Call me crazy, but I’m starting to think the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers might just end up back in the Finals for the third year running, in one of the least-suspenseful outcomes to an NBA season in years.
(pauses for the screaming of all the San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics fans who drop by our Denver Nuggets blog. Realizes those folks probably don’t stop by all that often.)
Barring a miracle, these NBA playoffs felt fairly meaningless until the predestined Finals begin, ushering in history and drama galore in a trilogy worthy of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, the Dark Knight, and Red, White, and Blue. Were I a Warriors or Cavaliers fan right now, I might have to stay home during the Finals to avoid people asking embarrassing questions about my public priapism. I know for a certainty that when the Denver Nuggets finally make the Finals, I will not able to go up and do problems on the chalkboard in front of the class.
But for the rest of the league’s fans, watching the two schoolyard bullies knock everyone down and take away their lunch money for 94 games has been a little boring, to say the least. I’ll be watching the Finals between these two, due to the high drama presented above. But as someone who has always had an aversion to inevitable endings in storytelling, it will only be to see which of the 800-pound gorillas knocks the other out. Great ending, crappy buildup. This season was the Howard the Duck of the NBA’s oeuvre.
Make no mistake, the ending looks to be a Clash of the Titans. Wait, is LBJ the Kraken? Is Steph Curry the owl, Bubo? Storylines in 360 degrees. LeBron James chasing Michael Jordan’s playoff records and championship rings. A heavily-favored Warriors squad with a foursome like few teams have ever enjoyed. The Cavaliers may actually be playing defense again. Kevin Durant will finally see another Finals.
Granted, this all assumes that the Spurs and Celtics don’t find a way to turn the tables, but nothing about the first three games of the semifinals have led one to think that likely, have they?
If you prefer one of the league’s other 28 teams, does this outcome thrill you? Are you hanging on the edge of your seat, popcorn at the ready? Or are you just ready to get it all over with at this point?
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