The 2015 NBA Finals are finally here, as Thursday gives us game one between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors. It’s a very interesting series at first glance, with the Western Conference offering up the best team and the #1 overall seed and the Eastern Conference pushing a Cavs team that proved through the playoffs they were the true #1 seed in their conference.
In a very real sense, this is a battle of the two best teams in the league. The Cavs and Warriors wasted little time getting to the league’s title game, as the two lost five games combined in these playoffs, with Golden State losing just one game at home. Of course, when two dominant teams meet each other in the final series of the year, something naturally has to break. Let’s analyze this matchup from every possible angle and come away with a predicted winner of this year’s NBA Finals:
Who Wants it More?
The Warriors haven’t won a title in 40 years and Cleveland never has, so it’s safe to say it’s pretty close. Of course, winning a very long time ago pales in comparison to never winning at all, so the Cavs will want this more. Of course, wanting isn’t always having.
Season Series
Cleveland and Golden State split their two games during the regular seasons (1-1), with both teams taking care of business at home. If that’s how the Finals go, the Warriors would win in seven games. Odds are it’ll go down a little differently, while the Warriors are the better team both at home and on the road.
Path to the Finals
Cleveland has been more impressive technically, as they have two sweeps during the playoffs and lost just two games to Golden State’s three. Of course, they also faced a weak Boston Celtics in round one and swept probably one of the worst #1 seeds ever in the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Finals. So, sure, on the surface, the Cavs’ path to the Finals has been more impressive. Golden State got here in the tougher Western Conference, though, as they moved past the Pelicans, Grizz, and Rockets.
Coaching Edge
Is there an edge when it comes to coaching? If we’re talking experience, it’s not even close. David Blatt has years overseas and he’s even won titles. However, both Blatt and Steve Kerr are rookies, so it’s a borderline tie. That being said, Golden State’s Kerr has a better coaching staff, with Alvin Gentry as a headlining act. The Warriors might have the slight edge here, while Kerr has also been a total master when it comes to roster and in-game management.
Stephen Curry vs. LeBron James
Which star is bigger in this series? Who has more pressure? Who is easier to stop? The answers are: equal, James, and neither can probably be stopped. I think both could have their way in this series, but if one is going to struggle it’s going to be James. Not only is there easily more pressure on him (weight of that of a city, and all), but he’s also a one-man wrecking crew now that Kevin Love is down and Kyrie Irving is far less than 100%.
Biggest X-Factor?
J.R. Smith is easily the biggest x-factor for the Cavs and for the Warriors it’s got to be Andrew Bogut. Bogut has been solid on the boards and has blocked shots at a solid rate, but he can’t suddenly come up lame – or even worse – get hurt. He needs to own Timofey Mozgov just as he should and also keep Tristan Thompson off the offensive boards. For Cleveland, they need to be sure to help James offensively and a lot of that is going to come down to the floor spacers knocking down open jumpers. Smith is the key guy here, as he’s rather streaky at times. He’ll be good for 1-2 big games, but for the Cavs to win this series he might need 3-4 of them.
The Verdict?
The odds (quite literally) say the Warriors win this, and it might not even be close. I personally badly want that to be the case, but there is a methodic marching from these Cleveland Cavaliers. Even with Love down and the rest of his team looking like a fairly weak supporting cast, something tells me LeBron James simply won’t be denied. The Warriors are great and could easily win in five or six, but they have a rookie head coach and have never been here before. This is the fifth straight Finals appearance for James, and sixth in his career. That experience and James’ drive could be the ticket.
Think the Warriors are destined to win it all? Tell us why in the comments below!
