INDEPENDENCE: The inevitability of Cavs-Warriors 3.0 lurks beneath the surface, largely unspoken by those on the inside.
On Wednesday at Cleveland Clinic Courts, Tristan Thompson cobbled together every cliché he’d been coached to say to avoid the impression he’d looked ahead.
His mind may have gone there, but his lips wouldn’t.
But for those on the outside, expectations of an NBA Finals rematch between the 2015 champion Warriors and the defending champion Cavaliers are already rampant. With both teams 8-0 and awaiting their foes in the conference finals, Kobe Bryant, ESPN’s Rachel Nichols and Sports Illustrated have mentioned that the two seem destined to meet again.
And the NBA Finals don’t begin until June 1, so imagine the frenzy by then. (I know, count me among those adding to it.)
There are also some who wonder if Cavs-Warriors 3.0 is really good for the league.
My response to them: Are you kidding me?
It’s what the television networks want, even those not broadcasting the Finals, which will be carried by ABC.
It’s what the fans want, if the merchandise they’re buying is any indication. In numbers released by the league on April 11, the Warriors’ Stephen Curry had the highest-selling jersey in 2016-17, followed by the Cavs’ LeBron James, the Warriors’ Kevin Durant, the Thunder’s Russell Westbrook and the Cavs’ Kyrie Irving. In team sales, the Warriors were No. 1, the Cavs No. 2.
There would be no real underdog if the Cavs and Warriors were to meet for the third consecutive year, but imagine the drama carrying over from last year. The Cavs rallying from a 3-1 deficit. The Warriors’ Draymond Green suspended for Game 5 for punching James in the groin. The perceived disrespect of James stepping over Green after their entanglement. The Warriors’ Klay Thompson saying James’ feelings got hurt by their trash-talking.
Not to mention the possibility that ex-Cavs coach Mike Brown, now an assistant directing the Warriors as Steve Kerr battles back problems, could still be at the helm and would be getting paid by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert to beat them.
Cavs coach Tyronn Lue didn’t hesitate to answer the question on whether a Cavs-Warriors NBA Finals rematch would be good for basketball.
“Is it a problem? I don’t think so. I think a lot of people wanted to see Boston and the Lakers back in the day,” Lue said Wednesday after practice. “I think nowadays a lot of people want to see Golden State-Cavs. It’s two of the teams playing some of the best basketball right now.
“Two of the teams that have been in back-to-back Finals, so why not? Why not want to see it again? I think last year had some of the best ratings in NBA history. I think now with them adding Durant and the way they’re playing, the way we’re playing, it can be even higher.”
With 30.8 million viewers, last year’s Game 7 was the most-watched NBA Finals game since 1998’s Game 6 (35.9 million), when Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls defeated the Utah Jazz as the Bulls claimed their sixth championship in eight years. It was the most-watched Finals series since 1998. Game 7 finished 10th among prime-time broadcasts in 2016, with the Super Bowl (111.9 million) No. 1, World Series Game 7 (40.05) No. 4 and the Academy Awards (34.4 million) No. 5.
Adding to a possible Cavs-Warriors rematch is Golden State’s addition of Durant, who left Oklahoma City in free agency. Lue said he has been watching every playoff series and didn’t hesitate to discuss what Durant has done for the Warriors.
“That’s what everyone has talked about all season is that when Steph and Klay have a bad game, which is not very often, then you can give the ball to Durant and he can go get his own basket and his own shot,” Lue said. “You saw that in this Utah series where Steph and Klay struggled one game and they just put it to Durant in the mid-range area, and he went and got it. Or high pick-and-roll when [Rudy] Gobert wasn’t up and he was able to come off and get his shot.
“So you have that third player who is definitely one of the top three players in this league that can go get his own shot at anytime and that’s what makes them more dangerous.”
I see no reason sports fans wouldn’t be all-consumed by Cavs-Warriors 3.0. Since when did dynasties become passe? Followers of the New England Patriots aren’t waning. Since when have viewers been turned off by rivalries? TV ratings soared when Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were battling down the stretch on Sundays.
Why did I spend money decades ago to attend a pay-per-view showing of Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns? To see the best of the best, and the history that might be made. That’s why the prospect of Cavs-Warriors 3.0 will be the underlying theme of the conference finals.
Thompson and the Cavs will try to remain focused on the next step, as they meet the winner of the Washington Wizards-Boston Celtics series on Monday or Wednesday.
“I think it’s good for the NBA,” Thompson said of Wizards-Celtics. “It’s a boxing match. They’re both throwing the blows and taking the hits. Tonight is going to be a really good game. We’re going to be watching, very closely.”
Others may be merely checking the score during Empire commercials. They’re waiting for the rematch that has been discussed since the Cavs hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy last June, a rematch that’s even better for the NBA.
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her blog at www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.