NBA Finals 2018 Odds: Fourth Warriors-Cavaliers Series Likely As Rockets, Celtics Aim For Upsets

Here we are again. The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers are back in the conference finals, just one step away from another meeting in the NBA Finals.

The Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics stand in their way, but we’ve seen this story before and know how it ends. LeBron James, Stephen Curry and the same collection of stars will likely determine the championship for a fourth straight year.

This is, after all, the way it was supposed to be when the season began. Golden State brought back the core that dominated the 2017 postseason, going 16-1 in 17 playoff games on their way to a second title in three years. While there’s speculation that James could be headed elsewhere this summer, the league’s best player is still with Cleveland and looking to win the East for an eighth straight season.

Since 2011, the one guarantee in basketball has been that James will appear in the NBA Finals. He did it in all four years with the Miami Heat, winning two championships and falling short twice. James has taken Cleveland to the finals every season since returning to the Cavaliers in 2014, going 1-2 against the Warriors.

James undoubtedly has his weakest supporting cast in the last eight years. No longer is he playing alongside two stars. The offseason’s Kyrie Irving trade made sure of that, and veteran sharpshooter Kyle Korver has become the Cavs’ third option.

But even that probably won’t put an end to James’ streak. He might be playing the best basketball of his career, leading Cleveland to five straight playoff wins, including a sweep of the 59-win Toronto Raptors. Any doubt that James had enough help to win the conference one more time was erased with Cleveland’s dismantling of the East’s No.1 seed.

Golden State seemed to answer any questions about their ability to get back to the finals in the second round, as well.

Stephen Curry missed more than five weeks, including Golden State’s entire first round series against the San Antonio Spurs, with a sprained MCL. Kevin Durant might be the Warriors’ best overall player, but Golden State's point guard has proven to be as important to the team’s success as anyone. Without a healthy Curry, Golden State could be vulnerable to an upset.

Curry returned in Game 2 of Golden State’s series with the New Orleans Pelicans. All he did was register 28 points in 27 minutes as the Warriors outscored the Pelicans by 26 points during his time on the court. The two-time MVP averaged 19.6 points on 13.4 shots in four playoff games, and he should be back to the Curry of old after getting another week of rest in between the second round and the conference finals.

There’s certainly a chance that either Houston or Boston will pull off the upset.

The Rockets have the likely MVP in James Harden, a historically good backcourt after acquiring Chris Paul last year, and the league’s No.1 ranked offense. That allowed Houston to compile the NBA’s best record in the regular season, as well as two out of three wins against Golden State.

The Celtics continue to exceed expectations without the injured Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. They have the league’s No.1 defense, engineered by Brad Stevens. Not only might Stevens be the NBA’s best head coach, but he’s proving to be as valuable as some star players. If anyone in the East can come up with a game plan to stop LeBron James’ worst team in nearly a decade, it’s him.

Boston had a chance to defeat Cleveland in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, but they lost in five games in a series that wasn’t close. Golden State is 24-3 in the playoffs since signing Durant.

A rematch between the NBA’s best player and the defending champs seems to be a pretty safe bet.