LeBron James may have preferred to have play Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, but when it comes to who they will play in the NBA Finals, his coach Tyronn Lue doesn’t have a preference on who they should play, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
“We just want the winner,” Lue said. “Just whoever wins. We’re preparing for both and after tonight we will get a chance to see who we finally play.”
Lue may not prefer either team, but how do the Cavs match up against the two potential opponents?
Kyrie Irving has been on fire during the playoffs, but Russell Westbrook has been a monster at slowing down Stephen Curry in the WCF. Also, if Russ was laughing at Curry’s defense, imagine what he will do when Irving covers him. LeBron would be matched up against the next best small forward in the NBA: Kevin Durant (you could argue for Kawhi Leonard, but that’s for another time). James and Durant are always fun to watch go head to head, and it would make for a fun series. Where the Cavs would be at a disadvantage is rebounding. Stephen Adams and Enes Kanter have proved that they can rebound, and with a lineup where the biggest player is Tristan Thompson, the Cavs would not grab many boards.
You already know that LeBron and the Cavs would be hungry to win against Golden State. The Cavs have been shooting lights out in the playoffs, and they would be able to hit threes along with the Warriors. The only problem is will they be able to stop Golden State? Irving is a tough match up with Curry, and Kevin Love doesn’t always play the best defense, so who do you stick him on? Golden State is tough to match up against, and I am not very sure that the Cavs would be able to match up well and stop them.
Both series would be extremely fun, and the headlines of “James Vs. Durant” or “James Vs. Curry” are both extremely intriguing. Let’s just say, the finals will be fun.