THE NBA Finals should be well on the way. Well not at least after a clear winner between Golden State and Oklahoma City happens by the time this column hits the stands. This will be the last and final game of the Western Conference Finals and a rested Cleveland Cavaliers are waiting.
Oklahoma has outdone itself and has confounded many experts. I thought this year would be Duncan’s crowning glory as a Spur most specially that highly coveted talents LaMarcus Aldridge (Blazers) and David West (Pacers) had been enchanted by the Popovich way.
At the end of the day, I guess men who find esteem and pride in being called experts bear unnecessary burdens of proving they are right or they were really right if certain conditions have been met. Experts are sadly never wrong and mistaken.
Everything else and all are wrong except themselves.
Coach Donovan of the Thunder has done a wonderful job. Beating the Dallas Mavericks seemed probable but the talent laden San Antonio Spurs was phenomenal. The new coach has found gems in his roster other than the sterling Kevin Durant and Russel Westbrook. He has tapped the burly seven-foot-tall Steven Adams who has been playing big minutes over highly paid Enes Kanter (from the Utah Jazz) and NBA veteran Nazr Mohammed (Chicago Bulls). The New Zealander, who was drafted by OKC in 2013 has been an imposing figure in the point averaging 6.7 rebounds and 8 points per game.
Moreover, OKC has found a place for Andre Roberson, a 6’7” shooting guard in place of veterans Dione Waiters (Cavaliers) and Randy Foye (Nuggets). In the last game, he shot 11 points, a significant deviation above his 4.8-point norm.
So far, so good. Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka have succeeded in demystifying the Warriors’ mystique of invincibility after Curry, Thompson and Green dislodged Jordan’s Chicago Bulls from being the winningest team in the NBA. Losing two straight does not bode well for OKC most specially when after leading by more than 10 points for most of the fourth quarter of Game 6, turnovers had cost them the game.
Well partially but Klay Thompson stole OKC’s thunder by making eleven threes – a playoff record. It cannot be denied that Curry could have done the feat but that is not the only given. Who would deny that another Splash Brother in the backcourt could be as able and he has the track record to prove it.
Curry and Thompson are truly a dangerous duo. In my mind, Durant and Westbrook should do better. If two pointers are all their arsenal could produce, that’s not going to be enough. The orthodox production may be athletically thunderous but raining threes from the arc will be a flood to difficult to stop.
Has the momentum shifted to GSW’s favor?
There is no answer for the above question. For the results of the last and final game of the NBA’s Western Conference, please make mine GSW, not as an expert but some whose guess is as good as yours. Sorry, Richard.