If anyone has any doubt about who’s going to be in the NBA Finals, he or she has clearly not been following the entire season. There are two teams – two players really – head and shoulders above the rest. Divine intervention alone can prevent LeBron’s Cavaliers and Kobe’s Lakers from meeting for an epic showdown at the end of the playoffs, and I don’t have any reason to believe that God Himself isn’t as stoked as the rest of us.
Before I get into the finale, I’ll devote a word or two to the rest of the field. The KG-less Celtics aren’t going anywhere, even if they get past an upstart Bulls squad. Orlando isn’t realistic (especially with these first round troubles) and the entire West is basically the D-League compared to the boys in purple. It’s telling to note that only two teams have clinched second-round berths as I write this, and I doubt they’re going to have much trouble in the coming rounds either. So there it is: Lakers-Cavs. Now what?
The answer, not in so many words, is the Cavs. The reason may seem overly simplistic, but it holds a lot of weight: home court advantage. Cleveland never loses at home. Aside from a last-game reserves-only OT loss, the Cavaliers only lost one game at home all season. Thus, with an extra home game in the finals, you can write in LeBron’s first (of many, I’m sure) championships.
And oh yeah, the fact that the Lakers are the team that won in Cleveland just makes it more exciting. It’ll be a lot of fun.