2017 NBA Finals
The NBA finals have just started up again, with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors facing off in a rematch from last year. The Warriors look to get revenge on Lebron James and the Cavaliers after blowing an infamous 3-1 lead last year. Since that incredible comeback championship by the Cavaliers, the Golden State Warriors players and team have been berated by insults and ridiculed with online memes. However, the Warriors led by Steph Curry and recently acquired all-star Kevin Durant have already taken a quick 2-0 lead in the best out of 7 game series. The Warriors were titled as one of the best teams of all-time last year and were said to be the most stacked team in terms of talent and skill. This year, they have again been deemed as a superteam, and appear to be even better after gaining Kevin Durant from the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Warriors looked unstoppable in the first two games, led by the electric point-scoring of Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, blowing out the Cavaliers 113-91 in game 1 and 132-113 in game 2.
Still, the Cavaliers are not new to this situation. The finals have been, up until this point, identical to last year with the Warriors winning the first two games. After seeing the historical outcome of last years finals, no one can count out the Cleveland Cavaliers just yet. Lebron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love will all need to step up for the Cavaliers in the upcoming games if they want to hope to keep their championship dreams alive.
Many critical things depend on this final. Firstly, this is the third meeting between these teams in the finals, with each program winning one of the meetings. This finals could be a point in future arguments to prove which team is better in the rivalry. In addition, the legacy and respect of individual players will be taking into account. Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City to join the Warriors after never winning a NBA finals. Durant was unable to win a championship in Oklahoma City, and although he is an extremely talented player, he will never have earned the same respect as a player if he retired without a ring. Lebron James, the man called by many as the greatest basketball player in the world, could also solidify his legacy with another ring. With a comeback win against a tough Warriors team in this finals, Lebron would be a 4-time champion, further helping his case against Michael Jordan as the greatest of all-time.
The rest of the finals will hopefully continue until 6 or 7 games in the series. It will be exciting to see if the Cavaliers can pull another miraculous comeback against the Warriors. Game 3 will be a crucial point in determining the rest of the series. You can see game 3 tonight at 9 p.m. eastern time on ABC.