Dubs vs Cavs Part III, Greatest Finals matchup ever?

The only MVP candidates are eliminated.
LeBron gets strategic rest.
The Warriors went out and picked up the most attractive free agent in recent history.
Color me shocked at why people aren't interested in this NBA finals. Such drama. Such prestige.

 

This has that Ali / Frasier element to it for sure. Both keep getting to the top, but who will survive?

Best ever? Hard to say. Lakers and Celtics played 6 times in the 60s with a lot of big names. Celtics won them all, but several were close.

Lakers played the 76ers 3 out of 4 years in the 80s and those were special.
Show Time played the formidable Bird teams 3 out of 4 years and split.
Heat vs Spurs 1st and 2nd time were both pretty well built up.

This ain't that special, like best ever, but it's good. Might as well watch it unfold if it happens. Cavs gotta take out a fiesty Boston team first.

 

Uh,,,nothing matched the hype of a Bird / Magic Finals. That's 4 MVPs and > 7 all stars, including Dennis Johnson won a title as best player on his team and Finals MVP.

Nothing has come close to that. That revived an entire sport from the trash heap of the ABA era.

This is like one of the most boring off seasons, and ppl are actually going to compare this to Bird / Magic and 9-10 HOFers.

 

Hate both these teams, hope they kill each other over 7 brutal games, don't care who wins.

 

Absolutely still holds true, as the Bird / Magic matchup still had more All-stars and HOFers in their primes. I mean, Kareem actually won an MVP in the '80s, and was all-star every year. McHale, Parish and DJ were all in their primes. And on the other side, Worthy, too. But the big thing was that's 2 of the top 5 players of all time in their primes ,,, with a rivalry dating back to college.

Nothing compared to that, on paper, or live.

Sure Walton and McAdoo got their MVPs earlier and were on the downside like Ginobody ... but 2 of top 5 players and all those HOFers in their primes or like Kareem, still going 20ppg strong and still on all-star team, getting an MVP in 1980.

 

Even though I've hated the inevitably of it...it should be amazing. I wished the Cavs would have just swept the Celtics, got really scared there for a moment when Kyrie twisted his ankle.

 

Fair to say, this series will break TV viewership ratings of all time. This will be the peak - and unlikely to be beaten.

 

Because Kevin Durant is a sell-out the likes of which sports has rarely seen; and as a result the Cavs are going to get spanked 4-2. And everyone is going to feel a little bit of pain and bitterness as they watch Curry chew his mouthguard, and Draymond green mouth-breathe while the commentator crew spends the entire game wiping drool off of their faces and everything continues to come easily to a team that already has a huge sense of self-importance.

 

Lue told reporters Wednesday that since the Celtics lost All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas to a season-ending hip injury in Game 2, Boston has become almost impossible to scheme against. From Cleveland.com:

“The stuff they’re running, it’s harder to defend than Golden State’s [offense] for me, as far as the actions and all the running around and all the guys who are making all the plays, so it’s a totally different thing.

“Like, they hit the post, Golden State runs splits and all that stuff but these guys are running all kinds of [stuff].

“And Brad’s [Stevens] got them moving and cutting and playing with pace and everybody is a threat.”

 

84-85 was the closiet. But Worthy wasn't in his prime yet. He didn' get HOF level till the following year.

Kareem, Magic, Worthy(didn't reach All-Star level till the following year)

DJ, McHale, Parish, Bird

So that 84-85 series had 6 HOF in their prime. This series will have 7 in their Prime and Winner of t he last 3 MVP award.

Nothing has ever happened like this before.

 

Rooting for Lebron on this one. As a Rockets fan... it sucks watching these two teams go at it. Come on Les we have Harden, build us a superteam.

 

This will be the first final to feature also 7 All-stars in one year.

84-85 Celtic Lakers had 5 All Stars. McHale and Worthy did not make all-star that year

 

uhmm actually it features the winners of the last 7 of 8 MVP's. Lebron x 4, Durant x 1, and Curry x 2.

 

Wow. that's crazy. Didn't realize that. One guy in there that doesn't belong on the All time great list. LOL


2015-16

Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors
2014-15 Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors
2013-14 Kevin Durant Oklahoma City Thunder
2012-13 LeBron James Miami Heat
2011-12 LeBron James Miami Heat
2010-11 Derrick Rose Chicago Bulls
2009-10 LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers
2008-09 LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers

 

You guys got it all wrong. The greatest finals series of all time was 1994 Rockets vs Knicks, followed closely by 1995 Rockets vs Magic.

Who the hell cares about Cleveland vs Oakland? I don't.

 

Yeah, guys that made it on the list of the 50 all time greatest players list in 50 year list should be discounted? Really? Terrible terrible isolation of facts. That was a great series full of greatest 50 NBA athletes to ever play the game. No need to be a Johnny come lately on that. That's weak.

 

A huge part of what makes the finals exciting is the emotional aspect. It should feel like a good vs evil story not evil vs slightly more evil. A lot of real fans don't have a team that they'd want to win. Just a team that they'd want to lose more. The filthy casuals will like it though.