For most fans (including this writer), a Pistons/Spurs re-match in the Finals would have been a snooze-fest, but the Cavs’ triumph in the Eastern Conference Finals actually has me looking forward to Game 1 on Thursday night.
Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean the series will necessarily go six or seven games, but the sheer presence of LeBron, the league’s youngest superstar, should make for some compelling basketball. We’re watching “King” James as he tries to finally earn that nickname. His performance in Game 5 against Detroit was phenomenal, but it’s going to take more than one great game to impress the hordes of critics who keep saying James is lacking in one area or another.
It seems like LeBron has been around a long time, but keep in mind he’s just 22 years old. It took MJ seven seasons to lead the Bulls to their first Finals (which they won). He was 28 at the time. He went on to win five more titles in the next seven years, and he might have won two more had he not retired smack dab in the middle of that historic run.
But back to LeBron, who faces a tougher challenge in his first Finals. The Bulls played an aging Lakers team on the decline, while the Cavs have to play the Spurs, a team that is still in its collective prime. A vast majority of pundits are picking the Spurs (the line is –500), and while some are saying that the Cavs will make it interesting, no one really thinks the Cavs have much of a chance to actually win the series. (Though the results of our current poll would indicate otherwise.)
Do they have a shot? Sure. The Spurs could come out rusty on Thursday and drop Game 1, which would even of the series considerably. And it doesn’t hurt that the Cavs won both meetings this season. While LeBron put up his usual numbers (27 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 4.5 apg), two of Cleveland’s young guns, Daniel Gibson and Sasha Pavlovic, didn’t get the minutes necessary to be factor in either game. The Spurs role players – Robert Horry, Michael Finley, Brent Barry and Fabricio Oberto – scored a total of 28 points, which just isn’t going to get it done. Manu Ginobili was also starting at the time, and just scored a total of 20 points in the two games. He plays much better when he comes off the bench (and when the pressure is on), so expect his scoring to double in the Finals. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker were their usual selves, so they should both have a strong series.
Even though the Spurs are the better team, I don’t think their personnel advantage will necessarily be the difference in the series. The Cavs’ Mike Brown faces his old mentor, Gregg Popovich, and is severely outmatched in terms of experience and ability. Brown is clearly a good defensive coach, but in the last two seasons he’s failed to realize his offensive limitations. The Cavs still lean on the “LeBron clearout” far too often instead of finding inventive ways of giving James and the other players the ball in positions where they can be successful. You can bet that Pop will have a scheme to limit both Gibson and Pavlovic, while keeping LeBron under control with Bruce Bowen (and his dirty ways). Nothing in Brown’s history leads me to believe that he’ll formulate a capable response.
Regardless, it’s going to be fun to watch LeBron and Co. take on the biggest of challenges. I won’t know for sure until Game 1 starts, but despite my dislike for the Spurs, I think I’m actually going to root for San Antonio, because I don’t want to see such a flawed Cavs team win the title. Not yet, anyway.
Spurs in 6.
