2017 NBA Finals: 5 things to watch for ahead of Game 1
By Evan Dyal
Prediction and Final Thoughts
You’ll probably notice the theme of this article, it’s more of what Cleveland needs to do rather than what Golden State needs to do. As great as LeBron James is, this is his biggest challenge of his career.
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I haven’t mentioned the loss of Steve Kerr. Coaching does not matter in the NBA, but this is a veteran team with a former head coach, and Kerr is still around the team. I think they will be fine on that front.
One last thought is Stephen Curry. Cleveland beat him up last year, and he wasn’t healthy. Now he is healthy and playing the best basketball of his life. I look for him to rebound in this year’s Finals. Cleveland will still try to beat him up in pick-and-rolls, especially the deadly Kyrie/James pick and roll.
People think Golden State will wipe the floor with Cleveland. I’m going with the Warriors in 6, and I expect the games to be closer than last year.
Cleveland has the firepower to keep up with the dubs, but in the end Golden State has more. Even though Cleveland has improved defensively, they still are prone to breakdowns, and that is killer against Golden State.
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The Cavs needed so much to go wrong for the Warriors, to win last year, all that won’t happen again. Golden State is going to win of what could be many championships with Durant. Hopefully it’s a great NBA Finals.