superstars win titles, with few exceptions. Since 2000, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and LeBron James have won 11 titles. At least one of them have appeared in all but one, in 2006. Those other four years? The 2008 Boston Celtics lead by Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. The 2006 Miami Heat lead by Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O’Neal. The 2011 Dallas Mavericks lead by Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd. The only team since the turn of the century to win a championship without a superstar were the 2004 Detroit Pistons. While the Atlanta Hawks play great team basketball, the Cavs have LeBron, and history tells us that can make the difference.
Out in the wild Western Conference, The Warriors have a date with destiny in June. The road to the Finals may be tougher than ever before, but Golden State is ready to take their place as the next dynasty in the NBA.
Obviously the San Antonio Spurs, defending champs, will have something to say about that. Many people would favor the Spurs against the Warriors if they were to meet in the postseason. In order for that to happen, San Antonio would have to get past either Houston or Memphis. The Spurs are getting older whether Popovich wants to admit it or not, and Houston has a potential MVP in James Harden along with Dwight Howard, and Memphis has maybe the best frontcourt in the game in Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Any of these three teams could defeat Golden State in a seven game series, but can they after having to win two grueling series first?
Perhaps the biggest challenger to the Warriors in the loaded Western Conference are the Los Angeles Clippers. A popular pick to win it all back in October, the Clips had a rough few months on their way to finding their rhythm. The Clippers-Warriors are the best rivalry going in the NBA, and it would be incredibly fun to see these two battle it out in the Western Conference Finals, but the Warriors would win out in the end.
They have the likely MVP in Stephen Curry, an All-Star in Klay Thompson, likely Defensive Player of the Year in Draymond Green and likely Coach of the Year in Steve Kerr. Harrison Barnes is an elite wing defender and Andrew Bogut, when healthy, is an elite rim protector. Leandro Barbosa can shoot the lights out off the bench, Marreese Speights and David Lee provide a plethora of size off the bench, and Shaun Livingston and Andre Igoudala are great defenders. Golden State even has the best fan base in the Association, providing a college-like atmosphere for the Warriors. No one is beating them, East or West.
The Warriors will win the title this year. Cleveland is good, and they will run over the East, but LeBron will struggle just like he did in his first year with the Heat. The only difference is he lost to the Mavericks that year, a team that had hit its peak and started to fall off. This time around, an older LeBron will have to go through the next great dynasty in the NBA: the Golden State Warriors. Golden State will beat the Cavs in six games and Curry will be the Finals MVP, when the next dynasty begins.