NBA Finals Preview

The Cavaliers and Warriors are set to square off in their third straight NBA Finals. Golden State won in 2015 and Cleveland in 2016. This is seen as the rubber match between the two elite squads, but I think that both teams will be in serious contention for wars to come. Nevertheless this is supposed to be the grand daddy of them all as they say. It could enhance LeBron James's hall of fame legacy and it could validate Kevin Durant's. As always, there are plenty of things to talk about. But this Finals seems more important.

On one hand you have the Golden State Warriors–the team that can do no wrong. It's clear that they have been the class of the league for the past three seasons, and they only got better after adding Kevin Durant after a record-setting 73-9 regular season. That addition caused a lot of controversy as it made the Warriors even more dominant. Despite the criticism, Golden State steamrolled its way to the Finals going 12-0. This, I may add, comes wit head coach Steve Kerr being out with a back injury and Kevin Durant missing two games in the first round. With Durant, two-time MVP Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, the Warriors are the favorite heading into this series. 

East of the Mississippi, we will find our other competitor: the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs are underdogs in this series, but we can't sleep on them since they are the defending champions. Now many of you know me as a converted LeBron James admirer; I hated him all my life and last year something clicked and now I can't get enough of him. The LeBron GOAT ("Greatest of all time" for the old-schoolers) talk is one of the most fascinating debates in basketball. His obvious competitor for this title is Michael Jordan, and while I don't think LeBron is at his level yet, a title this year can go a long way. James doesn't have to go at it alone though. He's got all stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love to chip in. Irving hit the championship-clinching shot in Game 7 last year, and Love is a solid shooter and rebounder. The Warriors are favored, but the Cavs should make it interesting. 

It's hard for me to pick a team to root for because part of me wants to see Durant get the title monkey off his back, while the other part wants to see LeBron advance in his climb toward basketball immortality. Either way, I can't lose, but I also can't win. (I'm a glass-half-empty guy). If I had to pick, I think I'm going to be slightly rooting for the Cavaliers this year. If I had to PREDICT, I say Warriors in 5 games.