NBA Finals Preview

So after nearly 7 months of non-existent defense, spotty athleticism, and a rather uninspiring 2007 NBA playoffs, we've have reached the culmination of this league, the NBA Finals. In this year's championship we have everyone's most hated villain, San Antonio Spurs, on one side. On the other side, we have probably the least qualified Eastern Conference team since the 2001 76ers team, led by our blog's inspiration, the Answer. All in all, the chances of these finals becoming a clunker is far greater than it being a match of epic proportions. But this is a preview so if you'll bear with me, here are my thoughts:

1. Okay, okay, I was dead wrong about the Pistons. But Riles, it did show I was right about them not being a dynasty. The Pistons are a well built team for the regular season but lack that killer instinct, not to mention that go-to-guy in the clutch in the playoffs that every successful team is. And, no, I wouldn't count Chauncey Billups THAT guy especially after THAT performance. The Eastern conference was eerily similar to the Finals last year. The supposed favorites win the first two, then the star player of the underdog goes insane and halfway through the comeback, the favorites realize its over and that there will be nothing to stop the star from winning, in this case, Lebron (last year, Wade).

2. My friend at home (who I'm pretty sure doesn't read this), is absolutely convinced that Lebron is going to ride this huge wave of momentum and go on to win the finals. That's nice and all to jump on the LBJ bandwagon but this is the Spurs we are talking about. The Pistons are the double A version of the Spurs (haha, get it?). The fact of the matter is, if Lebron has multiple performances this series that are in the echelon of names such as Magic, Bird, and Jordan, and the Cavs win the series, it will be an upset in the history of the NBA finals that I can't compare to off the top of my head and Lebron would be regarded as passing them all at the ripe age of 22. Quite simply, this is a dynasty versus an overmatched finalist, albeit with an unguardable player salivating (FINALLY) to win a championship and play at his highest level.

3. That last sentence is what makes this series, mildly intriguing. Once again, like in all sports (not tennis, bowling, etc.), its all about the matchups.

Point Guard: Tony Parker vs. Daniel Gibson (now that Larry Hughes is out indefinitely)
Tony Parker is regarded around the league as the quickest point guard in the NBA, a steep contrast from Billups who depended on his physicality and his steady (not big shot) jumps hot. I believe Gibson played out of his mind in the ECF but the act won't follow because chasing around Parker is an entirely different animal.

Shooting Guard: Michael Finley/Manu Ginobili vs. Sasha Pavlovic/Damon Jones
Basically Michael Finley is a bigger, better version of Damon Jones, which is to be a consistent 3-ball threat. Runner Up to the Sixth Man Award, Ginobili also has 3 point ability but his true gift is slicing through the paint. The combination of Ginobili and Parker on the floor will exploit the shortcomings of the Cavs front court by allowing better spacing for deadly three point shooters such as Brent Barry and/or Finley if Popovich decides to go with a smaller lineup.

Small Forward: Lebron James vs. Bruce Bowen
All World vs. All Defensive (and in my opinion, all-dirty as well)
Well, quite frankly, this is where the entire series lies. Much has been made about the two regular season games that Lebron dominated and the Cavs won. This is where I believe Lebron is truly special because his size and speed are so unique. He's too big for Bowen on the wing, he will just overpower him into the paint. Once he gets into the paint, he'll be too quick for Duncan to come over and help. This could lead to Duncan getting into foul trouble, and potentially turn the series upside down. Exhibit A - Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. If they can get a freebie game like that and Lebron is able to account for two other games completely by himself (which isn't asking too much is it?), this series could be very interesting.

Front Court: Tim Duncan (and the other guys) vs. Z. Ilgauskus and Drew Gooden
3 Time Finals MVP Tim Duncan vs. players not even close to the caliber of Amare Stoudemire and Carlos Boozer. I really don't want to explain myself here. The only caveat is, as a mentioned, Duncan getting into early foul trouble.

Well, there you have it. The Cavs are completely overmatched in 4 of the 5 positions, not to mention the bench, coaching, and without home court advantage. The only team that was a mismatch for the Spurs was the Mavs and we all know what happened to them. The Spurs can play at any tempo whether is the slow lumbering style of the Cavs or the run and gun of the Suns. I have a feeling the Cavs will be able to steal a game early in the series but to no avail. This is the best team in the vaunted Western Conference and the Spurs have that killer instinct that the Bulls had in the 90s and the Lakers had in the early 00s. Lebron will make things as interesting as possible but I've come to terms with the generic prediction of Spurs in 6. Like the Spurs, the pick isn't sexy but it gets the job done. As for Cleveland fans, be happy because this is only the beginning...