Monthly Archives: June 2016

Basketball

Top 100 Basketball Player of All Time – 2016 Edition

We are a week removed from the NBA Finals and its result shook the foundation of my Top 100 (and should have shaken everyone’s Top lists). So let’s look through my Top 100 and see what’s changed.

Dropped out: Mark Price
Unfortunately for Price a new player has joined the Top 100, and that means Price drops out. Perhaps next year I’ll expand to a Top 125.

100. Tom Chambers (-1)
99. Tim Hardaway (-1)
98. Manu Ginobili (-1) – Could be a big playoffs away from going up about 10 spots, but it looks like he’s done and may retire.
97. Alonzo Mourning (-1)
96. Dikembe Mutombo (-1)
95. Yao Ming (-1)
94. Vince Carter (-1) – I feel like I have to re-evaluate Carter in the future. Is he really better than Mutombo, Mourning, Yao?
93. Carmelo Anthony (-1) – Needs something to move up. Not making the playoffs in the East these days is inexcusable if you’re a top player.
92. Kevin Johnson (-1)
91. Shawn Kemp (-1)

Everyone in this group dropped a spot as the new entry is already in the 80s.

90. Robert Horry (-1)
89. Chris Mullin (-1)
88. Bob Dandridge (-1)
87. Paul Westphal (-1)
86. Dan Issel (-1)
85. Artis Gilmore (-1)
84. Russell Westbrook (NEW) – With his first NBA 1st Team selection, as well as being part of a dangerous 1-2 punch with Kevin Durant that almost beat the 73 win Warriors, it was impossible to deny Westbrook a Top 100 spot. I feel like he’s at the level of Tracy McGrady at the moment, but Westbrook is still young and will probably only trend upwards.
83. Tracy McGrady
82. Joe Dumars
81. Sidney Moncrief

Westbrook’s the only new player in the Top 100.
80. Lenny Wilkins
79. Earl Monroe
78. Tony Parker – Looking like he’s close to done as well. Will need a big season or playoffs to really move up at all.
77. Chris Webber
76. David Thompson
75. Jerry Lucas
74. Pete Maravich
73. Dwight Howard (-1) – Drops a spot to Bosh, will explain below.
72. Chris Bosh (+1) – Passes Howard, will explain below.
71. Dennis Rodman

Really liked how Chris Bosh played this year, even though he unfortunately was done after 53 games because of his heart (and his career might be over). While Dwight performed below expectations once again Bosh was the leader of a Heat team that I think could have given Cleveland a run for their money had he been healthy. Combine this with Bosh’s transformation as a top role player/third guy on the Heat title teams and I think his career is slightly more impressive than Howards. Yeah, Dwight had a better peak, but I’ll take Bosh’s overall career this time. Dwight SHOULD be better than what he is though.

70. Adrian Dantley
69. Alex English
68. Bob McAdoo
67. Tom Heihnson
66. Tiny Archibald
65. Pau Gasol – Impressive that Gasol keeps going, but I think I need to see one more good playoff run to consider putting him in the Top 60.
64. Reggie Miller
63. Bill Sharmin
62. Dave Debusschere
61. Robert Parish

No movement here. Only one that can change their legacy is Gasol.
60. Bernard King
59. Elvin Hayes
58. Dolph Schayes
57. Paul Arizin
56. Dominique Wilkins
55. Billy Cunningham (-1)
54. Hal Greer (-1)
53. Nate Thurmond (-1)
52. Wes Unseld (-1)
51. Chris Paul (+4)

CP3 is one of the toughest to rank. His advanced stats are incredible and he’s clearly a positive on his team. How much of it is his fault that he can’t get out of Round 2? Yes, he keeps running into the juggernauts of the West, but he should have at least been able to get by some of them, right? (He had home court vs. the Spurs in 2008 in Game 7 and was up 3-1 on the Rockets in 2015). I think in terms of success CP3 isn’t much different than Dominique. They just can’t get past those juggernauts of their respective conferences. This year injuries cost Paul a chance at a deep playoff run. But he’s running out of time. He’ll probably inch towards the top 40 with these continual great seasons, but unless there’s some playoff success that’s probably as far as he’d go.

50. James Worthy
49. Dennis Johnson
48. Bill Walton (-1)
47. Ray Allen (-1)
46. Chauncey Billups (-1)
45. George Gervin (-1)
44. Sam Jones (-1)
43. Clyde Drexler (-1)
42. George Mikan (-1)
41. Jason Kidd (-1)

We had one player move up…we’ll get there eventually.
40. Paul Pierce (-1)
39. Allen Iverson (-1)
38. Gary Payton (-1)
37. Patrick Ewing (-1)
36. Dave Cowens (-2)
35. Steve Nash (-2)
34. Kevin Durant (+1) – It seems like a minimal move for Durant. On one hand I was super impressed that he got past the Spurs. On the other hand, he needed one more really big performance to get past Golden State and didn’t get it done. His career is impressive no doubt, but I’m going to need more for him to break into the Top 30.
33. Kevin McHale (-1)
32. Walt Frazier (-1)
31. Willis Reed (-1)

All of these drops are because of the player who went up from the 40s. Durant obviously has potential to move up a lot depending on how things go from here.

30. Rick Barry (-1)
29. Bob Cousy (-1)
28. John Stockon (-1)
27. Stephen Curry (+20) – I was ready to put him into the Top 15 until the collapse against the Spurs happened. Despite an incredible year (.318 WS/48!) and a unanimous MVP, we’re left at the end of the season wonder if he’s even the league’s best player (he’s not). He’s failed to dominate in two straight Finals now, winning the first one arguably because the 2015 Cavs were decimated by injuries and simply overmatched. He’s still headed to the Top 20 (and maybe Top 10), but the train definitely slowed down in the Finals.
26. David Robinson
25. Elgin Baylor
24. John Havlicek
23. Bob Pettit
22. Scottie Pippen
21. Isiah Thomas

Only change here is the addition of Curry.

20. Dwyane Wade – Had a chance to add onto his legacy but couldn’t get it done. His best days are past him, but a surprisingly good run could get him to the Top 15.
19. Karl Malone
18. Charles Barkley
17. Julius Erving
16. Oscar Robertson
15. Wilt Chamberlain
14. Kevin Garnett
13. Dirk Nowitzki – As impressive that he’s still the key member of some solid playoff teams, any shot at the Top 10 is probably dead.
12. Jerry West
11. Moses Malone

No changes here. Only Wade and Nowitzki can change their legacies (and perhaps Garnett?)

10. Kobe Bryant – These last three seasons did nothing for me to think he deserves to go any higher. This past season was especially embarrassing and held back the Laker future.
9. Hakeem Olajuwon
8. Shaquille O’Neal
7. Larry Bird
6. Tim Duncan (-1) – Looks like he’s run out of gas, which is a shame. While I wouldn’t rule him out of being an elite role player next year I don’t know if that’s going to be enough to get back into the Top 5.
5. Magic Johnson (-1)
4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (-1)
3. LeBron James (+3) – We’ll get to the Kareem vs. LeBron vs. Russell arguments shortly.
2. Bill Russell
1. Michael Jordan

LeBron James obviously put himself into GOAT discussion with his 2016 NBA Finals performance. I still think he has a bit to go to get to MJ (but at least it’s a discussion. That wasn’t guaranteed at all at this point), but he CAN get there. I think he clearly gets to jump Duncan and Magic here. Kareem was a tough choice, but I think LeBron’s been more impressive against better average talent than Kareem was in the 70s (not to say Kareem wasn’t impressive against good teams, it’s just that I find LeBron to be better). Lebron vs. Russell you can go back and forth with all day and I thought about it for a few days. For me it becomes a bit of a hardware argument. It’s not to say LeBron needs 11 rings, but I’d like to see #4 or #5 before I’m taking him over the best winner in NBA history.

Hockey

2015-2016 Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins

Hello everyone !

They did it- the Pittsburgh Penguins have defeated the San Jose Sharks to win the franchise’s 4th Stanley Cup and 2nd in the past 10 years! I’ve been a fan during both Cup victories and I can tell you, there is nothing like it!

The Pens overcame a lot to make it to the top, of course in my opinion they deserved to be hoisting the cup this June. This season was tough and for a while I wanted to stop watching games because of frustration. In October the team was mess and I was devastated; everything I loved about the team was gone. Players were fighting with each other and there was no sense of pride. How can a team expect to win when they can’t even get along? Hockey is a lot about teamwork and having a family-esque atmosphere. The NHL season is a long one, 82 games, and the Stanley Cup is described as the toughest trophy to win in all major sports. To make it through the season with a winning record, a team has to work together and want to win.

I want to focus on a crucial point in the season- the firing of coach Mike Johnston right around the 30 game mark. He HAD to go. He was replaced by Mike Sullivan who was familiar with the system because he was coaching the Penguins AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins when he was called to coach the NHL team. Having coached some of the players in the minors, Sullivan came in already comfortable with a lot of the players- I believe that was very important. Sullivan is a completely different type of coach compared to Johnston.

He instilled a sense of pride and togetherness in his players. All of a sudden they were a part of something bigger and they all had important roles. This was the first season I can honestly say that EVERY player had a significant impact. In past years the story every game was Crosby this and Malkin that. Don’t get me wrong – I love these two guys and they are elite skilled players. But it was so refreshing that it was the Penguins vs. the Sharks and the Penguins vs. the Rangers. Players young and old stepped up. Brand new NHL faces and players who didn’t live up to their potential on their old teams both shined night after night. Key injuries happened- players like Malkin, Fleury, and Daley missed a significant amount of games. But do you know what never changed- players were ready to step up and contribute to fill in their places.

Speaking of injuries, I’d like to take this time to talk about some of them. First off, young Finnish defenceman Olli Matta missed a lot of time due to complications resulting from cancerous growths. Fellow defenceman Kris Letang missed weeks because he suffered a stroke. Perhaps the most heart breaking injury was suffered by forward Pascal Dupuis. Dupuis was in the league for many years; and a member of the Penguins for several- including the championship 2009 season. He missed a lot of time with injuries; in fact, he had to hang up his skates and quit the game he loved because of his health issues. Seeing him raise the cup meant a lot to longtime fans.

So here we have it- the cup is going back home where it belongs. Myself, thousands of fans and a city of supporters are beyond delighted to welcome it back. Since 2009 there was a lot of talk that the Penguins were not performing as well as they should have. To all the haters: hockey is hockey- there are a lot of ups and downs, it takes a lot of pieces and sometimes a lot of luck to win the cup. Some chances were taken with lineups and free agents and trades- sometimes they work out and sometimes they don’t. Fortunate for the Penguins, they were able to go on the ice every night with a stacked team who was ready to take on the competition.

Congratulations to the players, coaching staff, training and equipment staff, management and supporters. Each person, no matter the size of his or her role helped the Penguins make it to the top.

Basketball

All Hail the King: A NBA Finals Recap

Never had a NBA Finals been declared over, then not over, then over, then not over so many times.

Everyone thought Cleveland had to split the early games in Oakland to have a chance. In Game 1 Cleveland held a one point lead in the third quarter before Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa surprisingly carried Golden State and pulled away to win by 15. Game 2 was an embarrassment for the Cavs. LeBron once again had nice stats but hasn’t asserted himself. Kyrie Irving was doing a crappy Allen Iverson impersonation, shooting 12 for 35 in the first two games. Kevin Love looked good in Game 1 but wasn’t much in Game 2, and then got hit in the head and would miss Game 3. Klay Thompson said that this Warriors team would beat the Showtime Lakers. It was 2-0 and Cleveland either had to win four straight or win a Game 7 in Oakland. The series was over.

And then it wasn’t. The series shifted to Cleveland where the Cavs blew out Warriors by 30 points. Richard Jefferson provided a spark both offensively and defensively starting for the injured Love. I questioned whether Love should even play in the series anymore. Irving scored 30 and hit as many shots has he did in Games 1 and 2 combined. J.R. Smith finally had a big Finals game and hit five threes. LeBron threw a monster game in there with a 32-11-6. Suddenly, if Cleveland could win Game 4 at home, we’d have a new series.

Then the series was over again. Stephen Curry, the unanimous League MVP who’d been quiet for the Finals so far, decided to remind everyone why he was MVP and dropped 38 with seven threes. LeBron and Kyrie had big games, but no one else really helped. It was 3-1 Warriors. Golden State were 88-16 at that point. They hadn’t lost three in a row in the Steve Kerr era. They lost three games all year at home. No way they were dropping three straight with two at home. The mere glimmer of hope? Draymond Green getting suspended for Game 5 for hitting James low. Justified or not (and I think considering Draymond’s past its perfectly fine), this series was still over. The question at this point was where would Draymond watch Game 5 from and would he make the celebration in time.

The only way LeBron was ever to catch Michael Jordan in the All Time Greats list was to start doing things no one else could do. He had to do something special. LeBron and Kyrie quite frankly kicked the shit out of Golden State in Oakland. LeBron started that special track with a 41-16-7-3-3 and Kyrie helped with 41 of his own. Curry was okay. Harrison Barnes flushed millions of dollars down the toilet. Thompson had a great game wasted. Once again the series wasn’t over, because if Cleveland could win Game 6 at home, well, anything could happen in a Game 7, right?

Game 6 was over by the first quarter (okay fine, Golden State did make some comebacks, but never got the lead). 31-11 Cleveland at the end of the first. LeBron decided to have another holy shit game with a 41-11-8. Curry cheated on defense all game, fouled out and threw his mouthpiece in the stands. Yeah, Game 7 was in Oakland, but looking back its obvious that Stephen Curry was rattled. The pressure was getting to Golden State. Still, both sides were right. Steve Kerr said he would take 1 game on his home floor for a title anytime. LeBron said anything can happen in the two greatest words in sports: Game 7.

Many times Golden State could have put Game 7 away. They began building a lead and had a big second quarter to take a 7 point lead into the half. But Irving brought Cleveland back. They held Cleveland to 40% shooting…but Cleveland kept attacking the rim and legitimately got to the free throw line. Draymond Green played a game so good that I would have been fine with him winning Finals MVP despite LeBron’s greatness (32-15-9 with 6 threes). With the game tied late at 89 all Golden State had to do as they did so many times during the season was hit some big shots and put Cleveland away. There are four plays I will remember from this game down the stretch. I will remember Curry, who clearly seemed rattled by the pressure, going for a behind the back pass and failing miserably. It seemed like this was Curry’s way to tell us that everything was fine and just as it always is. Of course, everything wasn’t and Golden State was falling apart. Curry throwing it away there was a microcosm of that. I will remember Curry failing to dribble past Kevin Love. Arguably the league’s best offensive player couldn’t get by the league’s worst big name defensive player when it mattered. I will remember LeBron’s “Smoke Monster” block as will everyone else. That’s a top five greatest play in NBA Finals history without a doubt. Remember, Golden State never got past 89 points…and that was their best chance at it. I will remember Kyrie Irving’s game winner with 50 seconds left on Curry. I criticized Irving for a crappy Allen Iverson impression in Games 1 and 2. He suddenly became the rich man’s Iverson, an evolutionary efficient version. It’s probably the greatest player type LeBron could ask for as a second guy. A fearless scorer who can make them when they count? It also put one last embarrassment out there for Curry: Cleveland attacked him, the league MVP, down the stretch. And it worked. LeBron also had a 27-11-11 in case that matters.

73-9 now means nothing. Curry now has to wonder about his legacy. The Warriors go into the off-season wondering if perhaps they should add Kevin Durant. But we’re all sure of one thing.

It’s still LeBron James’ league. All Hail the King.

(And congratulations Cleveland…you all deserve it).

Other (DC, Marvel, Disney etc.), Uncategorized

RDT World of Sport Hall of Fame Inductee #1: Muhammad Ali

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Career Boxing Record: 56-5 (37 KO)
Three-Time Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World
Ring Magazine All-Time Ranking: #1
ESPN.com All-Time Ranking: #2
Gold Medalist – 1960 Summer Olympics

With the grace of a butterfly and a sting like a bee Muhammad Ali is arguably the greatest boxer of all-time. He defeated all of his rivals, some in an ironic, dramatic fashion. Everything Ali did in the ring and out was iconic. He got under the skin of Sonny Liston, both literally and figuratively and trash talked him before and after the fight. He converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali, which led to him evading the draft years later. He became a symbol against the Vietnam War. He affected young blacks just as much as Martin Luther King Jr. did. His three fight series with Joe Frazier had taglines such as “Fight of the Century” and “Thrilla in Manilla”. He outboxed (rope-a-dope) George Foreman in “The Rumble in the Jungle”. He was a master showman, arrogant and confident to no end. At the same time so many have called him the greatest person they’ve ever met (George Foreman is one example).

An amazing boxer, showman and ambassador (to not only boxing, but as a black American), Muhammad Ali deserves to be recognized in every way possible.

Poker

RDT Reviews KidPoker

Spoilers because…I’m not sure how to review a documentary otherwise…

KidPoker is the inspiring story of top poker professional Daniel Negreanu. The short version of this review is that this is a great documentary that has me wanting more. Even if you aren’t a poker fan, there’s a lot to be learned from KidPoker.

KidPoker establishes early Negreanu’s super close relationship with his parents…and how Negreanu was a bit of a wild child who seemed to say whatever came out of his mouth with a lack of respect for anyone he thought was wrong. Both points really define the person Negreanu is today for better or for worse (and mostly it is for better). Negreanu telling his teacher that he’s bored in class as he decided to lay down in the back of the class isn’t that different than Negreanu telling a tournament director that his structure isn’t good or blinding himself out as a form of protest. Negreanu also is one to be proud of his accomplishments and his framing of a letter he got from school where his teacher wrote that she basically couldn’t deal with him anymore is definitely a high point.

Negreanu’s background in regards to schooling also justifies a personal belief of mine in regards to the education system. While Negreanu’s in an extreme case (I would never recommend someone dropout of school or not finish to play poker), his success proves that not everyone is going to benefit from learning about Biology or History in the classroom. If I were a parent I’d personally want my student to excel in one area than be above average in all. Give me an A+, C, C, C, C student over a B+, B+, B, B, B student any day. That A+ should be pushed. I sense Negreanu would be an A+ in math and to no surprise at all he excelled in something that required him to be good at numbers. The public education system should take note.

Anyway, back to the documentary we learn about how Negreanu began going back and forth to Vegas, going broke each time. It didn’t take him that long to figure the games out and soon his mother was in 100% support of his career (his father already was) (story about how another parent told Negreanu’s mother that she would be ashamed of him even though her son was selling drugs and stolen radios is also a highlight. You see that every day). This arrives me at point #2, when your parents are in full support of what you do it can only strengthen you. It’s obvious Negreanu drew that support from his parents throughout his career. Negreanu’s relationship with his parents, especially his mother, is the strongest point of the documentary.

Another strong point about the documentary: many of Daniel’s friends and fellow professionals being honest about the pros and cons of Negreanu himself. Jennifer Harman details how after Negreanu broke through with a surprising WSOP bracelet in 1998 he made awful financial decisions. Later in the doc Antonio Esfandiari says there’s something that to this day he still disagrees with Negreanu about but that doesn’t change how much respect he has for him. John Duthie pointed out that sometimes Negreanu said things that may have been over the line…even if he was right. Overall it was nice to see that the entire documentary wasn’t just something to soothe Negreanu’s ego.

After we see Negreanu tear up the poker scene through 2004, disappointingly we jump ahead to Negreanu’s high roller successes of 2013. I do wish there was some more focus on Negreanu’s struggles after 2004 (like his “poor” 2005 tournament results) and how he refocused and captured the Limit Hold’em title in 2008. I’m also curious how a myriad of near misses affected him, such as 2nd places in the WSOP in 2002 and 2003, and especially the 2nd place in the 2009 WSOPE Main Event. We don’t even go over his WSOP-A Main Event title in 2013 either. In fact, we don’t hear anything about his WSOP Main Event shortcomings, especially the 2001 one. Maybe these are unnecessary to the story, but I guess as a poker fan I just want to know everything (I wanted to know how his World Poker Finals run in 1997 helped him too).

Moreso about the missing period as that we don’t explore some of what seems to be significant personal relationships. We see Evelyn Ng multiple times in the documentary but we don’t get one story about her, surprising as it seems considering they are great friends and knew each other since they were about 16 (they were pool hustlers together, and pool is a part of KidPoker). We also don’t hear anything about Daniel being married in 2005, although perhaps when he’s speaking about a relationship in the Choice Center that’s what it’s in reference to (no idea). Also the biggest example of him getting doused with controversy because of his mouth is his feud with Annie Duke. Then again, why would we want her to be publicized through this documentary? So I take it back. Less Annie Duke the better.

Lastly, I’m surprised that I don’t hear the word “Pokerstars” in the entire documentary. We see the software on screen and such, but that relationship surprisingly isn’t explored.

What KidPoker does well though is it makes this larger than life poker World Champion relatable to the normal person. I too used to write sports stats and such just like Negreanu when I was a kid. Who hasn’t had success get to their head a bit and as a result made mistakes (like Negreanu lost 98 bracelet win) and assumed success would be guaranteed year after year? Who hasn’t lost an inspiring figure in their lives? Who hasn’t been criticized and as a result needed to prove themselves (I can’t help but shake my head at the 2+2 Forums references in KidPoker. While I guess it’s the best place for poker discussion most of 2+2 is an embarrassment. Hell I just read today what a fish Phil Hellmuth is in tournament poker as he took down another $1,000,000+ prize. What a joke.)

KidPoker does a great job of explaining how a wild Canadian like Negreanu became a spokesperson and ambassador for the game of poker (Phil Ivey calling it “the game of poker” and not just “poker” is awesome, but that’s another discussion). It’s well done. Sure I wish there were some more stories here…but isn’t that a sign it was a great doc in the first place?

Grade: A-

 

Basketball

2016 NBA Finals Prediction

So long Toronto and Oklahoma City. In Toronto’s case they’ve proved me wrong five different times in these playoffs. Sure they lost in six, but they put up a great fight and Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan definitely earned my respect. Hopefully DeRozan doesn’t leave and Toronto sticks around as a regular playoff team each year.

I don’t know if Oklahoma City fans should consider this season a win or not. They weren’t supposed to get past San Antonio and going up 3-1 on the record breaking Warriors seemed unfathomable. I’m not completely surprised that Golden State came back although I did think Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were playing way too well for it to happen. Unfortunately, Durant will have his clutchness questioned (not unlike LeBron five years ago) and really Westbrook should too. It doesn’t mean it’s right, but eventually top stars need to get the job done. And when you’re up 3-1 that means not losing three straight. Durant is where LeBron five or six years ago and I wouldn’t count him out. We definitely got some great basketball out if it…leading to…

NBA Finals

#1 Golden State Warriors (73-9) vs. #1 Cleveland Cavaliers (57-25)

In the end we have the two #1 seeds. It may have felt like a complicated way to get here but in truth the Eastern Conference side has was always going to be the Cavs despite Toronto’s fight. Golden State, despite the 73-9 record, was always a little less certain as the Spurs loomed. Surprisingly Oklahoma City took Golden State to the limit. That plus Stephen Curry’s playoff injury plus Draymond Green suddenly becoming one of the league’s top villains has made the Warriors look vulnerable. Cleveland meanwhile has marched through the East with a 12-2 record with the highest points differential in the playoffs since the 2001 Lakers.

Let’s make the case for Cavs. First off the Cavs have LeBron James. Only the biggest haters of LeBron at this point can ignore the fact that he’s one of the best ten players of all time, one of the top two players in the league right now (and still arguably #1). Most fans have taken LeBron for granted. The fact of the matter is LeBron almost won the NBA title last year with Matthew Dellavedova as his 2nd best guy. LeBron went for 36-13-9 on AVERAGE (admittedly with a bad shooting %) and wore down the Warriors basically by himself. In fact, LeBron was my pick for Finals MVP even though Cleveland lost. And this year? This year LeBron has weapons. Like Kyrie Irving. Like Kevin Love. If good J.R. Smith shows up then include him too. If they reach their potential this is one scary team. They showed that against the Hawks in these playoffs. LeBron James can turn this series around and this time he doesn’t need to take 28 shots each game to do it.

Let’s talk about Kevin Love. Love seems to be the most inconsistent player on Cleveland. Some nights he’s nailing threes and getting double digit rebounds. Other nights he’s nowhere to be seen and a ghost on defense. His defense probably won’t magically improve, so he’ll have to have consistent big offensive nights in this series. It should be noted that in the two games against the Warriors this year Love has shot 6 for 21. He’ll have to do better than that.

Cleveland will also have to win the offensive rebounding game by a significant margin to win. This is what you were paid to do Tristan Thompson. Kevin Love also grabbed 18 boards against Golden State on Xmas…but it should be noted they still lost that game. Golden State has already beaten three of the best offensive rebounding teams in the NBA in these playoffs. It doesn’t mean Cleveland can’t win this way though.

All three of these reasons (not just one or two) will have to happen in order for Cleveland to win. Even then I’m not quite sure it will be enough.

For one Stephen Curry seems 100% over his injury and doing Stephen Curry things. He’s absolutely unstoppable in this situation and unlike last year I don’t think someone like Dellavedova is going to rattle him. And even so, Klay Thompson is clearly in peak form right now too. If there’s one thing we learned from Cleveland’s series against Toronto it’s that the perimeter defense is suspect. Lowry and DeRozan ran wild when away from Cleveland. And Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are much better than Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. I don’t have much faith in Cleveland’s defense away from Cleveland. And in Cleveland I don’t expect for Curry to get shut down.

I also think Golden State is a strong enough team defensively to at least hold down the Cavs. Of course LeBron will get his, but will Kevin Love? I get that Kyrie Irving was just getting back into rhythm when the regular season games against the Warriors took place but he looked bad in both. Then again he was good against them in Game 1 before he went down. The Cavs may get big contributions from Channing Frye and J.R. Smith and they will need them, but I don’t know if that’s enough to win a seven game series. Defensively Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala will make Cleveland work for their points. Rebounding wise Green can also beat Cleveland as well (as he did on Christmas). Bismack Biyombo’s rebounding performance in the Eastern Conference Finals really puts a damper on the whole “Cleveland will beat Golden State by outrebounding them” strategy.

All of the intangible factors to go Golden State too. They’ve been here before. They’ve been tested and they’ve won. They’re a 73-9 juggernaut. They have the coaching advantage (although Ty Lue is quite a wildcard). They even have Anderson Varejao, who may not be a factor on the court but you can never like it when someone who’s been on one side for so long is suddenly you enemy (see Horace Grant vs. the Bulls in ‘95 or Robert Horry vs the Lakers in ’04…a Phil Jackson story there).

On Cleveland’s side Kyrie Irving’s played in one Finals game total (although in truth I think he’ll be fine). Kevin Love hasn’t yet and really hasn’t shown me he’s ready for that level of intensity. We don’t really know what difference Ty Lue made other than some stories. If anything, Cleveland had a worse regular season record after David Blatt was fired despite getting Irving back.

The Golden State Warriors are just too good to lose four out of seven. Oklahoma City was close, and I sense that was just the kick in the ass they needed too.

Warriors in 6.