Hoops Habit Podcast Ep. 003: 2018 NBA Finals preview with Gerald Bourguet

Michael Dugger is joined on the Hoops Habit podcast by editor-in-chief Gerald Bourguet to preview the 2018 NBA Finals matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors.

As we embark on the fourth installment of the NBA Finals featuring the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors, Michael Dugger welcomes editor-in-chief Gerald Bourguet to the Hoops Habit podcast to preview and share their thoughts on the championship series as a whole.

They begin by discussing the seasons and immediate outlook of the Houston Rockets (0:45) and the Boston Celtics (3:50) in the aftermath of losing in difficult fashion on their home floors in a pair of Game 7s.

After that, they dive into the 2018 NBA Finals, beginning with their initial thoughts on this being the fourth straight matchup between these two powerhouses, and if there is any resentment about seeing the same teams on this many occasions in a row (7:20).

From there, they dissect the lopsided individual matchups (10:20) and explore the possibility, if any, of Kevin Durant perhaps overtaking LeBron James with another Finals MVP performance (13:20.)

There’s also discussion on how the Cavs could take advantage of Andre Iguodala‘s lingering injury (17:20) and how Kevin Love‘s absence via concussion impacts the Cavs’ defense in a positive way (19:45).

Dugger briefly explores the sadness surrounding Kyrie Irving not being in this series to help LeBron (23:45) before attempting to explain the Warriors’ third quarter surges (25:50).

Next: 2018 NBA Finals series preview

Finally, the HoopsHabit podcast ends with predictions (32:20) before closing out the show. Thanks for listening as always!