The NBA Conference Finals Are Set….Get Ready
The 2018 NBA Conference Finals are set.
Last night the Boston Celtics took out the Philadelphia 76ers 114-112 in an absolute battle at TD Garden.
With insane performances from Boston’s young core of Terry Rozier, Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown combining for 66 total points, the Celtics are on their way to the Eastern Conference Finals without arguably their two best players in Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.
But can they take out LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers?
Doubt it.
LeBron is playing the best basketball he’s ever played and the Cavs are coming off a clean sweep of the Raptors and will have plenty of rest for Game 1 in Boston.
The Western Conference finals will feature was seems to be the matchup everyone wanted/predicted, the Houston Rockets against the Golden State Warriors. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant & Draymond Green up against the regular season MVP favorite, James Harden and his newest star addition Chris Paul. Let’s be honest, the winner of this series will be the favorite to win the finals, but anything could happen, especially when LeBron James is at the helm.
Boston is proving everyone wrong without their stars, but LeBron and the Cavs will be their toughest matchup yet. Houston comes in as the number one seed against the defending champs, but Golden State looks like they are finally healthy and in official playoff form.
Okay, predictions.
Boston vs Cleveland will go five games. The C’s will be able to get one at home but that’s going to be about all they get being in the way of LeBron James and his ninth straight finals appearance. Here’s a bold take, LeBron will average a 30+pt triple-double the entire series. He’s more than capable but its a stretch.
Houston vs Golden State will go six games with the Warriors wrapping things up at home. Even with the Rockets being the number one seed and having the best overall record in the NBA, the Warriors just have too much firepower and they’re healthy, which is scary. Any two of their four stars could have an off night and they still can have the other two go off for 25+ each. Houston will put up a fight, probably stealing a game in Oakland, but at the end of the series, Steph and company will prove to be too much.
All I know is I’m looking forward to this year’s conference finals matchups, they’re the ones we wanted minus the injuries to Hayward and Irving.
Hard to believe that next years playoffs may be a better spectacle in the east at least, depending on what LeBron James does in free-agency, but that’s a topic for another day.
Written by Christopher Schweitzer
Beasley Media Group Inc.
