The Last Word on Sports Basketball Department held a roundtable and made predictions for the 2016 NBA Finals between Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers.
NBA Finals: LWOS Basketball Department Roundtable & Predictions
Who will win the NBA Finals and in how many games?
Jack Moon Perrin (@LastWordJack): Cavaliers will win in seven games. This is LeBron James’ year. He is determined. He looks fresh as ever and he has a full team this time. On his own, James took the Warriors six games last year.
Zac Cooper: Warriors will win in seven games. I feel like their championship experience last year will give them the edge. Cavaliers will have Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving fully healthy though, so its hard to count them out completely.
Lior Kozai (@Lior_Kz): Warriors in seven. They’re just too good on both ends of the court. The Cavaliers will make this series extremely challenging, but they don’t have the defensive personnel to stop Golden State. The Warriors went 73-9 for a reason.
Matthew Cardenas (@CardenasMaLWOS): I’m going with the Cavaliers in 6. Finally, the team is at full health and they look better than ever. I think their three-point shooting can keep up with the Warriors. And to be quite honest, LeBron James isn’t going to let his team lose to the Warriors two years in a row. Everyone will step up, and Cleveland will finally be able to celebrate a major sports title.
2. Who will win NBA Finals MVP?
Jack Moon Perrin: Only one possibility for Finals MVP: LeBron James. James has a chip on his shoulder for not receiving one vote for season MVP.
Zac Cooper: I think Klay Thompson will win the Finals MVP. He’s playing with a lot of confidence and thrives when Curry is taking the focus off of him.
Lior Kozai: Stephen Curry. To top off one of the greatest individual seasons of all time, in his second straight MVP campaign, Curry will play a lot better than he did in last year’s Finals. It would be a fitting end to a historic season for him and the Warriors.
Matthew Cardenas: LeBron James will take home another Finals MVP. He could have won it last year, even though he wasn’t on the winning team. He will not put up the same numbers as last year, but that’s a good thing because now he has a fully healthy team around him. But the Cavaliers are going to go as far as James goes. He is the heart and soul of that team and he needs to be at his best in order to bring a championship to Cleveland. He will find a way to get the job done.
3. Who will be the unexpected star of the NBA Finals?
Jack Moon Perrin: Kyrie Irving will be the unexpected star. The Warriors will focus on James – as they should – leaving lanes open for Irving to slash to the hoop. Irving was devastating to the Toronto Raptors. Irving has been improving with each playoff series. The Finals will be his time to shine.
Zac Cooper: Channing Frye could be challenging for the Warriors big-men to guard, especially if they rotate him to avoid Draymond Green.
Lior Kozai: Draymond Green. After his awful play in the Western Conference Finals, Green is being overlooked by many fans and media members. However, he’ll bounce back now in a much better match-up for him, and Green will be one of the keys to a repeat for the Warriors.
Matthew Cardenas: I think J.R. Smith could have a fantastic series on both sides of the ball. Not only will the Cavaliers look for him to knock down the three ball at a high rate, but he will be the primary defender on Klay Thompson. It will do wonders for the Cavaliers if they are able to slow down one of the splash brothers. Smith has matured a lot since last year in terms of his defense and decision-making.
4. Who will be the dirtier player in the NBA Finals, Draymond Green or Matthew Dellavedova?
Jack Moon Perrin: Draymond Green has taken dirty play to a new level this year. It is hard to outshine Matthew Dellavedova in the “dirty” department, but Dellavedova has been pretty quiet in this year’s playoffs.
Zac Cooper: Green will be the dirtier player. Dellavedova plays hard, not dirty. Green seems to expect every call to go his way
Lior Kozai: Draymond Green. As good as he is, Green resorts to this nonsense far too often. Although Dellavedova acted similarly last season, he won’t get enough opportunities, since he’s playing behind a healthy Kyrie Irving, to do much damage in this year’s Finals.
Matthew Cardenas: This made me laugh. Considering that Draymond Green is one flagrant point away from a one-game suspension, expect him to be a little more cautious on the court. He won’t be kicking his leg out after every shot. Dellavedova will probably throw a few cheap shots to try and get under Curry’s skin. But we saw how that went last time these teams met in the Finals.
Main Photo: MIAMI, FL – JUNE 21: A detail of the Larry O’Brien Championship trophy as the Miami Heat celebrate after they won 121-106 against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Five of the 2012 NBA Finals on June 21, 2012 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
