The two greater and most important NBA teams, the Warriors and the Cavaliers had to handle their businesses in the first round of the post-season, going up against the 8th seeded Trail Blazers, while the Cavs had to surpass the 7th seeded Indiana Pacers. Both teams managed to end their series in four games. However, the biggest question of the two four-game series, was which ‘sweep’ was the most impressive?
On the one hand, the Golden State Warriors were going up against a great offensive team in the Portland Trail Blazers, with one of the most productive backcourt duos of the season, Lillard and Mccollum. However, the Trail Blazers were also one of the worst defenses of the season, allowing 109 points per game. Jusuf Nurkic had been a great trade for the Trail Blazers; however, he did not play in all four games, and thus could not help the Blazers inside the paint, where he was needed the most. The Warriors, despite facing problems with Kevin Durant’s injury as he played limited minutes in the two games he started, but also concerned with Steve Kerr’s back pain problems, handled their business and outscored the Blazers in all four games. In the four games they played, the Warriors scored 119.5 points per game,
showcasing their offense, and making a statement to the rest of the league. Steph Curry had an impressive series, scoring almost 30 points per game with six assists, and helping the Warriors cruise through one good opponent in the Trail Blazers. So, without Kevin Durant for most of the time, without being coached by Steve Kerr, but assistant coach Mike Brown, the Warriors, easily defeated the Blazers in four games.
Meanwhile, the struggling of late Cleveland Cavaliers had to go up against a 7th seeded Indiana Pacers team, who despite having a star in the making Paul George, in the four games against the Cavs there was no other help for him. The Cavaliers defeated the Indiana Pacers in four games, and got the rest they wanted, as they are waiting for round 2; however all four wins, came in close games against a mediocre Pacers team, and this shows that the Cavaliers are not 100% yet. Yes, they have an unstoppable offense, that starts with Lebron, Kyrie, Love, JR etc. However their defense for a team that good is terrible. Game 1, was a really close game, and it came down to making the last shot, but CJ Miles missed. Game 2 was decided by 6 points, and was close along the way, while Game 3 in Indiana, was a game where the Pacers were up by 25, and Lebron had to put an incredible show, a superhuman performance, for the Cavs to rally back and beat the Pacers 119-114. While, Game 4 was also a close game, that was decided by one missed Paul George three. This shows that Cleveland despite winning four games against a mediocre team in the Indiana Pacers, had some issues, was lucky, and Lebron pulled out one of his best performances in the first round of the playoffs just to beat the Pacers, who were lucky to even get in the playoffs. Now, I’m not taking anything away from the Cavaliers’ offense however defensively; they have to be more physical, grab more rebounds, and do not expect Lebron James to deliver a super-human performance every single time.
So, finally to answer the question, in my opinion the Warriors ‘sweep’ was the more impressive one, as they took on a better team, putting on a show offensively, scoring almost 120 points per game. While Kevin Durant played limited minutes in the two games he played, coached by Mike Brown for the first time in the season, an assistant coach. To sum up, both teams can enjoy the rest, as they are waiting for round 2 to begin, and the semi-finals.
No comments:
Post a Comment