NBA play-offs: What to expect as LeBron James and Steph Curry star
By View From America
Last Updated: 24/05/16 11:19am
With the Cleveland Cavaliers level with the Toronto Raptors after four games and the Golden State Warriors 2-1 down to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who will go through to the NBA Finals? Alex Ferguson answers the questions.
What's happened?
If you want an NBA Conference Finals set of pure craziness, then go no further than both the Golden State vs Oklahoma City and Cleveland vs Toronto series which will decide the winners of the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively.
Both Golden State and Cleveland were meant to win their series pretty comfortably, with Cleveland especially anticipated to have no trouble with the Raptors whatsoever. The amount of US media that used the words "it's over" when Cleveland pummelled the Raptors to go 2-0 up was astonishing. Since then it's been one-way traffic, and not in the way of LeBron James and Co.
With Golden State and Oklahoma City, it's been a weird series. Golden State had a comfortable lead in Game 1, blew it, and then lost the game on a controversial 'travelling' call, where many believed Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook had taken too many steps.
Golden State roared back to take Game 2 comfortably, and you thought the end was nigh for Kevin Durant, Westbrook and Co. 'Well, they've beaten the Spurs already', you thought, 'give them their due until next time.' Well, Oklahoma City weren't quite ready to walk yet, smashing Golden State by 28 points in Game 3 and battering the Warriors on both ends of the glass - despite Steph Curry still dropping nearly 30 of his own.
A quick shout-out must go to The Thunder's Steven Adams, who took what looked like a legitimate kick to the groin from Draymond Green in Game 4. He played on.
So what should we watch out for in the pivotal next games?
It might sound stupid bearing in mind they are 2-1 up but Oklahoma City, who have a reputation of being NBA chokers, have to win Game 4 on Tuesday night.
You might say "but that means that the series is still tied", but if you're 2-1 up against Golden State and have beaten them more times than most teams beat them in the regular season, you have to be aggressive and go for the jugular in Game 4.
If Durant and Westbrook are consistent (Westbrook can't have the 16-point game he had in Game 2 or the awful start he had in Game 1), then it's going to scare Golden State, for whom only Curry is really firing properly. The Thunder will try to annoy the volatile Green, who was awful in Game 3 but will be hell-bent on revenge. As for Golden State, they have to keep feeding the ball to Curry and Klay Thompson.
Thompson has got to get back into it, after not-great back-to-back games, where he failed to hit the 20-point mark.
In Cleveland, the Cavs can't look at it as "two opportunities lost", because Toronto were actually a very good home team, losing only nine games in the Air Canada Centre all season long. But although James was his usual excellent self in both the away games, Kyrie Irving was dreadful in Game 3 and only rebounded slightly in Game 4.
And the poorest of the lot has been Kevin Love who managed 13 total points in Toronto, and has been atrocious from three-point range - which was meant to be a strength of his. Love has to get his offensive game together to be a good enough foil for James and Irving for the Cavs to stop this series going to seven games, which is really the last thing they want after being 2-0 up.
So who's going to win the 'pivotal games'?
I think Game 4 is going to be won by Oklahoma City which is going to put the Warriors within one game of elimination, and I think Cleveland take Game 5 at home on Wednesday night.
And who's my tip to win the Conference Finals?
(Deep Breath): I'll go Golden State in seven games and Cleveland in seven games.
