Welcome back to The Abode. If you missed the genesis, click here.
After a blowout-infested playoffs, the hype leading up to Warriors/Cavs III in the NBA Finals almost reached Mayweather/Pacquiao levels. Almost. Nothing will surpass the chicanery of Mayweather/Pac, though. The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey would’ve been most impressed. Anyways, storylines and narratives were tossed around and many thought (perhaps wished?) that a heated, epic Finals would be showcased.
Game 1. Warriors 113. Cavs 91. The Cavs had 20 turnovers and the Warriors made 15 more field goals on 20 more attempts.
The Warriors Voltron’d up, while the Cavs were a bunch of scurrying ants trying to escape the ray of death from the magnifying glass of a nine-year old.
The Cavs did not panic, though, and Game 2 was an epic battle for two and a half quarters.
It took me back to the days of my youth when I’d debate the merits of a battle between Lion Volton and Vehicle Voltron. It’d be cool for a bit, but at the end of the day, I’d always pick up and play with the lion version and toss the vehicle one to the curb.
On a deeper level, LV consisted of five lions, while VV was formed from three sets of vehicles. The Warriors are LV: Steph, Klay, KD, and Draymond are the arms and legs, while Kerr is the head. The Cavs are VV: LeBron, Kyrie, and Love. Now, they are both powerful and can do some serious damage, but VV is lacking.
For two and a half quarters, Game 2 was dope. LeBron was just holding down the R2 button and going strong to the rack every single time. Love was stroking. Kyrie was AND1-ing. But they ran out of gas halfway through the third quarter. With about five minutes left in the quarter, you could see that LeBron was toast.
Where’s the help going to come from? Channing is Frye-d. Richard Jefferson looks like a generic Create-a-Player. He’s playing like one with the attributes all at 0. Deron Williams was good over five years ago. Schumpert must be facing the wrong way when he prays. Derrick Williams played four minutes and airballed a layup. Dahntay Jones and James Jones are still in the league? Where’s Indiana? Kyle Korver must’ve had a Big moment with Ashton Kutcher. Who shot J.R.?
Now, the series is moving back to Cleveland and I expect some legendary shit on Wednesday. Role players typically play better at home so I expect the bench to step up. This is what I imagine LeBron to be like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJfHCCJMWJw
On the flip side, are the Warriors going to sweep the leg? The best thing that could’ve happened to them was losing last year. Think about it. If they win, that means Harrison Barnes doesn’t get exposed and the Warriors possibly re-sign him. No KD on the Warriors. AND the Warriors don’t have a chip on their shoulder like they do this year. Which is incredible if you think about. The best team and the prohibitive favoritie to win the championship is the team that has something to prove.
NBA is faaaaaantastic.
