Thursday, June 02, 2016

NBA Finals Prediction: Here We Go Again

To the surprise of very few people, we have ended up with a rematch of last year's NBA Finals. Cleveland was expected before the year even began to come out of the East and Golden State has been the assumed favorite to repeat after a regular season campaign that saw the team win a record 73 games.

I remember how when Oklahoma City met Miami in the Finals a few years I speculated that the series could mark the beginning of a rivalry that could last several years. Instead, it was the only time the two teams met in the Finals.

Dare I say the same thing now about the Cavs and the Dubs? By having a second meeting, the series is already one more than the Heat-Thunder matchup. What we do know is that there's no shortage of compelling interests in this Finals matchup.

While I initially thought that most people would be pulling for the long-deprived city of Cleveland in this series, sentiments expressed on sports radio and have proven that there is still no shortage of hate for LeBron James. I found that somewhat shocking, although I really shouldn't be surprised if a number of people now identify themselves as Warriors fans. 

Getting both games right last round brought me to 11-3 in these playoffs. Unlike the playoffs in the NHL, there are very rarely surprises in the NBA Playoffs. That said, the last round marked another increase in my personal viewing as the Western Conference Finals largely proved to be the most must-see stuff we've gotten in these playoffs. I'm guessing that I'll be making it a point to try and take in most of the remaining games in this basketball season.