Cavs and Warriors Meet in the Finals yet again
The clock ticks down. 10 seconds left in the game. Wade passes to Butler. He takes some dribbles and looks at the clock. Five seconds left. The shot goes up and everyone holds their breath. Chicago wins Game One at the buzzer!
Every year, NBA teams try to clinch a spot in the playoffs. The playoffs are the most intense games of the season. This year, the playoffs have gone with few upsets.
Everybody was shocked when Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade led the Bulls over the Celtics, the top team in the Eastern Conference, in Game One. Then it happened again in Game Two and Celtics fans were worried. Their point guard, Isaiah Thomas, suffered two crucial losses right after the sudden death of his sister. He brought his skill back to the game, playing for his sister, and lead the Celtics to a 4-2 win over the Bulls in Round One.
Clippers fans, on the other hand, were at the edges of their seats. The Clippers came close to moving on to Round Two, but their curse continues yet another year. The Utah Jazz won 4-3 and moved on.
Russell Westbrook tried his hardest to lead the Thunder without Kevin Durant, but even Mr. Triple Double couldn’t make basketball a one man game. Former teammate, James Harden, led the Rockets 4-1 over the Thunder.
The San Antonio Spurs won 4-2 over the Memphis Grizzlies, as expected, and the Washington Wizards over the Atlanta Hawks. The Bucks made a valiant effort, but in the end, the Raptors were simply more experienced than their younger team and the Bucks fell 4-2.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors both swept their teams. The Pacers and the Trailblazers are great teams but were no match for the two powerhouses in the league. They powered on at full steam through Round Two as well and crushed the Raptors and the Jazz 4-0.
James Harden seemed to lose all of his NBA talent in a critical Game Six of Round Two. The game was practically handed to the Spurs as they won 4-2 and moved on to play the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.
Isaiah Thomas was on a mission, determined not to lose. Each game against the Wizards could have gone either way. Each team played their best, but the Celtics pulled ahead in Game 7 and won 4-3 to play the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Warriors played the Spurs in the ECF. It was thought that they would lose at least one game, but they played incredibly well and absolutely destroyed the Spurs 4-0, remaining undefeated in the playoffs. They became the third NBA team in history to go into the finals undefeated in the playoffs following in the footsteps of the 1988-89 and 2000-01 Lakers.
The Cavaliers lost one game to the Celtics, but then they tried a bit harder and crushed the Celtics in every game after that and ended that round 4-1.
The Cavs and Warriors have gone three straight Finals against each other. The Warriors won the first, then they famously blew a lead in the second and the Cavaliers won. Both teams have a tweaked roster this year so every game could go either way. Although we’ve seen these teams in the Finals before, these upcoming games will most likely be some of the best we will see.
