Teams on a Collision Course
We are one round away from the NBA Finals. Throughout the playoffs, fans and
commentators alike have been talking about the inevitability of a rematch
between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. The other teams in the playoffs have
disagreed, but none have been able, so far, to prevent this rematch from happening. As of today, the Golden State Warriors are
11-0 in the playoffs and one game away from a 3rd straight trip to the
Finals. In the Eastern Conference, the
Cleveland Cavaliers are 10-0 in the playoffs and will play Game 3 of the
Eastern Conference Finals tonight. They
are two games away from their 3rd straight appearance in the NBA
Finals.
As you can see, both Cleveland and Golden State swept the
first two rounds of their respective playoff series. To be fair, each team was tested and there
were some very close games resulting in their victories. However, their ability to recover from
deficits (25 points for Cleveland against Indiana, 25 points for Golden State
against San Antonio) to win games is extremely deflating to their opponents. Not to mention games in which they simply
dominate their opponents (Cleveland’s 44-point victory over Boston, Golden
State’s 36-point victory over San Antonio).
The inability of other teams to sustain big leads and come away with a
victory has made it seem impossible to beat Cleveland and Golden State.
That's why a rematch seems like a foregone conclusion. These teams are rolling through the early rounds of the playoffs because
they want to play each other again. They
are watching each other’s games to look for signs of weakness. Each team has proven that they can beat the
other in the Finals (Golden State, 2015; Cleveland, 2016) and they want an
opportunity to break the tie. The media
has been playing up this rivalry since the beginning of the season. As a basketball fan, I have been hoping for
this. Rivalry games are the
best and the quality of play will be phenomenal. At this pace, we will probably know in the
next couple of days if we are in for Round 3, winner-takes-all, Golden State
vs. Cleveland in the NBA Finals. The NBA
Finals begin June 1st. Will
you be watching?
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