Courtesy – Bleacher Report
The time has finally come and the 2015 NBA Finals are set to begin on June 4, 2015.
This year’s championship matchup will be between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. Though both teams come from considerably small markets, this match up is very anticipated and should be a very promising matchup between this year’s MVP, Stephen Curry, and four-time MVP, LeBron James.
Both franchises proved their talent and earned their spots in this year’s NBA Finals throughout their dominant performances in their respective conferences. Golden State only lost three times on their road to the Finals and Cleveland only lost twice en route to the Finals. NBA fans should be thrilled this year because without a doubt, the two best teams in the league will be facing off in the 2015 NBA Finals for a ‘dream-like’ matchup.
How The Golden State Warriors Win The 2015 NBA Finals
Courtesy – ABC 7 News
Without doubt, the Golden State Warriors are where they are due to the leadership and performance of the young MVP, Stephen Curry.
Thanks to his leadership, the Warriors were able to snap a 40-year long absence from the NBA Finals. Curry had a very impressive season taking home his first MVP honors and averaging 23.8PTs, 7.7ASTs, 4.3REBs and 2.1STLs. During the season, Curry was 48.7 percent from field goal range and 44.3 from behind the arc. He has shot lights out all season and is almost automatic from anywhere on the floor. During this year’s playoffs, he broke Reggie Miller’s record for most three-pointers made during the post season. Reggie Miller, who is arguably one of the best NBA shooters of all time, took 22 games to hit 58 three-pointers and in just 13 games, Curry hit 59 as he continues to still add to the record. Right now, Curry is the most important piece to the Warriors’ hope of taking home the NBA championship.
Their first year head coach, Steve Kerr, who has helped this team mature into arguably the best team in the league, leads Golden State. We all knew that Golden State was a talented team, but Kerr was the last piece to the puzzle. He will also be a big factor in bringing a championship to Oakland in the next few weeks. Kerr has been able to use the Warriors’ talented roster appropriately and in facing LeBron James and the Cavaliers; Kerr will have to prepare the perfect execution for their biggest challenge yet.
The Warriors are loaded with young talent like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson aka “The Splash Brothers”, Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes; but a strong advantage Golden State has is their veteran bench. The Warriors have a lot of depth, which is created of veteran and young players, both of which are extremely talented and dependable.
Thanks to Kerr’s influence, Golden State plays true team basketball with passing and player movement. More importantly, they do not slow down when Kerr switches up the line-ups and put his reserves, which are extremely productive. Golden State’s three biggest reserves are Andre Igoudala, Shaun Livingston and Festus Ezeli. Their bench has become an extremely important part to their playoff success and the team’s chemistry thus far. The Warriors’ chances of winning the 2015 NBA Finals greatly rely on the play of their bench and if used properly, their bench could be a golden secret weapon.
Golden State is by far one of the best offensive teams in the NBA, averaging 104.3 points per game this postseason. As well for this postseason, as a team, they are 46.2 percent from field goal range and 38 percent from three-point range. All offensive statics that are slightly better than the Cleveland Cavaliers, who only average 101 points per game and shot only 43 percent from field goal range as a team.
Though they shoot better and average more points, the Warriors will need to continue to keep their offense performing at the rate it is going to get by Cleveland. Fortunately, that is something I do not worry about. My concern is for Golden State to maintain its defense versus the Cavs to have complete control of this series. They have a great defense, now they just can not afford any mistakes. The Cavaliers and the Warriors both have very similar averages for offensive efficiency for this year’s playoffs. The Cavs are averaging 108.9 and the Warriors are averaging 107.3. Also, on the other end of the court, both teams share a similar defensive efficiency for this year’s playoffs. The Cavs are slightly better averaging 98.5 and the Warriors are averaging slightly less with an average of 98.9.
The Golden State franchise has built a strong defense. To control this series, Golden State will need to work defensively against LeBron James. Sure, the Warriors get tons of attention to their offense thanks to The Splash Brother, but it is their defense that will secure a title in Oakland. So far for the postseason, the Warriors’ defense has held their opponents to 43 percent from field goal range and 30 percent from behind the arc. Golden State has a great talent pool big men to rebound and guard the paint. They also have plenty of options for perimeter defenders like Iguodala, Thompson, Green, Barnes, Livingston and Holiday, all who I believe are some of the best perimeter defenders in the league.
The Warriors will be facing their biggest challenge yet against the Cavaliers. Fortunately, Golden State has some advantages. If they can continue to thrive and play at their maximum potential, then the Warriors should be able to win the 2015 NBA Finals.
How The Cleveland Cavaliers Win The 2015 NBA Finals
Courtesy – Bleu Magazine
This has been an interesting year to watch the Cleveland Cavaliers, as it is the first year back for LeBron James in his number 23 Cavaliers uniform. It took some time, several moves and signings but now the Cavs are playing the best basketball they have played all year, truly heating up and it could not of come at a better time.
LeBron, who is arguably hands down the best basketball player in the world, has been dominant once again this postseason. For this year’s postseason, he is averaging 27.6 PTs, 10.4 REBs, 8.3 ASTs, 1.8STLs and 1.3BLKs. This should come as no surprise now though, as LeBron is just doing LeBron. He has come back to Cleveland and helped transform this team into a competitive and cohesive unit, with James in control of the driving wheel. Having James alone opens up a wide range of opportunities for any franchise and one of those opportunities is winning an NBA title.
Cleveland has been dealt some unfortunate cards with injuries to Kevin Love, who has been out and Kyrie Irving, who has been struggling to maintain full health. In their absence, and during a majority of this year’s playoffs, James has shown once again, that he can put the team on his back and carry them to where they need to be. In the Eastern Conference Finals series, against the Atlanta Hawks, James nearly averaged a triple-double, averaging 30.3 PTs, 11 REBs and 9.3 ASTs per game.
Though the have been dealt some bad cards and have been short on time, Cleveland’s management has still been able to surround James with supporting pieces if their stars get injured and that is a huge factor as to why they have made it to the 2015 NBA Finals.
The Cavaliers are nowhere near as deep as the Warriors. On a typical night, the Cavs will play no more than eight men. Now, even though Golden State has an advantage on depth, Cleveland and their head coach, David Blatt, are very good at being versatile on the floor with adaptable and flexible lineups. Cleveland can play either style of basketball, big or small, depending on the situation. Guys like Shawn Marion, Kendrick Perkins, James Jones, Mike Miller and Iman Shumpert are all dependable players who rarely fall short when their number is called; especially the older guys like Marion, Perkins and Miller. All three of these guys have 12 plus years in the league, have been on championship teams and are true professionals. Their leadership and contributions may not get enough recognition, but they have become extremely important on this team.
Aside from the Cavs’ lineup versatility, they have a strong core of starters, who have all clicked and caught fire at the perfect time. Since the Cavs swept the Hawks, Kyrie Irving got a little bit of extra time to rest up. In my opinion, Kyrie is the second best point guard in the Eastern Conference, right behind John Wall of the Washington Wizards, so it will be imperative that he comes out 100 percent and ready to put on a show during the Finals.
Irving has probably the biggest test of all the Cavs, as he will most likely be matched up with Stephen Curry. To say the least, Kyrie will have his hands full on the defensive side of the court but he will also need to worry about Curry’s defense. Due to the fact that Curry has great ball handling skills and is also more matured than Irving, the typical moves he has used during this year’s postseason might now work out so well. For Cleveland to take home the championship, LeBron James will need all the help he can get from Kyrie.
During this year’s regular season, Cleveland acquired Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith from the New York Knicks in a three-team deal. Other than getting LeBron back, this was the best move Cleveland’s management did during the 2014-15 regular season. Shumpert was already known as a strong player with the Knicks and his contributions off the bench both offensively and defensively have been huge. However, I have been completely surprised with how well J.R. Smith, who had a reputation as a partier and reckless shooter, has been playing with his new team.
Maybe it is because he is now back on a winning team or maybe it is because he is playing with LeBron, whatever it is, Smith’s basketball game; along with his professional persona as a man, has definitely matured in Cleveland. In the Eastern Conference Finals, against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1, Smith set a new Cleveland franchise postseason record with eight three-pointers in a single game. He also finished the game with a career playoff high of 28PTs. During this year’s post season, Smith is averaging 13.5 PTs, 4.9 REBs, 1.3 ASTs and 1.2 STLs. What is really impressive, Smith is now shooting 45.7 percent from field goal range and 39.6 percent from three-point land. With Cleveland, he has developed into LeBron’s perfect teammate and if he continues performing well, he will get his first championship.
Along with Smith, Cleveland’s starters have blossomed playing next to LeBron. Timofey Mozgov is a young center from Russia. He has four years of experience in the league and is currently having his best year. During this postseason, he is averaging 9.1 PTs and 7.2REBs per game. He is a great defender who is an extremely talented rim protector and right now, he is just the big man that Cleveland needs.
Along with Mozgov, there is Tristan Thompson who only has three years of experience but is beginning to emerge as a potential, soon to be All-Star. He has improved each year since Cleveland drafted him in 2011 with the fourth overall pick. This year, and particularly this postseason, he has become a very important player to this team’s success. For this year’s postseason, he is averaging 9.4 PTs, 9.9 REBs and 1.3 BLKs per game. If Thompson is able to help keep James and the Cavs continue going at the same pace, then they have a very strong chance at winning it all.
Final Prediction
Overall, this is a dream matchup for myself and basketball fans all over. This series will be between the two best teams in the NBA, as it should be and I cant fully convince myself to call one an ‘underdog’, especially the way both teams are playing. For me, this is going to be a highly competitive series and each game will be tight. I also believe that this series has a high chance of going seven games. Home court advantage will play its part in this series, so the Warriors are lucky to have it. My final prediction, Golden State Warriors win the 2015 NBA Finals in seven games.
