As I watch ESPN Sportscenter I keep hearing the Suns v. Celtics matchup last night refered to as a "NBA Finals Preview." It makes sense to hype that game in this way since both teams are among the best in their respective conferences but they overlooked another game played that same night that could easily be the same.
The Cavs played the West leading New Orleans Hornets in an exciting game with two shots in the final 8 seconds that seemed to be game winners although ultimately only one was the clincher. This game also featured MVP caliber players in LeBron James and Chris Paul. It had big time performances from supporting players such as Peja Stoyakovich and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. The game winning shot was made by David West.
I continue to stand by my earlier post that the Cavs are a legitimate contender in the East. Boston and Detroit remain a foregone conclusion to represent the East by most NBA fans around the league but let's not forget the Cavs have LeBron James. In addition, they did beat Detroit in 6 games last year. They could have easily swept them as well. Detroit hasn't added anybody significant to that squad and the Cavs have added important pieces. The Cavs just beat Detroit and beat them pretty bad with this new squad. A new squad that is still developing an identity together.
If I recall correctly, the Cavs and Celtics have split their season series. They haven't exactly run our Cavs out of the building yet. We were even missing LeBron in two of the games. Speaking of injuries, if you want to throw the Cavs record in our face, don't forget this team has made it this far riddled with injuries form James to Gibson to Andy to Sasha to Wallace to Z and the list goes on. All key components. At one point in the season four of the top 7 guys were out at the SAME TIME! Also, the trip to China early in the year with the holdouts of Sasha and Andy led to a slow start. The Cavs record is misleading.
With all of that said, the real crime here is the fact that the opposition and the winner of this possible "Finals Preview" has been overlooked all year for some unforgiving reason. The Hornets are currently leading the intense Western Conference by two games in the loss column. Please understand how amazing this is! The West consists of powerhouse team after powerhouse team. It makes the East look like JV for crying out loud. The defending champ Spurs are not even the best in this conference. Four teams have 49 wins. The Rockets rolled off over 20 wins in a row and still don't lead the conference. The Hornets do. But nobody is talking about them as a possible Finals representative!!!
The Hornets just keep on winning proving Byron Scott is the real deal. They have Paul who is a legitimate MVP candidate. They have a nice inside-outside game with Tyson Chandler and Peja. West is good player. Their role players get it done. Bottom line, the proof is in the record. 49-21 in the West. Wow.
I blog on and on about my beloved Cavs because they are the team I have pledged my allegiance to in the NBA but the Hornets are getting shafted. I like teams that fly under the radar though. Here's to the Cavs v. Hornets in the Finals. THAT would be fun to watch.
But what do I know?
4 comments:
I'm also tired of the Celts, Pistons, Suns, etc. being crowned so early. The Cavs will have something to say in the East. Having LeBron is enough.
In the West? NO deserves more consideration. The idea that they're not experienced enough is ridiculous. I think experience is overrated. I mean, why is Boston considered a contender? How many rings are on their fingers? (Don't count Sam Cassel.)
Obviously we are in agreement here. If experience is overrated then that adds to the argument that Detroit doesn't have as much of a leg up on everyone as people seem to think. If experience is not overrated then the Cavs still hold on ok due to their gritty experience last year. Although much of that team is gone.
I think basketball almost always comes down to match-ups. No one matches up against James. I mean no one. The rest of the Cavs may not be the most gifted scorers, but they are good enough on D to shut people down.
Yes, more important than maybe anything else in the playoffs is defense. Can a team get a stop when it needs one? When you have a player like LeBron who can score almost anytime he wants, defense becomes the key. The defense the Cavs played at the end of last year and during their playoff run was a key to their appearence in the finals. I agree, if the supporting cast can D up, the Cavs got a chance. Plus, with Damon Jones finally shooting like he was advertised to shoot and Z manning up the center, the offense is already better before I even get to the other offensive possibilities.
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