Road to the Finals
Cleveland Cavaliers
It wasn’t easy for the Cavs at the start of the season, and as expected they struggled after adding new players and a rookie coach to the team with expectations of winning a championship.
LeBron James’ injury woes certainly didn’t help their cause as his team went 3-10 without him, but between January and April they went an NBA-best 32-8 to click into place and come good on their goal of becoming legitimate contenders.
The front office and coach David Blatt deserve plenty of credit too, particularly given their moves in bringing in the likes of Timofey Mozgov, Iman Shumpert and JR Smith. Blatt was heavily criticised earlier in the year, but he has proven that he is more than capable of leading this team.
They have continued to face adversity through the playoffs after losing Kevin Love, while Kyrie Irving has been struggling with knee and foot problems. Nevertheless, James has dragged them through with help from his support cast, and they deserve their spot in the Finals.
Playoff results:
Cavaliers 4-0 Celtics
Cavaliers 4-2 Bulls
Cavaliers 4-0 Hawks
Golden State Warriors
After Mark Jackson’s departure, appointing a rookie coach in Steve Kerr threatened to derail this team’s progress. However, the former Bulls and San Antonio Spurs star will be delighted with his decision to take up the role as he has produced a championship contender.
Not only has the offense improved under Kerr, but he has his team playing elite-level defense which has transformed this Warriors team from a popular also-ran into a legitimate candidate to take home a title this season.
The Oracle Arena is a fortress, and they essentially coasted through the regular season. However, they have proven their mental strength after facing adversity in the Grizzlies series in the Western Conference semi-finals, coming from 2-1 down after dropping a home game to come through and eventually advance to the Finals.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson provide them with the best back-court duo in the league, but their depth is a huge advantage and Kerr got all his players to buy in and accept their roles.
Playoff results:
Warriors 4-0 Pelicans
Warriors 4-2 Grizzlies
Warriors 4-1 Rockets
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