• Turnovers– The biggest problem for the game was turnovers. The Cavs had a whopping 20 turnovers which led to a massive 21 Warrior points, LeBron having 8, 7 in the first half. This is just unacceptable, as it leads to breakaways with the ball in Durant’s hands, and shooters at the wing. In Game 1, this resulted in 4 wide open dunks for Durant alone. 20 turnovers killed the Cavs, but the Warriors tying an NBA Finals record 4 turnovers all game delivered the dagger. The Cavaliers also had 0 steals. Cleveland cannot play sloppy with the ball, because this lets the Warriors run out on the break, where the transition defense was horrible.
• Rebounding and Second Chance Points– It may look as though the Cavaliers rebounded well, having won the rebounding battle 59-50. But, the Warriors had 14 offensive rebounds. This demolished the Cavs, as the Warriors attempted 106 shots, 20 more than the Cavs. This means that the Warriors had 20 more opportunities to score, and with this offensive juggernaut, that will take you out of the game.
• No-Show Reserves: The Cavaliers reserves were horrible, giving the Big 3 no help. JR Smith had 3 points in 28 minutes. Tristan Thompson was a complete no-show with 0 points and 4 rebounds in 22 minutes. Deron Williams also had 0 points on 4 shots. Kyle Korver had 0 points on 3 shots. Only Richard Jefferson was decent, with 9 points. The Cavs bench missed some decent looks, and Cleveland will not win a game if the bench does not compete.
• Big 3 Outplayed: To win a game in this series, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving have to outplay Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry. In Game 1, this did not happen, as Durant was spectacular, with 38 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. LeBron was good, but not great, which is what they need him to be. He had 28 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 assists, but also 8 turnovers. Curry had 28 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds, and outplayed Kyrie with 24 points, 2 assists, and 3 rebounds. Curry and Durant combined for 66 points, and the Cavs Big 3 combined for 67. That is too big of a margin, and if it Curry/KD continue to outplay Kyrie/LeBron, this series will end quickly.

– My Thoughts and Prediction: The Warriors just completely outmatched the Cavs, with Klay Thompson and Draymond Green doing literally nothing offensively. Durant was just amazing, to the point where no one can guard him. His length, quickness, and ability to shoot makes him one of the greatest pure scorers in NBA history. LeBron James played well, but needs to play a lot better for the Cavs to win. The half court defense was decent for the Cavs, but their transition defense was bad, as the Warriors had 27 transition points. For me, I just cannot see anyone beating this Warriors team, as they just have too much firepower. Durant just cannot be stopped, and if Curry keeps shooting like he did in Game 1, the Warriors will not lose a game. Warriors will win in 4 games, and become the first team in NBA History to go 16-0 in the NBA Playoffs.

The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers look to be headed to a third NBA Finals each, as both teams, as of now, are 7-0 in the playoffs. Both have been showing their dominance in their respective conferences, and it does not look like any other team can put up a fight.

For the Warriors, they swept the Blazers in the first round, no game being close. In the first game, Draymond Green showed his importance to the team, as he posted a near triple double, with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists. In the second game at Oracle Arena, the Golden State defense was superb, holding the Blazers to 33% shooting, and only 81 points. The third game was perhaps the most exciting, with the Warriors being down 16 points in the third quarter, rallied back to win 119-113. Finally, Curry put the dagger to the Blazers’ hearts in Game 4, with 37 points, to end their season. The Warriors then moved on to the second round, off of a week’s rest, facing a tired Jazz team that just went to 7 games with the Clippers. The Jazz ran out of gas quickly, and the Warriors played great, with a franchise low 7 turnovers. The second game was also a blowout, as the Warriors won 115-94. The third game was interesting, as the Jazz took their first lead of the series into the half. This did not prevent Kevin Durant, who, while Curry and Thompson were having off nights, exploded for 38 points and 13 rebounds. He did this while trash talking the Jazz mascot and a few fans. As of now, this Warriors team looks to be too much for any team in the Western Conference. You cannot stop their offense, with Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant shooting lights out. On the defensive end, they are superb, led by Defensive Player of the Year candidate Draymond Green. It will be a miracle if this team does not make it to the NBA Finals, barring any injuries.

Meanwhile, the Cavs have had plenty of success as well. Early in a predictions article, I said the Cavs would not make the Finals. Can I take that back? This team has really flipped the switch, especially on defense. Brian Windhorst of ESPN tells us that the Cavs have been practicing defensive schemes, such as the doubling of Paul George and Demar Derozan that we see in this series, all throughout the regular season, just for the playoffs. The Cavs had a shaky start to the playoffs, winning Game 1 vs the Pacers 109-108, with CJ Miles missing a wide open game winner. They then won another close one, 117-111, with the Big 3 combining for 89 points. Then they made a historic comeback in Game 3, erasing the largest halftime deficit of 25 points in NBA history. They then closed it out in Game 4 again, with LeBron making a clutch jumper to seal the sweep. LeBron was excellent in this series, but is outshining himself against Toronto. In Game 1, the Cavs blew Toronto out, LeBron posting 35 points and 10 rebounds. Game 2 put up another Cavs blowout, LeBron meanwhile putting up 39 points on just 14 shots. Game 3 was tightly contested! Well, for the first three quarters. Then, the Cavs went on a 20-3 run to seal the Game 3 victory. LeBron has been playing supernaturally so far in these playoffs, and it doesn’t look like anyone is going to stop him.

A Part III Cavs Warriors Finals looks inevitable. Spurs/ Rockets or Wizards/Celtics are not just going to roll over, but it does not look like any of these teams have enough fire power to put up much of a fight. Everyone get their popcorn out, the Cavs and Warriors are on a collision course aiming right at each other!

Western Conference:

Warriors vs. Trailblazers: Warriors in 4 – I do not see this series being close at all. I think the Warriors are fired up and peaking at the right time, as they played their best basketball at the end of the regular season. Kevin Durant has just come back, but he is looking great. The Blazers, on the other hand, limped their way into the playoffs. The only way for the Blazers to steal a game is to, (1) have Jusuf Nurkic back from his injury at 100%, or (2) Lillard and McCollum are both going to have to play phenomenal.

Spurs vs. Grizzlies: Spurs in 5 – The Grizzlies have been so underrated all year, and I would say this series would be a lot closer if Tony Allen was not injured. I think this will be a lot similar to the Cavs-Pistons series last year, where the Cavs swept them, but all 4 games were extremely close. This will be a competitive series, with the Grizz stealing a game, but the Spurs will pull it out under the coaching excellence of Gregg Popovich.

Rockets vs Thunder: Rockets in 6 – And here we have the two leading MVP Candidates. As I said before in my last article, I believe that James Harden will go off this series, on a mission to prove who the real MVP is. Of course it helps that he has a better team, and I think that the Rockets will prove to be just too much for OKC. I think the two games that the Thunder will get will be on the back of Westbrook, who will put up some monster numbers before going down.

Clippers vs Jazz: Clippers in 7 – This will be the closest and best series of the first round. These two teams are very equal skill-wise, and I think it will go all the way down to a Game 7. It will be tough for the Clippers, who have been riddled with injury all year, but I think the fact that they have 3 All Star caliber players and a good bench will help them prevail. I think the MVP for the Jazz will by Gordon Hayward, as he will not have to spend much time on the defensive end, as he will be guarding Luc Mbah A Moute.

 

Eastern Conference:

Celtics vs. Bulls: Celtics in 6 – Matchups between the 1 seed and the 8 seed are often not close, but I believe this one will be. The Bulls matchup well with the Celtics, and the Bulls have all the experience with Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade, and Rajon Rondo. Meanwhile the Celtics are relatively young, and if the Bulls can find a way to make Isaiah Thomas struggle, they can pull of an upset.

Cavaliers vs. Pacers: Cavaliers in 5 – The first few games of this series will be very important. We will see if the Cavs can really “flip the switch” and if Tyronn Lue’s secret defensive plan is really part of the gameplan. We will also get the see what Paul George can do to carry this Indiana team. I think he will have one of “those” games, but I think the Cavs will quickly rap this one up.

Raptors vs. Bucks: Raptors in 6 – I might have had the Bucks winning this one if Jabari Parker was still playing, but he is not and I think the Raptors guard duo will take the team past the Bucks. The only reason I have Milwaukee winning two games is because of Giannis. Nobody on the Raptors can guard Giannis, so I think we might see him get a triple double in this series, but it won’t be enough to beat Toronto.

Wizards vs Hawks: Wizards in 5 – The Hawks have been extremely hot lately, beating the Cavs twice, but I really do not see them beating the Wizards. They might be able to steal one game in Atlanta, but Wall and Beal is just too much for the Hawks to handle.

 

1. There is at least one upset in the first round. – Anything can happen in the NBA playoffs, and I believe there will be at least one upset this year. The term “upset” means a lower seed beating a higher seed. It is very possible that, in the Oklahoma City Thunder vs Houston Rockets series, the MVP favorite Russell Westbrook puts the Thunder on his back, and carries them into the 2nd round. Milwaukee could also pose a problem for Toronto, and while it will take a lot of this young Bucks team to make it to the 2nd round without Jabari Parker, it is very possible. No one on Toronto can match up with the Greak Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo. There will be many tough series for higher seeded teams though, like the Spurs going up against the tough Memphis Grizzlies, or the Clippers going up against the Jazz.
2. At least 50 players will score over 50 points in a game. – We are in a scoring era of basketball. It has become a three point shooting league. Teams are scoring a lot more points than they did back in the 80’s. And this is why, in this NBA Playoffs, there will be a 50 point explosion from at least 5 players. Just to put it into perspective, there were a record 10 players this season who scored over 50 points. It is likely Westbrook has at least one 50 point game, along with Damian Lillard, who will not go down without a fight against the Warriors. Others, like Isaiah Thomas, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant or Paul George, all have the ability to score 50 in a game.
3. James Harden outplays Russell Westbrook. – I think James Harden is on a mission to prove he is the real MVP, and I think he will show it against Russell Westbrook this series. After Russell Westbrook ended this regular season historically, Harden has to outplay him to get some MVP votes back. I believe Harden will be a nightmare on the floor for any player to guard, as he will average over 15 assists a game and over 30 points per game. While I do believe Westbrook won’t go down without fighting back and pulling a game or two for the Thunder, I still think Harden will carry the Rockets to the next round.
4. The Cavaliers do not make the NBA Finals. – Ahhhhh, this Cavaliers team. So unpredictable. We are all asking the same question in our minds: Can they flip the switch? After a underachieving season, finishing as the 2nd seed, with only 51 wins, they certainly have not looked like a championship team. In their last 46 games, they are at .500 with a 23-23 record. That is not what you want to be doing going into the playoffs. And their 22nd ranked defensive rating is not helping their case either. Their roster has not been assembled well, with their many scorers, hence their 3rd ranked offensive rating, but a lot of bad defenders, in Irving, Love, Korver, Frye, and others. It is going to take an all-time performance from LeBron James to carry the Cavs all the way to the NBA Finals.
5. Nobody puts up a fight against the Warriors. – This Warriors team is just too good. They have a 1rst ranked offense, AND a 2nd ranked defense. Its unbelievable, and they are riding into the playoffs off a 14-1 record in their last 15 games, exactly where they need to be. This has been without Kevin Durant a majority of the time, who has looked great coming back from his injury. It is hard to see any team put up a fight against them. They will most likely sweep the Blazers, and in the 2nd round, they will face the Jazz or Clippers. They have not lost to the Clippers all year, and the Jazz series will be tough with having to guard Rudy Gobert, but it will not go past 6 games. Then, it will most likely be Houston or San Antonio. The Rockets do not have a good enough defense to stop the Warriors. The toughest series for the Warriors will be San Antonio, but they have already beaten the Spurs without Kevin Durant. Then they will head to the Finals. Cleveland is the only hope of beating this team, but the Cavs have not looked great all year, and the 35 point loss on MLK day did not help. As of now, it does not look like anyone will beat the Warriors, and they will be crowned NBA Champions.