Just as I did last year, here are my quick-hit thoughts on the 2017 NBA Finals:
- I’ve been watching basketball religiously for over 30 years and the 2017 Golden State Warriors are the greatest team I’ve ever seen.
- Howard Beck called it the “most majestic” offense we’ve ever witnessed and I think that’s a perfect way to put it.
- When you put a future Hall of Famer, one of the two best players in the world, on a 73-win team, it’s like using a cheat code.
- Kevin Durant made a decision that put winning above all else, but he didn’t just join for the ride. He led that team and deserved that MVP. He’s unlike any other player in NBA history.
- Steph Curry is still a net negative on defense, but he played relatively well on that end. Offensively? He looked like what he is: the greatest shooter ever.
- While Steph played well, if I were voting, I’d have put Klay Thompson third for MVP (behind LeBron) because he played terrific defense for five games.
- Tristan Thompson waited too long to show up.
- Cleveland’s bench is old, but they’re still better than most. Playing an all-time great team will make you look pedestrian.
- LeBron is catching heat? He was the first player in history to average a triple double in the Finals, “one of the most mind-boggling Finals performances in league history.” What more do you want the dude to do? He knows what people are saying. That’s why he quoted Teddy Roosevelt: “It is not the critic who counts…the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood.”
- After last year, we thought we were finally done with the false LeBron – MJ comparisons, but of course not. We never will be.
- He’s been swept in the Finals (and almost was this year), but isn’t that better than getting swept in the first round twice, as Michael had been?
- For everyone gloating over this result, honestly ask yourself if you swapped Durant and LeBron, what would the result be? That’s how you know who’s the best player.
- Magic was swept in the Finals twice, one with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar still near his prime.
- Thus, I think it’s idiotic for him to think that his Lakers squad would sweep Golden State. They were one minute away from a three-peat, which included the record for regular season wins and one loss from a perfect postseason.
- These Warriors are so good that any other east team would’ve been swept in two games.
- Golden State isn’t going anywhere. I don’t know what any other team – Cleveland, San Antonio, Boston, the Monstars – can do to compete.
- LeBron should go play baseball for a few years and wait it out.
Christopher Pierznik’s new book, Hip-Hop Scholar, will be released June 27th. His other eight books are currently available in paperback and Kindle. His work has appeared on XXL, Cuepoint, Business Insider, The Cauldron, Medium, Fatherly, Hip Hop Golden Age, and many more. Subscribe to his monthly reading review newsletter or follow him on Facebook or Twitter.
The Passion of Christopher Pierznik 