Ranking each NBA Finals of the decade from worst to best
By Tony Pesta
10. 2018 NBA Finals: Golden State Warriors beat Cleveland Cavaliers (4-0)
Competitiveness: 1/10
Conclusion: 4/10
Overall excitement: 2/10
Average score: 2.3/10
This rendition of Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers was by far the least entertaining. These two teams faced off against each other a total of four times in the NBA Finals, with this one being their last meeting before James made his departure for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 2017-18 season was an interesting one for the Cavaliers. In the aftermath of the Kyrie Irving fiasco that landed him in Boston, the Cavs front office did their best to keep the ship afloat. Players such as Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas all wore Cleveland jerseys before being traded at the deadline.
By the time the playoffs began, it was basically the LeBron James show all over again. In what was perhaps his greatest Eastern Conference run to date, James carried his team to the Finals. Despite averaging 34.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game leading up to the championship round, nobody gave James a shot at beating the Warriors.
This was for good reason. The Warriors had just knocked off the Houston Rockets in seven games after trailing 3-2. The Rockets were seen as the only team with a chance of stopping the Dubs and if they couldn’t get the job done, there was no chance this Cavaliers team could accomplish it either.
Because of this, it was a shock to see the Cavaliers playing the Warriors closely through Game 1 on the road. Behind an incredible 51 points, eight rebounds and eight assists from James, the Cavs nearly stole the opening game of the series. Of course, an overturned charge call and a boneheaded play by J.R. Smith in the fourth quarter sealed the deal for Golden State.
After Game 1, the series was essentially over. The Dubs went on to sweep the Cavaliers and become just the second team to win back-to-back titles this decade. Kevin Durant won Finals MVP honors for his 28.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.