NBA Finals Preview – Good Roundtable

If Cleveland wins, how do you rate LeBron’s legacy?

DeQwan Young: I think Lebron’s legacy is his legacy. Nobody can take away what he has done as an individual player. He was thrust into the spotlight from high school and has been dominant since. His struggles early in his career led to his departure from Cleveland and the beautiful legacy that he left in South Beach. If he beats a record setting 73-9 team he will be heralded as a hero who slayed the mythical beast known as the Warriors, and delivered the long-overdue championship to the city of Cleveland.

Kevin Schroeder: LeBron gave up his chance to challenge Jordan as the GOAT when he ran to Miami and then lost twice there. I’m not going to hold his first Finals loss in Cleveland against him because just getting this roster to the Finals is a major accomplishment. As far as Golden State goes, they lost their shot at being the greatest team ever a few playoff losses ago. So, you can beat jabronis in January (except the Lakers apparently). Great. Pin a rose on you. You couldn’t keep it up when it counts. This isn’t “mad they broke the record” Bulls fan talking; this is “If there’s one thing to be learned from the Thibodeau era, it’s that the regular season doesn’t mean squat” Bulls fan talking. Even if the Warriors win the title, they might not be a top 5 team ever. LeBron may not have a shot at going down in history as the GOAT but he can bring the city of Cleveland its first championship since the Bronze Age. This series means more to his legacy.

Prentiss Jackson: If Cleveland wins the NBA finals LeBron’s legacy will improve significantly. Considering who they beat, this will be one of the all-time biggest upsets. If the so-called experts consider Steph Curry the best in the game this would have to be a huge jump for LeBron’s legacy.

Mikey: I still feel he will go down as a top 5 player when it’s all said and done. The rings will help add to how good of a winner he is, which isn’t too high as of now. It will help his Stans’ case of putting him in the Jordan/GOAT conversation.

Shayne Stuart: If the Cavs are able to get this done Lebron’s legacy will be complete. Would be a 3 time champion including bringing a ship to a city that has never won one.

How does GS use Draymond in this series?
DY: Golden State shouldn’t change the way they play Draymond. I think they Cavs have shown that they will try and match GS’ style of play. Advantage: Warriors.

KS: Take cheap shots at Kevin Love, probably.

PJ: I still think it is a mystery how Golden State will use Draymond. He struggled and some of the games last year and was out rebounded most of the time, I don’t believe he played a huge part in slowing down LeBron James. He’s going to have to be more engaged and better than he was in OKC series.

M: Draymond needs to firstly check his emotions if GS is to use him. He is a flagrant foul and/or two technicals from a suspension and GS cant afford to not have him. They need him to stretch the floor and create more balance for shooters and need him defensively for support on LBJ as well.

SS: I expect Golden State to use Draymond pretty much the same as always. Stretch the floor, help take pressure off the Klay and Steph, take turns with Iguodala guarding Lebron.

Can the Cavs go big like OKC with Thompson and Timofey Mozgov and control the pace?
DY: I wouldn’t play these two if my life depended on it.

KS: Mozgov would need to play like Steven Adams did and Thompson needs to be a rebounding machine, but it can be done. If Thompson, especially, can step up, that would be a huge help to the Cavs, who are really going to need to limit the Warriors’ second chance opportunities.

PJ: I really do think the Cavs can go big like OKC did, but I don’t believe they can be as effective as they were. Winning the rebound battle with those two should be no problem but neither can score like Kanter or Adams. They are going to have to be big on the boards, tough inside, and tough on defense.

M: I don’t think so. They don’t have much of a choice. If I were Tyronn Lue, I’d try to mimic what OKC did with Adams/Kanter/Ibaka combinations but I don’t believe it will be in their favor.

SS: Might work for periods of time but once Kerr takes Bogut out the Cavs will have no choice but to go small.

Will Lebron need to spend more effort on defense (guarding Klay) than being the main focal point on offense?
DY: He’s a facilitator, he draws double teams, and can still get any shots he wants. Chasing Klay around shouldn’t be much of a problem.

KS: He’ll have to really be good defensively in the series but I don’t think that’s going to take anything away from his offensive game.

PJ: I really do believe LeBron is going to have to play more “Focal point” defense in the series for them to have a chance to win. He’s going to have to spend time guarding Klay Thompson and slowing him down, it can’t all be on Iman Shumpert. He doesn’t have to be the Lebron of 2010 on defense, but he’s going to have to show effort each trip down the court.

M: I’d like to believe he has more help offensively right now so his focus will be handling his business while facilitating as usual and really taking it next level on D; guarding Klay, Steph, and whoever else on GS gets hot. He will need to be everywhere and he will obviously play a lot of minutes.

SS: JR and Kyrie aren’t exactly lock down defenders and who else can guard Klay for long periods of time? Shumpert? Lebron’s defense will be a deciding factor in 4th quarter of this series.

Does Lebron leave Cleveland with a loss?
DY: He wants a team up. Possibility yes, but I doubt this is the year.

KS: As much fun as it would be to see Cleveland watch him leave again, the only reason I think he would actually do it is if he had a real chance of teaming up with his buddies. I don’t think leaving to do that is going to be affected by a loss in the Finals. Wade’s a free agent this year and Paul next year. My guess is he opts out but only re-signs for a year.

PJ: I do not believe LeBron leaves Cleveland without a championship. The promises were made and this is all about his brand. His legacy and brand takes a major hit him if he decides to leave Cleveland again.

M: Not this year.

SS: Lebron will stay in Cleveland if the Cavs lose….
I believe he leaves if they win

How important is the Lue/Kerr coaching matchup?
DY: Steve Kerr has the edge. I think it benefits the Warriors well with a coach who can calm his guys down in times  Adjustments are key, but I’ll give the advantage to Kerr by miles.

KS: I don’t think it matters all that much. It’s the NBA. Unless we’re talking about someone like Phil or Pop, I don’t think coaching can give someone that much of an advantage. Kerr’s a fine coach (at the very least significantly better than Mark Jackson) but he’s not at Pop’s level and certainly not at Phil’s. Now, bad coaching can absolutely sink a team. Lue’s at least okay.

PJ: The coaching match up to me is not really that important. The best teams are here. How Cleveland guards Golden State’s small lineup and how Golden State guards Cleveland’s big lineup will determine the champion.

M: Very important. Lue has had the Cavs playing their best ball since LeBron came back to Cleveland. Neither coach has lost a playoff series ever, as minuscule as that stat may mean according to scale, but its the truth. Both of these coaches have faced criticisms in their short tenures (Luke Walton did blah blah blah, LeBron coaches CLE blah blah blah,) so it will be interesting to see how it ends.

SS: Really not important. Both sharp guys will put their teams in best postion to win.

Who do you trust to more to win you a game LeBron or Steph?
DY: Both. There is no right or wrong answer here.

KS: If I need a three, obviously Steph, but if a two will get the job done, LeBron. He’s better at getting to the rim. Neither one is in Jordan’s league, though.

PJ: Honestly the toughest question on the board, but I trust Curry more to win a game than LeBron James. The reasoning being, Steph can hit the tough shots repeatedly that Lebron can’t. I trust in the clutch that Lebron will make the right play though.

M: As far as scoring, Steph. Any other aspect of the game (defensive stop, decision making, assisting on big baskets) I like LeBron.

SS: This a tough one but I’ll go with Lebron because he can impact the game in more ways than Steph.

Who is the X-Factor in this series?
DY: Same as last year’s finals, same as the entire playoffs for the Warriors; Andre EagleDollaz is the X-Factor.Key contributer off the bench, will contain Lebron as best as he can, and give the Warriors an emotional spark.

KS: For Cleveland, Kevin Love. He’s got to be willing to get tough. Going up against Draymond Green means physical play (and probably more than a few cheap shots and kicks in the balls). For Golden State, Andre Iguodala. They need him to be the guy he was in last year’s Finals.

PJ: The x-factor  in this series will be the MVP from last year. Can Andre Iguodala play the same role of frustrating Lebron James and keeping him out of the post for easy layups.

M: For GS, Andre Iguodala. For CLE, Kevin Love.

SS: Kevin Love. This is what they paid him for, this is his time to shine and show why hes a max player…. We have seen him dissapear late in games too often that cant happen now.

Who will win the Finals?
DY: Golden State in 7. The Cavs still have Lebron so they have a chance. If Love and Kyrie continue to play how they did in the first two rounds it’ll be better than last years finals.

KS: Cavs in 7.

PJ: Earlier this season, I stated LeBron James will never win another championship but I’m riding with the king. No excuses can be made this year. He gave them hell for six games with no help and everybody is playing well and on board. I think him and Kyrie can penetrate and dish (no homo) like Russell and waiters did without all the silly turnovers and critical mistakes. Cleveland is going to have to do it in 6 games, on their home floor in Cleveland.

M: Warriors in 7

SS: Golden State will win the finals in 7 games

Who will be the MVP?
DY: I’m going with Klay Thompson.

KS: LeBron, though I’ll be rooting for J.R. Smith.

PJ: And with his 3rd title, Lebron will be named the finals MVP.

M: 

SS: Klay Thompson

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