2016 NBA Finals -- LeBron's Cavs eye sweet vengeance against Warriors
By Reylan Loberternos
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 02 Jun 2016
Tagbilaran City, Bohol - The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors will face-off in a highly anticipated rematch of the NBA Finals.
Game 1 of the Best-of-Seven Finals series will start at 9PM Eastern Time (9:00AM Philippine Time) at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, home of the defending champions.
Four-time league MVP LeBron James was superb in last year's NBA Finals, averaging a near triple-double of 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists on a nightly basis... but those numbers were not enough to propel his team to its first championship trophy. Defensive wingman Andre Iguodala, Golden State's first man off-the-bench for the most part of last season, was adjudged as the Finals MVP, largely for 'containing' the freight train in LeBron James. Those massive numbers posted by James hardly constitute something 'contained', but with two of his top sidekicks sidelined, the "strength in numbers" of the Warriors proved to be too much for King James to handle on his own.
That won't be the case this series, as Cavs ace point guard Kyrie Irving and sweet-shooting bigman Kevin Love will both be in tow to give LeBron James the much needed help. Love (separated shoulder) and Irving (fractured left kneecap) were lost to season-ending injuries in last year's edition of the NBA Finals. This time, health won't be an issue on their end, as Cavs Head Coach Tyronn Lue will have a complete and healthy team at his disposal. Newly acquired bigman Channing Frye will also add to the depth and versatility of the Cavaliers lineup with his perimeter game and disruptive defense on the other end of the floor.
On the flip side, the Golden State Warriors will parade the same lineup with a curious addition of former Cavaliers bigman Anderson Varejao. The defending champions were great last year. They are even better this year, rewriting history at every turn. The Splash Brothers in Klay Thompson, the reigning All Star 3-Point Shooting King, and Stephen Curry, the reigning back-to-back and only unanimous MVP in league history, along with versatile and volatile bigman in Draymond Green, will continue to be the driving force for the Warriors. Their biggest asset is their familiarity and a head coach in Steve Kerr, who emphasizes the importance of spreading the wealth.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will have another crack at ending their city's 52-year drought for a major sports championship. The Golden State Warriors face a familiar foe, as they try to cement their NBA record 73-win season with a successful defense of the title they won a year ago.
Same teams... familiar names... different circumstances... one outcome... 2016 NBA Finals. Let's get it on!
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Reylan Loberternos.
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