The excitement isn’t really there for general NBA fans on a fourth consecutive Cavs-Warriors Finals. But it can still be enjoyed.
It may as well have been scheduled — the NBA Finals we saw coming as soon last year’s ended is here, and many people could not be less enthused about it. But it’s also OK to enjoy this Finals matchup for what it is.
We didn’t get here exactly the way we imagined. LeBron James was taken the distance in playoff series against both the Pacers and Celtics. The Rockets needed to make just four of their 27 consecutive missed threes to beat the Warriors, but instead we have Cavs-Warriors Part 4, and it probably won’t be nearly as thrilling as it has been the past three times.
The lack of excitement is understandable, we’re about to do this for a fourth year in a row. A change of scenery with either the Rockets, Celtics, or both wouldn’t have been the worst thing in the world. The Celtics have a young, talented, and promising roster, while the Rockets shoot the ball with the consistency of an avalanche that you might play with on NBA 2K.
A fourth consecutive year of this series is sort of like eating the same thing for dinner night after night. That steak dinner doesn’t have quite the same flare on Friday as it did on Monday. But basketball fans can still enjoy this series. It’s not like the NBA is at a low point — this is a matchup between arguably the best player of all-time, and one of the best teams ever assembled. This series starts Thursday, the dish is nothing new for us, but it’s still a gourmet meal.
The Warriors are going to be heavily favored in this series, but it doesn’t mean we won’t get everything LeBron has to offer. He averaged a triple-double in last year’s Finals with 33.6 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. He’s reached the Finals with one of the more impressive accomplishments of his career — carrying this particular Cavaliers team there. He’s not going down without a fight. We know LeBron is tired, he’s made that crystal clear — but you don’t know LeBron if you think he’s going to falter now. It’s just a matter of what goes on around him.
Then, there’s the Warriors. A spotlight is more than likely going to be placed upon the LeBron-Durant discussion again as the two best players on the planet. Their back and forth last Finals was fun (we even got a shouting match), and should produce for us in its second iteration. Durant was the best player in the last Finals, and could very well put on another fireworks display.
Steph Curry could also go off this series. In the two Warriors championships, he has yet to win a Finals MVP. He doesn’t seem like one to care all that much about personal accomplishments. Curry backed into the shadow last Finals so that Durant could be the clear-cut best player in that series.
But Curry also has a chip on his shoulder. He let everybody know that Oracle Arena was “my fucking house” during a big third quarter in Game 3 against the Rockets, after having two very Non-Steph performances in Games 1 and 2. He could very well feel that he has something to prove, and there wouldn’t be a better time than this series.
And while much of the focus will stay around LeBron, Durant, and Curry, there’s one other player I’d like to highlight — Klay Thompson.
Many hail Curry as the best shooter of all-time, and that’s correct. At the same time, it’s often said that Thompson is a better shooter than Curry. How that came to be, we don’t know, but it’s tossed around a lot. There are a couple of different versions of Thompson to potentially look forward to in this series: on fire/third quarter Klay, and Game 6 Klay (if necessary). You don’t have to be a Warriors fan to be able to marvel at one of his outbursts.
Let’s also remember that at the end of this, either J.R. Smith or Nick “Swaggy P” Young is going to add a title to their name. That’s never going to be a bad thing. Smith has been there, and done that. But we got a sample of what Swaggy P might be like if the Warriors win a third title, and he claims his first.
Just imagine that celebration, but for the Larry O’Brien trophy.
And if you super don’t give a damn about anything I just mentioned, I guess you can look forward to this likely being the last time a Cavs-Warriors NBA Finals happens. For one, a four-peat Finals matchup doesn’t happen often because, well, it’s hard to do! The NBA’s changing of the guard is also nearing. We don’t know what the summer is going to hold for LeBron, the Rockets are right there, and the Celtics and Sixers clearly have next.
Generally speaking, there could be worse things than a Cavaliers-Warriors matchup. Actually, much, much worse. There are plenty of things to enjoy in the coming days, and we’re here, so we might as well make the most of it.