Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavs A Lock? Spurs, Celtics, Rockets, Wizards Won't Make Finals

The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers are just sitting back and waiting to see which teams they will face in the conference finals. No matter who advances to the next round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs, it appears to be inevitable that the Warriors and Cavaliers will meet in the NBA Finals for a third straight season.

As the last two champions rest up for the next round, four other teams are fighting to stave off elimination. The Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards are going back and forth in a series that seems destined to go seven games in the East. Out West, the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets are just trying to get out of their second-round series alive. Tony Parker and Nene have already suffered season-ending injuries, and Kawhi Leonard couldn’t even finish Game 5 because of an injury.

Nothing is for certain, but the four teams are essentially playing for the right to lose in the conference finals. Golden State is the odds-on favorite to win the title, and it’ll be difficult to find anyone picking Boston or Washington over Cleveland.

Adding the NBA’s second-best player in Kevin Durant to a team that set a record with 73 wins last year, the Warriors have looked unstoppable over the last two months. Having swept the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz with seven of their eight victories by 10 points or more, the Warriors have just one loss in their last 24 games.

By just about every measurement, Golden State is a historically great team and a level above everyone else in the West. They’ve won more games since 2015 than any team ever in a three-year span. The Warriors rank first in offense and second in defense, and they haven’t been this healthy in the playoffs since they won the championship two years ago.

Any question regarding the vulnerability of the Cavs went right out the window with eight straight wins. Cleveland seems to have flipped a switch in the postseason, sweeping the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors, breezing their way through each round as the rest of the conference has to scratch and claw their way to a series victory.

It shouldn’t be all that surprising, though, considering it’s what James has done in every season since he made the vaunted “Decision.” He’s about to reach the NBA Finals for a seventh straight year, and his reign of dominance in the East might have no end in sight.

Having been the NBA’s best player for the last decade, James is somehow playing the best basketball of his career in year No.14. He’s had a terrific performance in literally every 2017 playoff game, and he is the one reason why the Cavs might be the only team with a realistic chance to upset the Warriors.

Seeing a new team in the NBA Finals might be refreshing for some basketball fans, but another meeting between the Warriors and Cavs is only fitting. It’s the rubber match of the greatest NBA rivalry since Magic Johnson’s Los Angeles Lakers battled Larry Bird’s Celtics in the 1980s. It will feature the league’s top two players and the winner of the last two MVP awards.

What more could basketball fans ask for in the NBA Finals?