| The crystal ball reads: James versus Billups in the finals | | Print | |
| Written by Daniel Kim | |
| Tuesday, 26 May 2009 | |
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The Lakers, said to be the best in the West, are struggling right now in the playoffs, while the Celtics just aren’t the same championship team from last season, with forwards Kevin Garnett and Leon Powe sidelined with injuries. But among the 16 teams that began in the playoffs, the Cavaliers and the Nuggets have the biggest chance of being crowned champs. The Cavs have been the League’s most dominant team this season, finishing 66-16 games overall, including 39-2 at home, clinching home court advantage for the entire playoffs and finals. This team is centered around the monstrous 6’8” small-forward Lebron James, who, as league MVP, has arguably become the best player on the planet. Although James had led the Cavs to the Playoffs for three straight years, bringing them to the NBA Finals in 2007, he has never won a championship — his ‘07 Finals trip resulted in a humiliating four-game sweep by the experienced San Antonio Spurs. However, this year James finally is backed by a well-rounded team that can help him obtain his first ring. He now has a solid starting lineup that includes an excellent pair of guards — Mo Williams and Delonte West — and a strong frontcourt that includes Anderson Varejao and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. The Cavs’ bench is just as reliable, with a nice mix of young guys and experienced veterans such as forward Joe Smith and guard Daniel Gibson. Coached by a battle-hardened Mike Brown, the Cavs have everything that they need to win in the finals. Their biggest opposition in the East will be the Celtics, but I think the Cavs can handle them without much trouble. The Celts will be coming off two seven-game playoff series and will face a well-rested Cavs team that has already swept both its opponents in four games, culminating with pummeling the Detroit Pistons on April 26 and acing the Atlanta Hawks on May 11. The Celts are also playing without Garnett and Powe while none of the key Cavs players are sidelined. On the other hand, the Nuggets also have a championship caliber team. They’re led by superstar small-forward Carmelo Anthony along with veteran point guard Chauncey Billups. Billups, whom the Nuggets obtained in an early season trade with the Detroit Pistons, transformed the Nuggets into a contender by emphasizing defense and discipline. The team’s big men aren’t pushovers either. Both center Nene Hilario and power-forward Kenyon Martin have stayed healthy long enough to be key assets to the frontcourt. Their bench, although not as deep as the Cavs’, have some talented players in shooting guard J.R. Smith and center Chris “Birdman” Andersen. The Nuggets will be tested by the Lakers who previously swept them last season in four games. However, this year they are a new and rejuvenated team that I think is capable of defeating the Lakers. They’ll be much tougher than either the Utah Jazz or Houston Rockets whom the Lakers have struggled against in the first and second rounds of the playoffs respectively. The final series between the Cavaliers and Nuggets will be interesting to say the least. The Nuggets will be a worthy challenge, but the Cavs are hungry to win. But in the end, I predict the Cavaliers will prove to be just too dominant a team. Cavs take the title in six Share this article:           |
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