NBA Conference Finals Update May 23, 2018

The first 3 games of both Conference Finals series left a lot to be desired. Blowouts decided within the first 15 minutes of every contest. Despite this, we are now in a very exciting spot! Warriors Rockets last night was amazing, and even though most would say thats been the only good game, I was entertained by Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. It was a 7 point game with 5 minutes left.

As far as predictions, my gut tells me Cavs in 6, Warriors in 6, but I hope I’m wrong. I view The Finals as a TV show, extended over 14+ days, with multiple characters. The coverage of the games and players is different, the press conferences, media days, etc. I don’t want to see the same TV show with the same characters for a 4th straight year.

The only playoff series I have incorrectly predicted thus far was the Pelicans Blazers series. I am 11 for 12, and not going to let my desire to see a Rockets Celtics series affect the fact that I am a basketball savant, who plans on accurately predicting as many series as I can down to the number of games! I will not let my heart affect my head. With that being said, game 4 recaps are below.

Western Conference Finals Tied 2-2 (Game 5 Thursday Night @ Houston 9PM Eastern)

*Game 4 Score: #1 Rockets (95) Beat #2 Warriors (92)

The Rockets missed their first eight field-goal tries and committed two turnovers before Harden's layup with 6:42 left in the first. D'Antoni called timeout at the 7:06 mark of the first with his team trailing 12-0. What a crazy game of runs this was. Just look at the breakdown of scoring by quarter.

Andre Iguodala is the most important glue guy in the NBA. I wrote an article about it back in March.

https://steemit.com/nba/@toddcast/the-3-best-glue-guys-in-the-nba

With him out of the lineup, Kevon Looney got the start. The whole rotation was out of whack, they depended too much on Looney, Jordan Bell, & Nick Young. Looney & Bell messed up a bunch of pick and roll’s they should have switched on (including the big Eric Gordon 3 with 2 minutes left that put them up 5) and Nick Young was careless with the ball.

Curry scored 28 points, Kevin Durant added 27 points and 12 rebounds, but the defending champions missed their final six shots from the floor and their NBA-record postseason winning streak at home ended at 16 games.

PJ Tucker was the key to this game. He had 16 boards! That toughness was the heart of Houston this game. Chris Paul was also spectacular, he was involved in pretty much every big shot down the stretch. The Rockets went ahead 85-84 with 6:03 remaining on Trevor Ariza's 3-pointer from the baseline after a beautiful bounce pass from the opposite corner by CP3. Eric Gordon went 4-14 from the field but he kept the Rockets in the game during the 1st quarter with his ability to attack.

James Harden scored 30 points, but I thought he was terrible in the second half. He played good defense on Steph, which I was impressed by, but he looked scared of the ball in crunch time, it was bizarre.

The Warriors offense down the stretch reminded me of Game 7 vs Cleveland in the 2016 Finals. So much Isolation, hero ball. They looked tired at the end of the game, and thats because everyone had to play more minutes without Iguodala. Theres a lot more passing going on when he’s in the game. Klay Thompson also got hurt and that made a difference. When you play off the pass, and have 16 turnovers that is a recipe for disaster. Fatigue lost them this game, only 12 points in the 4th quarter!

Eastern Conference Finals Tied 2-2 (Game 5 Tonight @ Boston 8:30PM Eastern)

*Game 4 Score: #4 Cavs (111) Beat #2 Celtics (102)

The Celtics fell behind by 19 in the first half but pulled within 7 points (100-93) in the 4th quarter. They had a realistic chance to win this game.

The Celtics are now 1-6 on the road in these playoffs. Its crazy how home court affects an NBA game so strongly, especially when its a young team away from the comfort of their arena.

LeBron reaches a milestone every game, he passed Kareem Abdul Jabbar on the All-Time Playoff FG record. He bullied his way to the quietest 44 points I have ever seen. He is so insanely good, we are all spoiled.

Tristan Thompson had 13 points and 12 rebounds, and continues to be the second most important player on the Cavs. The teams attitude has been totally different since he was reinserted in the lineup. His toughness provides familiarity and he has played great defense on Al Horford.

Kyle Korver added 14 points and Cleveland's sharp-shooting 37-year-old added three block and several hustle plays, outrunning three Celtics in one sequence and diving for a loose ball.

Kevin Love had just nine points on 3-of-12 shooting and was in foul trouble. He connected with LeBron on an insane full court chest pass, but Kevin really needs to play better. That type of performance at home is unacceptable.

On the Celtics side Terry Rozier has really cooled off. LeBron is constantly posting him up and picking on him, and in turn that is affecting Terry Roziers confidence when he is on offense. Marcus Morris was in foul trouble all game, Jaylen Brown scored 25 but I thought he played badly. I like Marcus Smart, but he hit the floor so many times you can’t take him seriously. If I was a referee and someone literally punched him in the face, I wouldn’t call the foul, because he flops so much you think he’s acting. I have a feeling tonight is going to be another thriller. The first couple games of every playoff series is a chess match. We are now past that point, and ready for some close quality action.

What is your NBA Finals predictions?! How many games do you predict each team will win their respective series in?!!