The 2017 NBA Finals will start on June 1st. Since each team in the NBA Finals this year, the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers, were efficient in their earlier-round series fatigue doesn't seem as though it will be a major factor in the 2017 finals. Each team enters the finals on several days' rest as the two teams prepare for what could be viewed as a kind of rubber-match series.
Cleveland and Golden State have history
After all these two teams did meet in each of the last two NBA Finals. Two years ago the Golden State Warriors won the championship, perhaps partly due to the Kevin Love injury from the 2015 post-season.
Last year the Cavaliers exacted some revenge as they fought off a 1-3 deficit in the finals to win in seven games. LeBron James was huge in that series and he promises to be huge again in 2017.
Each team in the finals has an outstanding club. With each team you can point to star power, supporting players, and some bench depth. However, Lebron James is by far the best athlete in the series for either team. James is making what is his 7th straight appearance in the NBA Finals, an astonishing streak for The King that includes years that he spent in Miami as part of the Heat.
All of the stars in the series, whether Kyrie Irving, James, Steph Curry, or Kevin Durant are capable of doing major damage in their offensive sets.
However, James stands out as the biggest threat whenever the game turns a little chaotic. When balls get deflected or there is some kind of loose-ball scenario, James' size and mobility makes a major difference. The ball so often ends up in his hands during scrambles and then he uses his dribbling and power to punish the disorganized defense.
It's that trait and ability that makes James a little different from a lot of other stars: basketball isn't always about operating in an organized set, but it's about winning at times when there is a scramble as well. James, as the best athlete in the NBA right now, is the king of the loose-ball scenarios and that characteristic makes him dangerous at all times on the court.
James is shooting well at range
In the 2017 playoffs so far he has averaged 32.5 points per game, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. Furthermore, his jump shooting, which has been off in recent years, has actually been exceptional in the 2017 playoffs. James is shooting 42.1% from beyond the arc in the playoffs. If that percentage held up through the post-season then it would be the best 3-point shooting percentage of his post-season career.
The Cavaliers are actually entering the NBA Finals as underdogs (source: bet365). Perhaps that's due to the fact that Golden State have the home-court advantage. However, I don't see that as phasing the Cavs at all. I see Lebron James as the difference maker in this series and Cleveland winning their second straight NBA title in six or seven.
