NBA CONFERENCE FINALS PREVIEW

We have reached the conference finals and as expected with most followers, the top two teams in the eastern and western conferences are facing off against each other. While the remaining four teams faced stifling challenges from their opponents in the second round, they were able to overcome them due to a variety of reasons that showed why they were the top teams in their respective conferences. We here at Solly & Steve on Sports are looking forward to an exciting conference finals with the same enthusiasm as we had for the second round.

#1 Atlanta Hawks vs. #2 Cleveland Cavaliers

While almost everyone would agree that these were the two best teams in the eastern conference, a good amount of people would argue that Atlanta was the more likely of the two to not reach this point than Cleveland. With that being said, the Hawks showed the resiliency and the fortitude that made them the top team in the east against a tough Washington team, defeating them in six games and advancing to the conference finals for the first time since relocating to Atlanta from St. Louis 48 years ago. The balanced scoring and their solid defense has gotten them this far, even without a bonafide star to lead this team. It is possible that not having a bonafide star will hurt them in the conference finals, as LeBron James has taken his game to the next level with Love out and Irving playing nowhere to the level that he’s accustomed to. Cleveland did have a physical series against Chicago, but were able to close them out with their superior talent and some key play from supporting players. While Atlanta took three out of four from Cleveland in the regular season, the general consensus is that this will be anything but a walk in the park for the team that will represent the east in the NBA Finals.

Solly: CLE 7, Steve: CLE 5, Danny: CLE 5, Jeff: CLE 6, Greg: ATL 7

#1 Golden State Warriors vs. #2 Houston Rockets

Most certainly the top two scoring teams in the western conference, both Golden State and Houston were tested in their second round matchups, with Houston having to come back from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers. Golden State a less than easy time with a tough Memphis team that pushed them to six games, but the play of NBA MVP Steph Curry proved to be one of the main factors in Golden State advancing to the conference finals for the first time in 39 years. The Splash Brothers and rest of the Warriors are going to need to bring their A-game and their scoring prowess against a Houston Rockets team that can score with the likes of James Harden and Dwight howard leading the way. Golden State did sweep the Rockets during the regular season, but very much like the eastern conference matchup, this series will be tightly battled contest that will be determined by the play of the MVP caliber players in both James Harden and Steph Curry.

Solly: GSW 5, Steve: GSW 7, Danny: GSW 5, Jeff: GSW 5, Greg: GSW 7