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So. Everyone expected this, right? That the team that limped into the NBA Finals and are playing without three starters (Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, and Anderson Varejao) has taken the early series lead against the big market team that everyone assumed would just swish their way to the title with little opposition, right? It's a very interesting story so far between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. And no matter how this story ends we have plenty of #HotTakes to give all summer long as we retcon how to build a championship team, to re-evaluating the worth of players on the Knicks, if only they weren't on that team anymore. Frankly, I have made no effort to hide which team I'm pulling for, nor have I obscured the fact that I think the team I'm going for is going to lose the NBA Finals. And sure, a few bounces here or there and this series looks completely different. It's fun to have a close NBA Finals for once.
But there's no reason why you should think that this NBA Finals is closed. I expected the Cavs to win two games. They've done that. The Dubs are just really, really good. They haven't been playing like it of late; though there's a huge mental step you have to take from making the Finals to being able to win the Finals. (Utah Jazz fans know this by heart.) I think Golden State is capable of winning three games in a row. And you'd be a fool to count them out at this point.
Steve Kerr, a Jazz-killer whom I will never root for, has won a ton of rings with the Bulls and Spurs. He knows how to get to the top of the mountain. And I understand that he can really help communicate to his team to look at this next game as the only game. If they win it, it's 2-2, and now a Best of Three series where they have two games at home. Stephen Curry can't be held in check by Matthew Dellavedova forever, right?
The winner of tonight's game doesn't equate to winning the Championship. But the winner of tonight's game dominates the story-lines we'll be talking about for the next few months.