For the fourth straight year, the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers will be facing off for the crown of basketball. The Cavaliers, led by one-headed monster Lebron James, will be taking on the Warriors’ four-headed beast of Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. This series will also mark the eighth consecutive season that James will lead a team from the Eastern Conference into the championship series. The last time a player made eight consecutive NBA finals was when Boston Celtic Frank Ramsey, the NBA’s first sixth man, went to the finals from 1957 to 1964. This series is a classic David vs. Goliath, with one man needing to overcome a far better opponent. While it would be an incredible story for James and the Cavaliers to win, it will be a tough task.

For the Cavaliers, it has been all about Lebron James this postseason. The fact that James has All-Star power forward Kevin Love on his team should not dissuade you from the fact that Lebron is incredible. Love has averaged 14 points per game during the playoffs, a four point drop from the regular season. Conversely, James has increased his scoring from 28 points per game to 34 ppg in the playoffs. In potential elimination games, he is averaging 42 points per game in 42 minutes played per game. Kevin love is the next leading scorer for the Cavaliers during the playoffs, with the ample 14 ppg, showing that Lebron is the one carrying the team. This postseason is the only one in Lebron’s eight straight finals runs where a teammate has not averaged 19 or more points per game. In my books, this finals run, with a much better Eastern Conference, including the talented Indiana Pacers, the young Boston Celtics and Philadelphia Sixers, and the Toronto Raptors as the one seed, is his second greatest accomplishment behind coming back in the 2016 from 3-1 down to beat the, you guessed it, Golden State Warriors while averaging a triple double of 36 ppg, 10 apg and 12 rpg in Games 5, 6 and 7. If he somehow carries through and wins the championship this year with an injured Kevin Love and no other significant scorers, this will be the greatest run of any basketball player in a postseason ever and I believe this will make him the clear best basketball player of all time.

While that would be a great story, the road to the title will be a tough one for Lebron and the Cavaliers. And by tough, I mean, they are about face off against one of the most talented and best teams in NBA history. They have won two of the last three championships in the NBA, and last year, the signing of Kevin Durant signaled a significant shift in the balance of the league. Although the core of the team was injured in the latter part of the regular season and lost ten of their last seventeen games, they fought through to the Western Conference Finals. There, the one seeded Houston Rockets awaited them, and the series was epic, shifting back and forth until the pivotal Game 7 was reached in Houston. In this game, the Rockets built a fifteen point lead into the second quarter and led the game by eleven at the half using Clint Capela as a force in the paint and James Harden dishing the ball to him or making a layup off of the pick and roll. However, the Rockets missed twenty-seven consecutive three point attempts in the second half, and Rockets sharpshooter Trevor Ariza went 0-9 from long distance, ending up with 0 points for the entire game. Compounding with this was Curry dropping 27 points, along with seven made threes, and Durant scoring 34 points. This won them the game and the Dubs advanced to the NBA Finals. In Game 7, the Big Four dropped 90 of the team’s 101 total points, a remarkable 89 percent of the scoring for the Warriors. This game could have gone either way, as Klay Thompson was practically shut down, picking up three early fouls in the first half and only hitting 3 three pointers during the entirety of the game. However, the Rockets could not capitalize with their shooting and disappointed their fans at home in a critical Game 7. The Warriors will have to be better to vanquish the Cavaliers, but they the talent to do so.

Why the Cavaliers will win the NBA Finals:

Two words. Lebron James. If this man can give more than one hundred percent during the series and continue be a force both offensively and defensively, the Cavaliers have a shot. He is the most dominant and clutch player in the game right now. He can take over whenever he wants to and find an offensive rhythm that is unguardable. Like I mentioned previously, if he is able to play hero-ball throughout the entire championship round and turn the tides of the games in favor of the Cavs, they have a shot to win it all. However, it cannot only be him. For every game, at least one guy has to score at least 20 points and another has to score at least 15 because LeBron cannot put up 40 and win by himself. The Cavaliers have the ability to do this, with major heat check guys such as Jordan Clarkson, Rodney Hood, and J.R. Smith. What Lebron can do is get assists and help his teammates find their game. This will put them over the edge, and this is the way the Cavs will win for the second time in three years.

Why the Warriors will win the NBA Finals:

What makes this team the best in all of basketball is that if either one of their top three scorers, whether it be Durant, Curry or Thompson, is not playing well and scoring, the other two can still push the team to the finish line. An example is in Game 7, where Thompson’s 19 points were not very good. He was in foul trouble and played in limited amounts of time. Although the Rockets had trouble shooting the ball, the Warriors still had to do their part and thanks to Durant and Curry. They were able to make the shots they had to and advance. Draymond Green is always playing great defense, and he may be able to give LeBron some trouble during the series. Therefore, the Warriors will win their second straight title because of their scoring depth and ability to win without all of the circuits in motion.

My Prediction:

Warriors win this series in six games. Yes, this is the best LeBron has ever played, but the star-studded Golden State are just too good. I give the Cavaliers a chance, with them most likely winning a game or two at home, but the way I see the Warriors play and what they can do on the court, I cannot truly see LeBron James raising his fourth career Larry O’Brien Trophy. Make sure you watch Game 1 tonight at 9PM EST on ABC for the first action of the NBA Finals.

Quick Shoutout:

This shoutout goes out to Nick Young or “Swaggy P”. As a member of the Warriors, this will be his first ever appearance in an NBA Finals in his eleven year career and I cannot be more proud of him. He’s come along way from his younger years and I hope he scores a three during the series (and he makes sure the ball goes in before he celebrates).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXl_iQTPqZo