2015 NBA Draft Team by Team Thoughts and Grades

By: Raashaan Myers

 

 

Minnesota – Karl Anthony Towns F/C Kentucky, Tyus Jones PG Duke – I love the selection of Towns for the needs of the Timberwolves. A team that was awful defensively needed that anchor on defense and pairing him with another defense first guy in Gorgui Deing will make for a nice young big man duo. Great selection via trade to pick up Jones from the Cavs. To me Ricky Rubio is on his way down and out he can’t stay healthy and Jones playing for his hometown team in time should become the new floor leader for the young and explosive TWolves.  A+

LA Lakers – DeAngelo Russell SG Ohio St, Larry Nance Jr PF Wyoming – I HATE this pick for the Lakers. Russell is a gifted scorer and passer and he definitely plays an appealing style that will sell jerseys, but plainly you can’t pass on the best pure low post big man of the last 18 years in Jahlil Okafor. Nance is another head scratching selection for the Lakers taking Nance who is a good player but could have taken Kevon Looney or Montrezl Harrell at that spot at the same position and are higher rated. Not a great day for Hollywood but they will judge this team by free agency. B-

Philadelphia – Jahlil Okafor C Duke – Interesting selection by the Sixers here. Clearly Okafor was the best available talent on the board but passing on Emmanual Mudiay and locking down a much needed position at PG and adding a 4^th PF/C type player in the last 3 draft makes for a loaded frontcourt. The best thing Philly gets is more tradable assets to make some much needed roster upgrades. A

NY Knicks – Kristaps Porzingis F Intl, Jerian Grant PG Notre Dame – I can’t stand teams taking these Euro guys this early plainly because most times you have no idea when or if they will ever come over to America, and when they get there most times they are busts. Well they say this guy is supposed to be a combo of Dirk Nowitzki and Darko Milicic whatever that means. LOL Love the trade to pick up Grant for the Knicks. NY needed to bolster their team defensively and also have a guy who can run a team and knock down shots. Grant can do all those things. Good pickup. B

Orlando – Mario Herzonia SG Intl – See my comments from above. And this guy they call the Euro JR Smith. SMH C

Sacramento – Willie Cauley-Stein F/C Kentucky – The 2^nd UK kid comes off the board, but I think it is a stretch taking Willie this early. He is phenomenal defensively, but pretty much a defense only player with limited upside offensively. Best case scenario he can become Tyson Chandler and worst case scenario he can become Stromile Swift. We’ll see. B-

Denver – Emmanuel Mudiay PG Intl – Mudiay decided to go overseas to China rather than play for Larry Brown at SMU. Well it didn’t pay off in terms of protecting his draft stock. He is a monster athlete at the PG position but he is more athlete than player at this point but has tremendous upside and defensive potential. Good pick for the Nuggets at #7. A-

Detroit – Stanley Johnson SF Arizona – Interesting decision by the Pistons to try and lock down the wings teaming Johnson with young star Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. That gives you two very young, very long, very athletic defensive minded guys to wreak havoc in transition. B+

Charlotte – Frank Kaminsky F Wisconsin – Michael Jordan since his debacle of a selection of Bismack Boyombo with the #8 pick several years ago has since really put a premium on drafting winning college basketball players. He continues this trend with National POY Kaminsky and you get an interesting guy to pare down low with Al Jefferson.  Nice pick. B+

Miami – Justise Winslow SF Duke – The Blue Devils check in with their second player in the draft with Winslow and I love this pick for a team that may lose Dwyane Wade in free agency. Winslow is an NBA ready defender and showed considerable offensive growth down the stretch of the season helping lead Duke to the National Championship. A-

Indiana – Myles Turner F/C Texas – I like the selection of Myles Turner to the Pacers. They need an heir apparent to PF David West as well as insurance for Roy Hibbert down the road. Turner never lived up to the hype coming out of high school as the #2 overall player coming out but he still has huge upside as an athletic big man who can also shoot. Has to improve his motor and hustle defensively.  B-

Utah – Trey Lyles PF Kentucky – Not sure what the Jazz are doing with Lyles here at #12. Lyles is a very skilled big man and underrated athletes, but with Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert down low not sure what his role will be. Definitely smells like there may be a trade in the works.  C

Phoenix – Devin Booker SG Kentucky – The Suns pick up Booker to bring some much needed scoring and shooting to their lineup. Booker may be the most NBA ready player coming out for UK in this class and I think that he will make an early and immediate impact for Phoenix. I like it. B+

Oklahoma City – Cameron Payne PG Murray St – Payne was the “trendy guy” following the footsteps of Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Elfrid Payton. 2 of the 3 weren’t nearly as successful as projected early. Not sure if Payne will do the same or not. Was a young man who had a strong finish to his sophomore season and he parlayed it into a lottery pick. Congrats to the former Racer. B+

Washington – Kelly Oubre SF Kansas – Oubre becomes another guy like Turner and Mudiay who is drafted more for his potential than actual production in their one year stead before the NBA. Oubre can be a guy who can add some much needed punch on the wing for the Wizards and could make for an interesting due with Otto Porter and insurance for the oft injured Bradley Beal. B

Boston – Terry Rozier PG Louisville, RJ Hunter SG Georgia St – Rozier jumps up draft boards from where he had been projected for most of the process. He brings much needed scoring and another defensive perimeter threat to pair with Avery Bradley. This does make for a crowded backcourt with the Celtics taking Marcus Smart in the top 5 last year, but they say it is a guard’s game these days. Adding to the guard theme Boston added Hunter as well who can really fill it up from deep and is a very smart and aggressive offensive player. The Celtics needed scoring and they certainly have filled those needs.  A-

Milwaukee – Rashad Vaughn SG UNLV – I like the selection of Vaughn for the Bucks at this point in the draft as the best available scoring guard. Milwaukee was one of the best defensive teams in the draft but also one of the worst offensively. Vaughn can fill it up and give Kris Middleton some help getting buckets. B+

Houston – Sam Dekker SF Wisconsin – Houston effectively gives them a replacement for Chandler Parsons who they lost via free agency last year to the Dallas Mavericks. Dekker is a great athlete, a good shooter, and extremely competitive. He fits the running style of the Rockets and should be a good fit for Harden and Co.  A-

Toronto – Delon Wright PG Utah – Wright is another long and athletic guard that can add depth to both guard positions behind Kyle Lowery and Demar Derozan for the Raptors. He is smart, tough, a good defender, and very passionate player.  B-

Dallas – Justin Anderson SF Virginia – Anderson will bring some toughness and defensive skills to the perimeter for Dallas. He can shoot it, score off the bounce, high IQ, and he won’t cause your franchise any issues.  B

Chicago – Bobby Portis SF Arkansas – I’m not buying that Portis is a small forward as he is listed by the NBA. He is more of a face up PF that has versatility. His motor has always been questionable to me but he does have skills and he is a good defender when he is engaged. Key for the Bulls will be to keep Portis motivated and hustling.  C+

Brooklyn - Rondae Hollis-Jefferson SF Arizona – This trade is a good one for the Nets needs as a team with some offensive talent but challenged defensively. Hollis-Jefferson is a great defender, has great length, and plays hard with size and athleticism.  B

Memphis - Jarell Martin PF LSU - The Grizzlies pick up a versatile face up forward in Martin who plays a very similar style as their All Star starting PF Zach Randolph. For a playoff team that has pretty much all their starting spots filled it is about filling needs and adding Martin will help get some rest for the bigs of Memphis who are getting older.  C

San Antonio – Nikola Milutinov F/C Intl – He’s tall and apparently plays for the Boston Celtics of Serbia! We’ll hopefully see him in 3 or 4 years.  C-

Brooklyn – Chris McCullough PF Syracuse – The selection of McCullough is a bit of a stretch at this point by the Nets when there were higher rated players in the draft. Chris is a good athlete and has a great deal of potential but he will take some time to develop coming off injury.  D+

Golden State - Kevon Looney PF UCLA – Looney is a very talented player who had some apparent injury concerns that made him drop a bit in the draft and the Warriors took advantage. Looney brings length, athleticism, scoring touch, and toughness to the table for a team that needs some more athletic big men down low. B-

 

2^nd Round notable selections and thoughts

Houston - Montrezl Harrell PF Louisville – Harrell will bring another guy who likes to run the floor and get up and down for the Rockets. He will bring energy and low post scoring presence to a team that sometimes struggles to score down low pairing with Terrence Jones at that spot.

Boston – Jordan Mickey PF LSU – I LOVE this pick for the Celtics. The Celtics needed to find a defensive presence down low that could also score and Mickey can give you that. An excellent athletic defender who can also knock down the midrange jumper.

Cleveland – Rakeem Christmas PF Syracuse, Dom Pointer SF St Johns – Christmas was one of the best players in college basketball last year but because he was a senior I really feel that hurt his draft stock. He can score down low at a high clip, he is a very good shot blocker, and he will give the Cavs a much needed low post scoring presence. Dom Pointer played a role of a “Baby LeBron” for the Red Storm in college as an open court playmaker from the SF position. Now he will have a chance to learn under the best player in the world if he can make the roster which I think he can. Smart player, versatile scorer, and a tough competitor the Cavs did well in the 2^nd round.

Portland - Pat Connaughton PG Notre Dame – Connaughton is a guy who can bring long distance accuracy and a quick release to the Blazers. A lot like a more athletic Kyle Korver and underrated athlete Connaughton is a guy who can get into the rotation early as a reserve for Portland.

Phoenix – Andrew Harrison PG Kentucky – The Suns select their 2^nd Wildcat of the draft bringing in Harrison to the very crowded backcourt of Phoenix. Harrison had a great work up to the draft and it will be interesting to see how he performs as he is good enough to break into the rotation for the Suns with his size and playmaking ability at the PG position.

Oklahoma City – Dakari Johnson C – Kentucky – The Thunder seem to be in constant pursuit of someone to play center and after adding Enes Kanter last year they turn to another UK product in Johnson. Dakari will be a guy who can rebound and score down low immediately but he will have to get into better shape and work on his quickness and agility as well as a midrange jump shot if he wants to compete for playing time in OKC.

New Orleans – Branden Dawson PF Michigan St – The Pelicans only pick in the draft was a good one in Dawson. While Branden has always been undersized he has always been a tough and productive player on the college level. A stud athlete and gritty competitor Dawson can bring some much needed toughness off the bench behind superstar Anthony Davis.

Philadelphia – JP Tokoto SF North Carolina – Tokoto comes to Philly in almost the exact same role that last year’s selection KJ McDaniels filled before being traded to Houston late last season. JP is a tough and gritty defender with elite athleticism that he utilizes to his full capability in the open court. Great pickup at pick #58 in the draft.

State of the Knicks

                                         




Written by: Ken Clayton

                                                    State of the Knicks
Is it safe to say the Knicks made a huge mistake hiring Phil Jackson as their general manager? So far the only thing they have to show for the $12 million annual salary is the 2nd worst record in the league, a dleague roster, and the number 4 pick in Thursdays NBA draft. Phil gotCarmelo Anthony to stay with the Knicks last summer when Melo was a free agent and considered the Bulls and Lakers. Even that seems like a mistake by both parties now. Melo looks like he is going to be stuck in New York  mediocrity while Jackson tries to rebuild the Knicks the next few years.  The next step in the rebuilding process will be huge. The Knicks hold the 4th pick in this weeks NBA draft. For a roster that has holes everywhere except small forward you would think this pick would be pretty hard to screw up. With the two centers Towns and Okafor expected to be gone by the 4th pick the Knicks have some intriging options. Everyone loves the freshman guard from Ohio State Dangelo Russell, but most mock drafts have Russell going 3rd in the draft to the 76ers. If that happens where do the Knicks go from there? The 7"1' European power forward Kristaps Porzingis is getting alot of attention now because of his individual workouts. Scouts are already comparing him to a young Dirk Norwitzki, but nobody expects Porzingis to take the league by storm his rookie year. So that leaves the Knicks still a few years away from contending. There has even been talk of a trade between the Knicks and the Phoenix Suns that would send Eric Bledsoe to New York in exchange for the 4th pick. Not a bad deal but Bledsoe is often injured and may not be the ideal point guard to play with Carmelo.
This would be a much better deal than the one Jackson made earlier in the past season.
In a three-way deal with Oklahoma City and Cleveland, Jackson shipped shooting guards J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to LeBron James’ Cavaliers and basically recieved peanuts in return.

It's going to be an interesting summer in New York. As a basketball fan lets just hope the Knicks don't find a way to set themselves further back than they already are.

The Finals

Congratulations to the Golden State Warriors, the NBA's best team. The NBA normally gets it right year after year and again, there was no doubt the Warriors were above every team, and honestly the most healthiest team as well.  The finals series between the Cavs and Warriors was a entertaining series and at tines a really good series. But we were robbed once Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving suffered injuries. We were in for a potentially better series and possibly a different result.

The Cavs were damaged goods once Kevin Love suffered the shoulder injury in the first round and Kyrie Irving suffered a kneecap injury in the first game of the finals. We should be quick to congratulate the Warriors for an amazing job. One of their best accomplishment outside of 67 wins, Stephen curry winning the MVP, and winning the title, is the fact the Warriors stayed healthy and in one piece for and entire NBA season.

Golden State beat Cleveland in 6 games, while Stephen Curry played like the MVP in only 2 1/2 games, 41% shooting from Klay Thompson, and low production from Draymond Green for the first three games. That is telling us how deep this team truly was. This was a real basketball TEAM!

A couple years back the Warriors went and got Andre Iguodala to be a leader. In this championship series, he became the only Finals MVP to come off the bench, which Andre done for the first three games. Iguodala was great on both ends of the court and finished the series strongly.

At different points throughout the series, the Warriors received quality play from David Lee who made sacrifices in his role throughout the season, Green who finished the series with a triple-double, Shaun Livingston, Festus Ezeli, and though he missed a big dunk in game 2, Game 1 Maresse Speights played solid.

Now for the Cavs; The Cavs don't make it to the Finals without JR Smith and Iman Shumpert, they both came to the Cavs at the mid season point and played well to a certain degree through the playoffs. To be honest they both were terrible in the Finals. These two helped Lebron in no way shape or form and were a cancer to the Cavs when they were on the floor. Because these two couldn't step up to the plate the Cavs were forced to turn to guys like Dellavedova and James Jones to play roles that were beyond their skill set. Smith shot 31% and seemed to hide and flee from the ball while he was in his slump. Smith made poor decisions with the ball that hurt his team, time and time again. Shumpert also shot horribly at 25% and scored in double figured just once.  His defense which is his bread and butter, was decent, but with Love and Irving out the Cavs has to have some scoring. The Cavs has to have players knock down open jumpers when Lebron was doubled. Smith and Shumpert couldn't create their own shot nor get to the free throw line, Smith and Shumpert failed their teammates.

Lebron had statistically the best performance in the NBA Finals. He also has the most impossible job, trying to get a team missing two superstars and loaded with bench players to win a Finals against a team that was fully healthy and clicking on all cylinders. Lebron came up short. What excites me is that we could possibly see the same Finals next year. Curry and Lebron were the reason why the ratings for the series set records for the Finals on ABC. Curry is young and in his prime and with the team he has, hoping the Warriors don't receive the injury bug, the Warriors will be right back. The Cavs will get Love just guessing he doesn't sign with another team this summer and Irving back and Lebron coming back more motivated next season, we are in store for a Warriors/Cavs part 2!

By: Joshua Keene

Key to Golden State Turnaround? Attitude not aptitude

By: Raashaan Myers

    

     League MVP Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors find themselves on the wrong end of a 2 games to 1 deficit after 3 in this NBA Finals. The team that was the runaway #1 team in the NBA pretty much from start to finish has looked anything but vs LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to this point in the series. So for the second time in these 2015 NBA playoffs there are a ton of people questioning whether Steph and the young Warriors have what it takes to get it done in their first Finals appearance?

      Well as I have watched so far in the Finals I have seen a hobbled Cleveland Cavaliers team that has no business playing this well in this series taking it to the favored Warriors. How did this happen? Well the answer is very simple yet still fascinating. The unquestioned alpha male of the NBA King LeBron James. While LeBron’s tangible stats have been amazing posting averages of 41 pts, 12 rebs, and 8 ast per game through 3 games. More important has been the psychological impact he is having on the rest of the Cavs. LeBron has his teammates playing not only as if they deserve to be there, but as if they should be the favorites to win it all. It is amazing to see the confidence guys like Matthew Dellavadova and Timofey Mozgov are playing with right now.  This guys are out there putting caution to the wind and leaving it all out here on the court every night. So much so that Dellavadova needed emergency IV treatments after 38 grueling minutes in a tough fought Game 3 victory.

     So can the Cavs keep it up and complete one of the most improbable title runs in NBA history? Well that depends on the Golden State Warriors. This collection of brash young superstars have run roughshod over the league all season now finds themselves looking nothing like their uber confident selves.  Is the stage too big? Are the lights too bright? While I do think the moment has been a bit much for the Splash Brothers and company I slowly see signs of the team that won 67 games in one of the greatest regular seasons in NBA history. While Cleveland has dominated most of the minutes with their slowdown style of play the amazing 4^th quarter performance in Game 3 by Steph Curry as well as the emergence of David Lee from Steve Kerr induced purgatory tells me that the Warriors are ready to right the ship.

      So now the key is for Steph Curry to carry the momentum from that 4^th quarter and start off Game 4 with the same activity and aggressiveness. The Warriors as a whole have allowed the aggressiveness of the Cavaliers defense really discourage them attacking and playing Golden State basketball and it all starts with the MVP. If Curry can get it going early then the same confidence to his Warrior teammates King James has instilled in his troops. THEN it’s game on! I think clearly Golden State is the deeper more talented team and if they coming out and play their exciting free flowing brand of basketball they will turn this series around quickly en route to their 3^rd NBA title and 1^st since 1975. Now the question is will they get it done? I guess we will have to wait and see Thursday night in Cleveland.

Lebron Can't Finish This On His Own

I'm not fooled. Not in the slightest bit.  This whole "gutsy, gritty" and "hard fought win" from the Cleveland Cavaliers last night doesn't sell me on the Cavs walking out of the series with the Larry O'Brien trophy. But the fact that Cleveland has one of the best players to ever dribble a basketball playing for them, I can see why it would be hard to completely count them out.

Lets get this out in the open in case anyone is in denial.

Lebron James is great. He is a GREAT player. There is a very short list of NBA players who've ever been able to dominate so many aspects of the game like James can do. You know how the rest goes, "his dynamic size, speed and basketball IQ are unmatched yada yada yada..." However you package that same line we've heard for the past couple of years, it's the truth.

And Lebron knows this. He has no equal right now, and that's precisely the problem he's facing right now. Right now he's in the same predicament that caused him to leave Cleveland in the first place. A first rate superstar who dominates the ball surrounded by role players.
It doesn't work. He proved this numerous times his first go around, hence his talents being taken to Miami. The difference on South Beach (besides the weather and it actually being a desirable location)  is that he had something that resembled a peer in Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade.
Someone who wasn't afraid to take the ball out of King James' hands and create their own shot or setup another teammate. Bosh and Wade rarely stood in awe of James and watched as he took on a whole starting five. They had their own legacy to create.
Unfortunately for James, he doesn't have anyone even close to those two with him now. No one on that current roster has the stripes to take the ball from Lebron and actually run something that resembles a play in the fourth quarter. Not even head coach David Blatt.

Right now, clutch time for the Cavs consists of getting the ball to Lebron and everyone else getting out of the way. A great game plan when playing the Bucks, but not when the team with the best record in the NBA is in the other locker room.

If by some miracle King James pulls this out, he'll have to be bumped up a few notches on the greatness scale. But unless a Carmelo Anthony or a Chris Paul proves to be hiding on the bench disguised as Mike Miller or Brendan Haywood, I don't see it happening.

NBA Finals Game 2

Just when we were thinking that its over, Cleveland shocked us all by stealing game 2.

The Cavaliers almost won Game 1, losing a tough one in overtime, and then walking into Game 2 without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Going up against the NBA's best home team, where Golden State is nearly unbeatable.

Walks in the legendary Lebron James. The best player in the world went for 39 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assist, as the Cleveland Cavaliers won this game in overtime, 95-93, to even up the series 1-1 as the series moves the Cleveland.

At this point there isn't much you can say about Lebron James. His play speaks for itself. Lebron elevates the level of his teammates, no matter who his teammates are. Game 1, James posted 44 points, 8 boards, and 6 assist that was amazing. But in Game 2, with James basically playing point guard on offense, making pinpoint passes to find open teammates, this triple double was more impressive. Micheal Jordan is the best winner we have ever seen, but Lebron James is the best all around basketball player we have seen.

Then you have the league MVP Stephen Curry, normally he is the flicking in jump shots night in and night out but on this night this did not go Curry's way. Curry did make a big 3 pointer with 2:45 remaining in regulation to cut the Cavs lead to six, but Curry finished 5-23 from the field, including 2-15 from 3 point land. With the Warriors needing a bucket at the end of OT, Curry went one on one with Matthew Dellavedova and shot an air ball,  then turned the ball over instead of getting a final shot.

With the series even and headed to Cleveland, Golden State still has the upper hand. With 3:15 left in regulation, the Cavs had a 83-72 lead. They then began to fall apart.  Part of that was the Warriors fouling Tristan Thompson, part of the fall apart was the mental errors (JR Smith) and part of that was James either not making shots or not getting to the line. The Warriors, came back, tied it and took it to overtime. You don't get many chances like this against the Warriors, and with the series up for grabs, the Cavs have to close out games if they want to close out this series.

Joshua Keene

NBA Finals Game #1 Quick Hits

1. Let's start with the obvious, King James. Lebron played a game for the ages and just cemented his place as one of the NBA's all time greats. He had 44 pts, 6 assists, and 8 rebounds. He did everything but sell popcorn and park cars. He carried the Cavs and was pretty much unstoppable.

2. The Splash Brothers had an average game and were held 18 puts under their season average and they still won. This does not bold well for the Cavs. Golden State started out ice cold and had a subpar shooting game, but yet still found a way to win, even with Lebron going off for 44 pts.

3. This game was won by the Golden State's bench. At one point in the game Golden States bench outscored the Cavs 21-9, and all 9 of this points came from J.R. Smith. Not good. Golden States bench allowed their starters to rest, which played big dividends in OT. The Cavs were running on fumes and were gassed while Golden State had plenty left in the tank.

If the Cavs are going to have a shot they are going to have to find some bench scoring. There is just too much drop off on offensive and defense when the subs come in. Lebron can't continue to play at this level for almost every second of every game.

4. I thought Golden State would win in 5, but if Kyrie Irving is truly hurt and is out for several games or out for the series the Finals are over. Golden State will sweep the Cavs.



                                                                                         - Haven Harrington III -
                                                                                                         

Miami cheap?

When you think of the Miami Heat you can't help but think of Dwayne Wade and Pat Riley. When Riley became the general manager he helped turn the Heat into a championship team with his trade for Shaquille O'neal and also a place free agents wanted to come to. His biggest and best move to date (with the help of Wade) landed Lebron James in 2010.
 However even while Lebron was a member of the Heat, and the best player in the NBA the 4 years he was there Miami was always considered Wade county. Wade has always been the team first guy. So much so last summer he agreed to opt out of his contract which was for two years and $42 million and resigned for 2 years $31 million with a player option after the 2015 season. All of this was basically his way of helpng the Heat keep Lebron James and also add better players to the roster to keep them at the championship level. It was also understood the organization would take care of Wade with a longer deal to help make up for the money he gave back.
The problem is of course Lebron decided to go back to Cleveland and now Wade has the option to opt out of his deal and and seek a new contract and try to get some of that money back. Now it seems the Heat aren't so willing to pay Wade what he is asking for. Wade wants a 3 year deal for $50 million. Now some would say paying a 33 year old shooting guard who is often injured that much money over the next 3 years is not a good idea. But the fact remains Wade not once but twice helped management by taking less money than what he was worth to help the team. Now that he is near the end of his career and wants to be paid maybe more than he is worth, the Heat need to step up and do the right thing.
The main reason Miami is hesitant about paying that much out over the next 3 years is because they want to have money available next summer to attract Kevin Durant who will be a free agent. The issue the Heat will have in my opinion is if they don't treat Wade like the franchise player and team guy he has been he may decide to leave and play the last few years of his career in another city. If that happens it can certainly turn other potential free agents, Durant included away from the possiblity of going to Miami.
Ultimately I think Riley and Wade find a way to figure this out and allows Wade to finish his career in Miami like he should. But this could get very interesting before its all said and done.

By: Ken Clayton

The Finals

Other then the third straight match up between the San Antonio spurs and Lebron James, this match up between Golden State and Cleveland is the match up we all wanted. This is James's fifth NBA finals in a row, but this isn't the biggest story of the series. James has been excellent, even with his other two members of the big three has been nagged with injury.

The story of this NBA season has been the Golden State Warriors led by the MVP Stephen Curry, who will be headed to the finals for the first time in forty years. His outstanding shooting has continued in the playoffs, averaging nearly 30 points per game. The Warriors do have injury concerns of its own, but they are much healthier than the Cavs. Yes Curry is the MVP, but I believe we would all agree that Lebron is the best player in the league. The question is will Golden State's supporting cast provide the edge?

Lets start with the Warriors: Other than the performance against the Grizzles, the Warriors have looked like the team that took this NBA season by storm.  Curry is averaging 29 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assist per game. While shooting 46% from the field and 43% from three point land. This team has made really good Western Conference teams look bad. Its not just Curry and Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut have truly stepped up and became anchors in the paint defensively. You could argue that the Warriors have the best defensive in the league. Klay Thompson concussion could be a concern. But the long period of rest should help the Warriors get healthy for the Cavs. 

Now to the Cavaliers: Love is out, and has been since the first round after a dislocated shoulder. Kyrie has been slowed down while dealing with knee tendinitis. But Lebron is who he is, the best player in the NBA. While Cleveland's path wasn't as difficult, that doesn't dismiss the numbers James has put up. While he has struggled with his outside shot, he's still 27.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 8,3 assist per game and has taken over games in a form that remind you of the 2007 Lebron, when he took that Cavs team to the finals. J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert have played the best basketball of their careers, while Tristan Thompson is becoming a breakout player and he is the best re bounder of this series.

Warriors win if they continue doing what they have been doing all year long; playing amazing offense and playing great defense. Also if Curry and Thompson are healthy and knocking down shots, while working as a team to defend Lebron Warriors will walk away the NBA champions.

Cavaliers win if James continues his excellent, Klay Thompson isn't the same after his injury, Irving is healthy after the long layoff, and role players like Smith, Shumpert, Tristan Thompson and Mozgov come up big.

Prediction is Warriors in 6. 

Joshua Keene