It’s Golden State Warriors v Cleveland Cavaliers Part III. Guardian writers look at what each team must do to win. And whether Draymond Green will explodeGolden State Warriors, 4-2. LC Related: Kevin Durant and the making of an unlikely NBA finals villain Continue reading...
Golden State have swept through the playoffs so far but too many days off can affect a team’s sharpness at the most important stage of the seasonThe Golden State Warriors entered the 2016 NBA finals under-rested and overwhelmed. Plagued by questions about Stephen Curry’s dodgy knee and Draymond Green’s kicks to the groin, they had just two days off before the finals. Did a lack of rest ultimately play a role in their breakdown? Perhaps this year’s Warriors will answer that question. In a remarkable reversal of fortune, after finishing their jog to the 2017 NBA finals 12-0, this year’s Warriors were given nine days to rest and recuperate before Warriors-Cavaliers III. Related: Ruthless Warriors complete sweep of Spurs to...
The Celtics’ surprise run to the No1 seed and the Eastern Conference finals was more than any of their fans could realistically ask for. Now the real work beginsThere’s a saying that sounds like an ancient bit of received wisdom but probably originates with the justly maligned Tom Cruise vehicle Cocktail that goes “everything ends badly, otherwise it wouldn’t end”. Like many clichés that only seem meaningful if you don’t think about them too hard, it doesn’t really apply it to real life but it works wonders when talking about sports. In sports, only one team or player is guaranteed a happy ending, while every other participant’s quest ends ends in a loss, usually a painful one that effectively invalidates all of...
When the lanky, uncoordinated Kelly Olynyk is the hero – and villain – of an NBA playoff series, you know things have taken an odd turnIn a sense, the Eastern Conference playoffs essentially ended last night. When the Boston Celtics beat the Washington Wizards 115-105 in Game 7 of their series, they most likely merely secured their spot as the team that LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will beat on their way to their third straight NBA Finals. The only remaining drama in the East might be whether or not the Cavaliers will remain undefeated. It wouldn’t have been any different had the Wizards won, by the way, although John Wall is a bigger potential X-factor than anybody on...
Golden State and Cleveland are a combined 16-0 in the postseason, and everyone is bored. Let’s hope the conference finals offer something more compellingThe poor guys didn’t stand a chance. A day after the Cleveland Cavaliers completed their sweep of the Toronto Raptors with a 109-102 victory on the Raptors’ own court, the Golden State Warriors knocked the Utah Jazz out of the playoffs with a 121-95 win on Monday night. Cleveland and Golden State have both been perfect this postseason: the two teams have won two straight series in four, going a combined 16-0 without doing anything to challenge the growing perception that they will meet in the NBA finals for the third straight year.All of this is great...