2018 NBA Finals: Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers preview
Predictions
Maybe Kerr overthinks things. Maybe Iguodala doesn’t play a single game. Maybe Curry and Klay shrink from the moment, maybe KD suffocates Golden State’s offensive firepower with ill-timed isos, maybe Kyle Korver, George Hill, J.R. Smith and Kevin Love all have massive series, and maybe LeBron James submits the greatest Finals performance of his legendary career.
That’s a lot of maybes to justify the Cleveland Cavaliers making this series interesting.
No disrespect to the inexperienced Indiana Pacers, the mentally weak Toronto Raptors or the young Boston Celtics, but none of those teams properly prepared Cleveland for the monster it’s about to face. You know, the monster that steamrolled the San Antonio Spurs and an impressive New Orleans Pelicans team before outlasting the league-best Houston Rockets — all while failing to even reach their peak performance.
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The Cavs are inherently flawed on defense, and unless their shooters are hitting, Golden State can hone in on stopping one player this time around. Even if Love plays and plays extremely well (not a given after returning from a concussion), that’s only two players to really worry about. Without Kyrie Irving to defend, the Warriors’ job on defense will be a lot easier whether they get Iguodala back or not. They simply have an embarrassment of riches.
King James is bound to have himself one hell of a series. He’s been on an absolute tear in these playoffs, and given the lack of help around him, he may put up the best Finals numbers of his career, which would truly be something special to witness.
However, none of that is going to slow down this Warriors death machine, especially when facing a Cavs defense that will pale in comparison to what Golden State saw from San Antonio (No. 4 ranked defense in the regular season, NOLA (No. 13) and Houston (No. 6). The Dubs punished teams — even the Rockets — on the mismatches when their Death Star wasn’t even fully operational; what death and destruction are they going to rain down with constant mismatches everywhere on the floor, against the worst defense they’ve faced in the postseason?
The disparity between these two teams is as large as it’s ever been, and no one should be holding their breath for a 2016 repeat. Curry looks better coming off a knee injury than he did then, Draymond (probably?) won’t get suspended again and it’s much easier to execute on offense against a poor defense that can’t get away with switching like Houston could.
A Cavaliers championship here would surpass even that unforgettable upset back in 2016. I was tempted to go Warriors in 4 for my 2018 NBA Finals prediction, but out of respect for the Herculean playoff run LeBron James is having, I’ll give the Cavaliers one game.
Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft - Doncic still No. 1 in post-lottery edition
Prediction: Warriors in 5