There are no better words in sports than "Game 7." As basketball fans, we love watching the best players go at it night after night. For the past few seasons, we haven't seen much parity when it came to the NBA Finals. The Cavaliers and the Warriors have played in the last three, and no teams had really emerged as threats to beat them. Then came this season. Though we may get another Cleveland Golden State finals, it's never been more strenuous for both teams to make the finals. The Houston Rockets and the Boston Celtics have forced game 7s, and its the best thing that's happened in a while.
How We Got Here
Golden State and Houston were seen as the favorites to meet in the Western Conference finals from opening night. The Rockets added Chris Paul, and Golden State is the defending champion. The Rockets earned the 1 seed and home court throughout the playoffs, while the Warriors were #2. The Warriors overcame Steph Curry's absence in round 1 to defeat the Spurs and then beat New Orleans 4-1.
Houston was able to sweep the Timberwolves in the first round. In the second round, they faced a tough Utah team, featuring a ROY favorite in Donovan Mitchell. They were able to defeat them in 6, but it was far from an easy series and proved to be a good test for Houston.
In the East, the Cavs were the story all year. How would they play without Kyrie? Would they make the finals? Could LeBron do it alone? Despite team turnover and inconsistent play from everyone not named LeBron or Kyle Korver (he's 37) the Cavs are facing one game on the road to make their 4th straight NBA Finals. On the other side, there's a young, hungry Boston team that has is two best players in Kyrie and Gordon Hayward in street clothes.
The Cavs faced a tough Indiana team in the first round and needed 7 games to knock them out. Victor Oladipo showed out in the series for Indiana. Boston came into the playoffs missing Kyrie and Gordon Hayward and it didn't matter. They defeated the Bucks in 7 games and then got rid of the 76ers in 5 games. They've been untouchable at home but have only won a single road game.
Predictions
In my eyes, the Warriors gave away games 4 and 5. I think they're the better team with more talent. Houston has taken advantage of the mismatches and punished them in Isolation and have also played great defense against Golden State. Chris Paul being hurt changes everything in this series. He got hurt in game 5 and missed game 6, where the Warriors won 115-86. The Warriors gained momentum at home and are ready for a game 7 in Houston. I have the Warriors winning in 7, with or without Chris Paul playing, but anything could happen.
Cleveland hasn't won a game in Boston yet in this series and the role players have been terrible on the road. The one reason I have Cleveland winning is the fact that LeBron is the best legacy player in the history of basketball. When it's time to win LeBron comes to play and he plays out of his mind. Here's a quick rundown of some of LeBron's elimination game performances.
In game 6 against Boston in 201, down 3-2, he goes for 45/15/5. In the 2016 NBA finals against Golden State down 3-1, he goes for 41,41, and a 27-point triple double in game 7 with the game-saving block. In the first round this year against Indy in game 7, he scored 45 points, and in game 6 in this series against Boston, he goes for 46/11/9 and forces a game 7.
That's the guy I have winning game 7 on the road in Boston to go to his 8th straight NBA Finals.
