The NBA Finals tips off Thursday night in a star-studded rematch of the 2015 Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The number one seeds in their respective conferences, the Cavs breezed through to the Finals—with the exception of a pair of losses in Toronto— and have both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love in the lineup this time around. Meanwhile, the Warriors looked vulnerable at times and had to crawl back from a 3-1 deficit against Oklahoma City in the last round, reminding us all of how dangerous they can be in the process. The series is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in recent history, with LeBron James & Co. looking for revenge against Steph Curry and the defending champs. As basketball fans, let’s hope it goes to seven.
Ahead of Game 1, Sportsnet’s panel weighed in with their predictions:
2016 NBA CHAMPION
Craig Battle, senior editor
Warriors in seven. The playoffs so far have been a fine display of how even when things don’t go perfectly for this team they still find a way to win.
Michael Grange, columnist
Cavaliers in six.
Steven Loung, associate editor
Cavaliers in six. Seeing how LeBron won two games with almost nobody last year, I’m going to stick with the best player and a vastly better supporting cast over what is essentially the same Warriors squad from before.
Dan Robson, senior writer
After 50 years without a championship in any major sport, it takes a special kind of cruelty to root against Cleveland. This is their year.
Eric Smith, Raptors play-by-play
Golden State in six.
Evan Rosser, senior editor
Golden State in seven.
Michael Hoad, contributor
Golden State will defend title but it won’t come easy. With the better-rested Cavaliers rolling out a healthy Big Three, I expect this series to go the distance with the Warriors lifting the trophy in front of their home fans to cap off the best season in NBA history.
Donnovan Bennett, staff writer
Golden State in four. The Cavaliers have lived by the three but will now die by the three. Playing up-tempo and smaller under Ty Lue is more visually pleasing but is a recipe for disaster against a Warriors team that is playing their best basketball after being pushed by OKC.
Dave Zarum, NBA editor
Golden State in five. I’m giving LeBron a game at home (and admittedly it should probably be more than one) but the Warriors’ comeback vs. the Thunder— particularly the second-half of Game 7— made you realize just how hard it is to beat that team in a best-of-seven. That performance will prove to have acted like smelling salts for the Dubs and help kick them into another gear.
FINALS MVP
Craig Battle: Curry. If the Warriors win, it’s his. With the wave of publicity and fan love he’s riding right now, he’d probably have to be downright awful not to win it.
Michael Grange: LeBron James.
Steven Loung: LeBron James. The best player on the planet will prove why he is deserving of this title.
Dan Robson: LeBron James. We’ve been distracted by Steph Curry’s magic, but LeBron has no intention of letting his reign as this generation’s best player be usurped. The King intends to keep his crown, this series is the only way to hang on.
Eric Smith: Klay Thompson.
Evan Rosser: Steph Curry.
Michael Hoad: Klay Thompson. Thompson has been an absolute beast during this playoff run, carrying the team at times with Steph Curry not at 100 per cent.
Donnovan Bennett: I expect the Cavs to aggressively trap Steph Curry and Draymond Green in the 1-4 pick and roll. Thompson will be the beneficiary.
Dave Zarum: Steph Curry. You saw Game 7.
BREAKOUT PLAYER
Craig Battle: None. Don’t see how it’s possible when the majority of guys expected to play big minutes are either borderline/bonafide superstars (Curry, LeBron, Green, Irving, Love, Klay Thompson) or they already had breakout Finals moments last year (Dellavedova, Iguodala, Tristan Thompson). Like, all but about two of the heavy-rotation guys (Love and Channing Frye, who is a 10-year NBA vet) have played in the Finals before.
Michael Grange: Kevin Love.
Steven Loung: Channing Frye. It’s a little odd to say that a 33-year-old will break out, but Frye is shooting an ungodly 57.8 per cent from three and will be receiving more national attention than ever before. He’ll become the stuff of folk legend in Cleveland.
Dan Robson: Frye. The veteran power forward has emerged as a difference-maker on a Cavs team already stacked with difference-makers. Frye’s ability to shoot the ball means the Cavs can continue to spread the floor even when Kevin Love is on the bench. That makes all the difference for Cleveland’s relentless offence.
Eric Smith: The stars are already stars. I don’t see anyone stepping up with a “breakout” or surprise performance.
Evan Rosser: Kyrie Irving. Will have a ton of eyes on him this year playing head-to-head with Curry. If he has a couple of big performances he can extend his rep beyond merely flashy.
Michael Hoad: Festus Ezeli. The Cavaliers had all sorts of trouble keeping Bismack Biyombo off the glass and Ezeli brings the same type of energy when he is on the floor. With free agency looming, Ezeli could parlay a big Finals performance into a handsome paycheque.
Donnovan Bennett: Shaun Livingston. With the Warriors utilizing many two-guard line up combinations and Kyrie Irving struggling to defend the post, Livingston should have a field day on the offensive end.
Dave Zarum: Klay Thompson. Yes, everyone who watches basketball knows that Thompson is the second best shooter in the NBA (and, probably, of all-time). But the Finals draws in new viewers who will gain a newfound appreciation for his game and make him an even bigger household name.
