Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
Central Division
Southeast Division
Western Conference
Northwest Division
Southwest Division
American Football Conference (AFC)
National Football Conference (NFC)
History Favors Golden State in Surprisingly Lopsided NBA Finals
Going into the first re-rematch in NBA Finals history, I can’t think of one person who thought Golden State would sweep Cleveland or vice versa. Unfortunately, (or fortunately depending on your position on things) that happens to be the case.
Before I dive into the current situation, take a look back at my NBA Finals prediction podcast, co-hosted by my boy AJ Rupp from Dapper Sports. We give our thoughts on why each team has a chance at winning this thing.
March 14th marks the start a 14-game winning streak for the Warriors, which ended with a loss on April 10th to the Utah Jazz in Oakland. Then they started up their current 16-game winning streak for a record of 30-1 over the last 31 games. They simply will not lose. They’ve proved trend true by sweeping everybody in the playoffs, and they’re on their way to do the same to the Cavs tonight.
To keep the recap short on games one through three, Cleveland got destroyed in games one and two, but they went back to their home court with a little hope and determination. The Cavaliers had a chance in the long run of this series all the way up until Kevin Durant knocked down that clutch three in Game 3 to take the lead with forty seconds to go. That play shifted the outcome of that game, and ultimately, the series.
The Cavs are down 3-0. We all know the beast that is Lebron James, helping pull his team out of the depths of a 3-1 deficit last year to beat the Warriors in historic fashion. As a competitor, you have to stay in a confident mindset that your team will pull through when experiencing adversity. You can see that optimism in JR Smith’s early tweet after Game 3 that said, “Cavs in 7.” The tweet has since been deleted. He stands by that statement, but he claims it wasn’t him that posted it. Anyhow, confidence and maximum effort can only go so far. They have to execute. Every player has to be fired up AND firing on all cylinders. Let’s not forget that history is most definitely not on their side:
Teams with a 3-0 series lead in a best-of-7 series of any kind are 126-0 all time.
via SportsCenter on Instagram
The Warriors already set the record for longest postseason win streak in any league (15). Will the Warriors finish the season tonight having swept every opponent in their path, or will Lebron lead the Cavs down the long road to the best comeback of all time?