NBA: Can Cleveland Dethrone the Dubs?
The Golden State Warriors went 67-15 in the 2015 regular season. They swept the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round, before eliminating the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round, and Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals. The golden boys of the NBA, including league MVP Stephen Curry, took down King James and the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2 in the NBA Finals. 2015 was a dream year for the California team, but 2016 was unimaginable.
The Warriors went 73-9, setting the record for most regular season victories. They finished the season with a 39-2 record at home for the second consecutive year, and set the record for road wins, going 34-7. Now the Warriors are 12-5 in the playoffs and are set to protect their title. The only thing standing in their way: The Cleveland Cavaliers (again).
Cleveland went 53-29 in 2015, finishing second in the Eastern Conference and first in the Central Division. The Cavs advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2007, but were without two of their best players. Kevin Love was injured in Game 4 of round one against the Boston Celtics, and Kyrie Irving got hurt in Game 1 of the Finals.
Lebron James was virtually alone, left with the task of taking down a giant. He almost did it, helping Cleveland to a 2-1 series lead, before losing the next three and the series. In 2016, the Northeast Ohio team returned back and better than ever. They went 57-25, finished first in the conference and division. The Cavaliers breezed through the first two rounds of the postseason, sweeping the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks, before defeating the Toronto Raptors in six games.
Both teams have experienced long and different journeys to end up here, in the NBA Finals, for the second year in a row. Lucky for us, we are in store for another masterpiece. I will explain why I think Cleveland has a chance to dethrone the mighty Golden State Warriors.
Reason No. 1: Three Point Shooting - Cleveland is shooting 43.4% in the playoffs, better than any other team. Love and Irving are hitting at an insane clip of 45.6% and 44.6% from behind the arc, respectively. The Cavaliers are much more than Love and Irving though. Matthew Dellavedova, Channing Frye, James, Richard Jefferson, Iman Shumpert, and JR Smith are all very capable from three. If Cleveland takes down Golden State, they will need to continue hitting from behind the long line.
Reason No. 2: Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving - The Cavaliers fought hard last season against the Warriors and did not have 2/3 of their big three. With Love (17.3 points and 9.6 rebounds) and Irving (24.3 points and 5.1 assists) back, Cleveland is looking like they have the talent to win the championship.
Reason No. 3: Turnovers - Cleveland takes good care of the ball, only turning it over 11.6 times per game, which is tied for the fourth lowest in the postseason. Golden State has always been good at protecting the rock, but have slipped off lately, losing it 14.0 times per matchup. That is 11th best. The Cavaliers have the upper hand when it comes to turnovers and they must exploit that advantage.
Reason No. 4: Momentum - All of the momentum should be on Golden State's side, given the fact that they have won three straight games, and have beaten Cleveland five straight times going back to last years Finals. But the Cavaliers have been playing with a pep in their step and a chip on their shoulder. They definitely look like the team to beat right now, and they are playing that way.
Reason No. 5: Lebron James - James is averaging 24.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 2.2 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. He is shooting 61.5% inside the arc, and 32.2% outside of it. He has been dominant all season long, and has looked even sharper in the playoffs. It is going to be very hard for Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, and company to shut down the four time NBA MVP. James is the biggest reason the Cavaliers have a shot to dethrone the Warriors.
Photo Credit: NBA.com.
