DON’T look now but this year’s NBA Finals will be a battle of “man vs animal.”
Defending champion Golden State Warriors swept the Portland Trail Blazers, 4-0, in the Western Conference Finals and right now are enjoying a much-needed rest before playing the winner of the East Finals series between the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks.
Looks like the Raptors have the upperhand right now with a 3-2 lead but the Bucks can still come back in Games 6 and 7.
But before making a fearful prediction of the finals matchup, allow me to look back and admit to the fact that my crystal ball, rarely used at that, looks headed for retirement already and to be traded in for a newer model.
You see, I said it would be the Warriors winning the West, and I was right. I also predicted that they will face the Trail Blazers and I was right.
I even made a bet for a lunch treat as to the NBA Finals matchup.
However, I assumed the Philadelphia 76ers will beat Toronto and Boston will oust Milwaukee in the early rounds.
And that was where my crystal ball conked out. Both predictions fell flat in the East.
Between Toronto and Milwaukee, I picked the Bucks especially after they beat the Raptors in Games 1 and 2.
But Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors bounced back to take Games 3, 4 and 5.
I made the assumption again that the Bucks will not be pressured at all by Toronto. Again, my crystal ball was wrong.
Going to the NBA Finals, the Warriors I thought really looked good even without injured starters DeMarcus Cousins and Kevin Durant.
For a while, I thought they will have a problem against the Blazers but lo and behold, Golden State even swept Portland even without Andre Iguodala who was injured in Game 4 of the West Finals.
But again, look what happened. The Splash Brothers Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are back to their pre-Durant days while Draymond Green was simply phenomenal against the Blazers.
Their reserve players played with the same confidence as the starters and that made the difference.
Portland guard Seth Curry was asked in an interview how the Warriors are without Durant, a subject matter that has been making the round in the NBA circles. Seth had a good answer.
To him, it made the Warriors harder to guard as the scoring is now spread out and ball movement has been faster than before. And, of course, this gives motivation for Curry, Thompson and Green to play better.
Some TV panelists even said Durant has become a luxury and not a necessity for the Warriors but all agreeing that the presence of Durant in any team will make the team definitely stronger with his proven scoring ability.
Some were already looking forward to a Durant-less Warriors lineup next season as Durant is set to be a free agent starting July.
The New York Knicks can be a appealing destination for Durant and a few other NBA free agents out there.
But then that is going ahead of the story. Let us first await the “Man vs Animal” finale.
Without batting an eyelash, I pick man to prevail over animals with or without Durant.
But then again, my crystal ball could be wrong.