Immediate 2017 NBA Finals Reactions

Turn on every TV show, postgame reaction show, or morning after analysis and you will see the story of Kevin Durant’s return to the Finals, and of his triumphant MVP performance en route to a Warriors victory.  He and Lebron embraced as the waning seconds ticked out off the game clock. Durant revealed they said “It’s 1-1,” standing as competitors, both knowing they will get a chance to battle again on another huge Finals stage.  Now the Warriors have won two titles in three years, but after appreciating how special of a regular season and playoff run this team has had, everyone knows they are far from done.  Kevin Durant did not come to Golden State for one title.  He came to build an all time dynasty. Does this Finals set up a Lebron-Durant debate, and what is next for the Cavaliers and the rest of the NBA to keep pace with the Warriors?

Paul Pierce even commented after Game 2 that Durant now has eclipsed Lebron as the best in the world. In this series KD was a marvel to watch.  His ability to score is unparalleled, in fact it is the most dominant, single ability for any one player that I have ever seen. We saw him shoot from anywhere, evidenced by his Game 3 go ahead from steps behind the three point line or his numerous post up shots on a myriad of defenders.  Then he will cross up point guards and take them to the hoop, or he could dunk on your center.  It is simply unbelievable. Even more so, I saw KD step into a bigger role as a defender and rebounder for Steve Kerr’s team.  He has grown into an underrated defender, who blocked some big shots in this series with his long wingspan.  And when Draymond Green went out of the game, particularly due to foul trouble, Durant stepped in as a capable big man. He rebounded and protected the rim well. No matter how Curry or Klay or Draymond were performing, this team knew they could rely on Durant.  Number 35 destroyed a weak Cavaliers defense, making it impossible for them to seize any momentum and bolster a comeback effort.

Yet this series to me was so marginal in its result.  I know the series ended at 4-1, but I can point to one single play in Game 3 that flipped this series.  Lebron had the ball up 2, Draymond was on him and has 5 fouls. If he bolted to the rim, he either would go to the charity strike, or Green would have remained passive to not have to exit the game. Unquestionably, Lebron is one of the best, if not the best attacker of the rim in NBA history.  He’s a freight train. Instead of driving, he kicks to Kyle Korver, who takes a not so open three, and from there, Durant hits his go ahead three. It would have taken a Herculean effort from Lebron and the Cavs to come back from 3-0 against a team with an all time talented roster.  Whether or not you think Durant belongs in the discussion alongside Lebron as the best, his team is better.  The Warriors are deeper, better coached and strides better defensively.  After you go down 3-0, the margin of error was clearly way too thin against a team of this firepower.

If Lebron and company closed Game 3, and they still win Game 4, then it would have been 2-2. I bet they would have lost at Golden State, but then extend the series to 7 in a close Game 6.  Each game you see a Cavaliers team that has Lebron and Kyrie, who were dynamite at times, but also had one game shooting 8-23 and one shooting 9-22.  Kevin Love had a mediocre series (whopping 0 points in tonight’s first half), Tristan Thompson played horrible, and J.R. Smith remains a streaky unreliable player.  In contrast to Golden State, their bench is very thin at about 4 deep, and it is atrocious.  While Richard Jefferson and Deron Williams show heart, they are about 5 years past their prime. Iman Shumpert is a worse JR Smith, and Kyle Korver is simply overrated and might hit a few threes.  I am not letting Lebron off the hook, having acknowledged he blew any chance of a comeback when he gave up closing out Game 3.  At the same time, he had a fantastic series, but with Durant’s emergence and presence on this Warriors team, Lebron’s triple double performances can no longer muscle this team to a title.  I wonder what this team will do in the offseason, and I for one, advocate pursuing Paul George via trade as one of the league’s best defenders and a dependable scorer to join Kyrie and Lebron. Whatever is done, it is clear the Cavaliers will be active this offseason to be able to fully challenge this excellent Warrior’s roster. These teams will probably play again for a fourth straight Finals, with more even rosters, giving Lebron a chance to reassert his dominance or Durant to legitimize his claim as the league’s best.

The actions of the Spurs will be interesting to monitor this offseason as well.  If Kawhi Leonard had been healthy in the Western Conference Finals, that series would have been closer than people realize.  Reports link the Spurs to Chris Paul, which would be quite an addition to a good roster with a superstar and obviously the best coaching of this era. Then there’s the Boston Celtics, who have many assets and some money to play with as well. Sit back and enjoy this offseason, free agency starts in already just a few weeks.

Written by Will McGuinness