The last round was somewhat painful on two levels. One is obviously the Bulls doing what I fully expected them to do: get eliminated in six games. Still, this was perhaps the best chance that team's ever going to have, what with Kevin Love out for the Cavs and Kyrie Irving ailing. Now Chicago will probably have to extend a max deal to Jimmy Butler and be locked into the league's most expensive backcourt that prevents the team form making any more meaningful additions. My hopes for the future are not very high, and the effort displayed in the Game 6 elimination was especially revolting.
The biggest surprise in the last round had to be the evening I went to bed thinking the same Clippers team I picked at the beginning of the year to win the title were on their way to the conference finals when I awoke to learn this. And then yesterday their collapse became complete.
The Atlanta Hawks moving on was also technically a surprise since I picked the Wizards, but that ouster of Washington was not totally unexpected. I guess I can't complain too much since we'll be getting a champion this year that we haven't seen in at least two decades (it would have been more than three had the Clips hung on).
I know I'm probably failing to give Houston adequate credit here, but the Warriors have a much more solid bench than the Clippers did and I just don't see anybody left here beating them. Especially not a Rockets team that has been incredibly hot-and-cold. Sure, there's a chance Houston steals more than one game, but I suspect Golden State takes the first two, gets one of the next pair in Texas, and wraps this up at home.
Because, you know, LeBron. He'll win with whatever you surround him with. The Hawks have been the biggest surprise this year (well, other than how dominant the Warriors have been), and I'd love to see them continue on. They've already proved me wrong once, but I think the Cavs find a way to move on.
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