NBA Finals Preview

This is the match up we wanted. Once the Spurs were eliminated, Cleveland against Golden State was the most appealing match up. Lebron James vs. Steph Curry. The best player in the game against the baby face assassin. The marquee players in the Finals.

 
                                               Let"s examine the teams and compare.

Guards - Curry and Klay Thompson vs. Irving and Shumpert .  Since Thompson has a concussion that brings the edge down due to his uncertainty. Curry is League MVP so Warriors have a distinct upside. Irving comes in questionable as well since he has leg and ankle problems. Advantage to Warriors

Center- Bogot vs. Mozgov. While Bogut is efficient as a passer and can score when utilize, Mozgov is showing superior dominance on the glass and blocking shots. Edge to Cavaliers.

Forwards- Barnes and Green vs. James and Tristan Thompson. Barnes and Green help when the defense double teams the penetration of Curry and are capable of pushing the ball on the fast break. James is playing at optimum level right now. He is averaging close to a triple double every game. Thompson is a beast on the boards and as a shot blocker.  Advantage to Cavaliers.

Bench - J.R. Smith, Dellavedova, Jones, Miller Marion and Perkins  vs. Iguodala, Lee ,Barbosa, Ezeli  and Livingston  . Scoring and energy from Smith, Jones and Dellavedova  is matched against defense and all round play from Iguodala. and Livingston.  Iguodala does not shoot fouls well and that will be critical. Lee is not used consistently so his contribution may be limited by coach's decision. Golden State is deeper. Cavs have more experience. I expect impact from both benches. Slight edge to Cavs.

Coaching- Kerr vs. Blatt. Kerr has taken a good team and made it better. They won 15 more regular season games then they did a year ago. They won 51 last year. They play great defense and take you out of what you want to do. Blatt got the Cavs to buy in at the mid way point of the season. They are 46-11 since then. Does give the impression that he acquiesces to Lebron in key moments. Kerr comes across as the more polished of the two. Advantage to Warriors.

Why Warriors will win?  Curry and Thompson are dominant from outside. Home court record is awesome. Team is capable of going on extensive offensive runs while shutting the opponent down defensively.

Why Cavaliers will win?  Lebron James is one of the few people playing that can make his team win. He impacts the game in every category. When the game enters the fourth quarter he has the ability to contain Curry. When they double he will find open shooters. More like Magic Johnson than given credit.

The Pick - Odds makers have Warriors as the favorite. Defense wins championships. Offense sells tickets.The Cavaliers are allowing just 92.6 points per game this postseason while the Warriors are allowing 96.3.  If I can get Lebron and Kyrie at a good price, I can't resist.  Cleveland in 6.

Join me and my co host https://twitter.com/KeshisCuties on Twitter for #GTLivechat. during the NBA Finals. #GTLivechat is a conversation that is conducted via Twitter with followers around the world. What makes us unique is that we make picks prior to the game and then get a poll of which team is the popular choice We will select the #NBAFinals games individually and give the consensus of what you think. Fun. Easy and Free.  This blog will be updated with the play of the night after every game.

Top plays from NBA Finals Game 1 are here.

Top plays from NBA Finals Game 2 is up and here.

The 5 top plays from +NBAFinals Game 3 are right here.

Top plays from +NBA Finals Game 4 are here.

Top 5 of Game 5 is  here.

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NBA: Cleveland Cavaliers odds about to take a turn.

The past 24 hours have not been good for the Cavs. First, Kevin Love injured his shoulder and is expected to be out 2-3 weeks. The injury did look premeditated on the part of Kelly Olynyk, the player from Boston.  See for yourself.

Then in the 2nd half , J.R. Smith hits Celtic small forward Jae Crowder with a backhand, closed fist that knocked him down and out of the game. Crowder also suffered a knee injury on the same play. This looks like a suspension to me of at least 2 games.  How many games does it look like to you?

 

 

If the Bulls take care of business against the Bucks Thursday, these teams will meet at the end of the week. Cleveland will be shorthanded two men in the rotation. Even with Irving and James that would be a difficult task against Chicago and Derrick Rose.

 

The addition of Gasol along with the emergence of Jimmy Butler make Chicago a force even if Rose is less than 100%.  The defense is solidified by Noah and will attempt to surround Lebron.

 

 I am sure the odds of Cleveland winning the title and the eastern conference have shifted. They were a 11-5 and 5-11 during the season to win the championship and conference finals. I predict they go to 13-5 and 5- 8. Bulls will shift slightly from 12-1 and 5-1 respectively for the same plays to 10-1 and 4-1.   The price of picking Lebron or Kyrie Irving in a daily fantasy league should increase due to more anticipated minutes and shots. Let's see if I'm right.

 

 

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