Ranking Most Intriguing Remaining NBA Title Matchups
Dreamers of NBA Finals matchups, assemble!
As the second round of the playoffs inches toward the conference finals, there is only a limited amount of time left to bask in the fantasy of all possible championship clashes.
Eight teams remain in pursuit of the Larry O'Brien Trophy. That means, as of now, there are 16 different NBA Finals matchups in play. And that, in turn, means we must indulge our inner-most desires by ranking the best potential series.
Plausibility matters not in this space. It's all about catering to surprise matchups, superstar battles, surrounding storylines and competition levels.
Think along the lines of a Los Angeles Clippers-Washington Wizards showdown—something no one in his right mind could have predicted. Or a Memphis Grizzlies-Chicago Bulls series that puts two brothers in the ring.
Or a Cleveland Cavaliers-Golden State Warriors meetup that throws the NBA's new MVP, Stephen Curry, against its old MVP, LeBron James.
If you haven't figured it out already, this isn't a calculated exercise. We're merely partying in the pool of possibilities, sorting the best available options by curb appeal. So, let's get to sorting
8. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Houston Rockets
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Few potential NBA Finals matchups are better than the one that pits the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Houston Rockets and, by association, LeBron James against James Harden.
Both superstars finished behind Curry in the MVP tally; Harden checked in at second, while James slid in at third. Though neither player has to validate his superstardom any further, a head-to-head tussle does offer each the chance to make an "it should have been me, not Curry, and most definitely not you" kind of statement.
The Cavaliers are also winless against the Rockets to this point, so the revenge game is at play, even though the first of these two regular-season dalliances came before general manager David Griffin retooled Cleveland's roster.
Dwight Howard and Kyrie Irving, who each missed the second meeting between these two teams, add a different layer to the matchup themselves, and both teams are still missing key pieces. Kevin Love, Patrick Beverley and Donatas Motiejunas would all be watching this clash unfold from the sidelines.
It helps that the Rockets and Cavaliers employ similar styles. In an NBA where passing-packed systems rule all, these two squads rely on star power to trump systems. Both rank in the bottom half of playoff assist percentage, while James and Harden stand as the postseason's most frequent isolation scorers
Star power vs. star power still sells. A Cleveland-Houston Finals gives audiences the chance to watch four top-15, perhaps top-10, mega-studs wage basketball warfare for at least four games. The intrigue force is strong in this one.
7. Chicago Bulls vs. Los Angeles Clippers
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Related: It's totally cool to value a possible NBA Finals series for its sideline appeal.
Current Chicago head coach Tom Thibodeau was an assistant on now-Clippers head coach Doc Rivers' Boston Celtics staff before joining the Bulls. They won a title together in 2008, and Thibodeau, like Rivers before him, has made a name for himself as a defensive mastermind.
Friends turned foes always makes for good TV. The stakes are even higher in this one, because Thibodeau's job could be on the line no matter how far he steers the Bulls, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
That not only ups the narrative factor, but it also opens the door for Rivers to aim more not-so-subtle shots in the Bulls' direction—like this one from 2014, per CSN Chicago's Mark Strotman:
"I think it'd be nuts not to have him here. I think he's one of the best coaches in the league and so if you have that, that's an asset. And I don' think any right-minded organization would allow that asset to leave. Because with all the adversity they've had with injuries, if you allow that one to leave, things would fall apart, and that's pretty much a guarantee.
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Worry not—there are actual basketball merits to this rumble. The Bulls and Clippers took turns blowing one another out during the regular season, and the rosters offer a buffet of intriguing individual matchups.
Provided Chris Paul recovers from his hamstring injury, the point guard battle between he and Derrick Rose stands to be sensational. Rivers said things are "going well" while addressing his floor general's progress, per the Houston Chronicle's Jenny Dial Creech, but the uncertainty surrounding his health does drag the intrigue down a notch or two.
Blake Griffin vs. Pau Gasol is the closest thing to a rematch of Griffin vs. Tim Duncan the NBA will get, while DeAndre Jordan and Joakim Noah would be able to make all the get-pumped faces ever.
Jimmy Butler figures to be the main difference if this meeting becomes a reality. Though he's equipped to lock down the combination of J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford, the Clippers have no one to throw on him, suggesting this would be a long series for Matt Barnes.
Looking at the rosters—from players and coaches, to health and play styles—this projects as long series overall.
6. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Los Angeles Clippers
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Picture this: Paul parlays his first-ever Western Conference Finals rodeo into an NBA Finals appearance, positioning the Clippers to win their first-ever title.
All he must do is lead the charge against James. LeBron freaking James. That's hardly ideal. Not just because the Cavaliers beat the Clippers twice during the regular season, but because LeBron James is LeBron James.
This would be James' fifth consecutive finals cameo—one that would presumably come because he activated God mode through the Eastern Conference Finals in the aftermath of Love's injury. Not even in-prime Michael Jordan himself would be able to scoff at that version of James.
Irrespective of whether James actually destroys the Clippers defense, fans of buckets will not leave this feature film disappointed. James, Irving, Paul, Griffin, Redick and Crawford are all nylon-nuking super-humans. J.R. Smith likes to think he's one too.
Each team also ranked in the top five in offensive efficiency leading into the postseason, and the Cavaliers have taken their point-totaling spaceship to a different dimension in the playoffs. They're pumping in an absurd 110.3 points per 100 possessions—a mark that would have topped the Clippers' league-best 109.8 during the regular season.
Toss in the sight of James shimmying between Paul and Griffin on the defensive end, and the potential for an instant championship classic is born.
5. Chicago Bulls vs. Memphis Grizzlies
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The logic here is simple: Most possible Finals matchups cannot be a family affair. A Grizzlies-Bulls showdown can.
Brothers Marc Gasol and Pau Gasol make this series. The latter already has two rings, so nabbing a third at the expense of his younger sibling might make for awkward family BBQs. But still...yay, us.
A ton of other stuff is at play here, to be sure. If Rose's first semi-healthy season since 2011-12 culminates in an NBA Finals appearance, a reassessment of his superstar standing will follow. Thibodeau could be coaching for his job or listening to Bulls brass grovel for forgiveness.
Butler might serenade Tony Allen with Taylor Swift jams. Mike Conley could take rule No. 76 from Wedding Crashers—"no excuses, play like a champion"—and make it his own. Zach Randolph and Noah may set a new record for the number of times two players argue foul calls in a best-of-seven series.
Back to the Gasol family reunion for a minute, though. Marc is 30 years old, ringless and approaching free agency. Pau is 34, on the back end of his career and playing for a Bulls team that, given the Eastern Conference's competition climate, may never have a better chance to snare a title.
Ergo, this could be the last—also the first, in Marc's case—Finals appearance these two ever make. And they would be making it together, against one another, giving everyone additional incentive to tune in.
Those who enjoy on-court noogies and anecdotal trash talk in Spanish should cross their fingers accordingly.
4. Los Angeles Clippers vs. Atlanta Hawks
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Nostalgic for a rematch of last year's Miami Heat-San Antonio Spurs (aka Super-Duper Team vs. Spurs Everlasting) Finals matchup? This is the closest you'll come.
Watching the Clippers do battle with the Atlanta Hawks is different in the sense that both parties aren't supposed to make it that far. The Hawks weren't supposed to win 60 games and lord over the Eastern Conference, and the Clippers weren't even favored against the Spurs as a higher seed.
But it's the same insofar as you're looking to see a star-studded outfit (Clippers) collide with selfless and starless basketball brainiacs (Hawks). There's even ample reason to believe this affair will be more reminiscent of the Spurs and Heat's seven-game romance from 2013.
No clear advantage emerges when looking at the regular-season tape. The Clippers and Hawks split their two-game series, and neither meeting was decided by more than nine points.
Sorting through the individual matchups doesn't make picking a winner any easier. Paul has the edge over Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder if he's healthy, but the Hawks' bench transcends that of the Clippers.
Al Horford vs. Jordan would be fun. Paul Millsap vs. Griffin would be fun-er. Kyle Korver and Redick would host their own in-game three-point contests.
So yeah, the NBA could totally do worse than Hawks-Clippers—most meetings that aren't Hawks-Clippers, for instance.
3. Atlanta Hawks vs. Golden State Warriors
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Blame the Hawks for this one not being higher.
While the Warriors have been dispatching the New Orleans Pelicans and giving the Grizzlies false hope, the Hawks have looked human. Millsap (42.5 percent shooting) and Teague (36.3 percent) have turned in up-and-down performances, and Korver, to the surprise of everyone, is missing shots himself (41.1 percent).
Fortunately for the Hawks, they're still the Hawks. They've flashed glimpses of their regular-season dominance (Game 2 against Washington) and run pace-promoting, spacing-friendly lineups that rival those of the Warriors.
If and when this matchup reaches fruition, it instantly becomes bigger than both teams. Besides attesting to the validity of their respective systems, it's the best chance either will have at winning a title. Although that's implied by reaching the Finals, there will be added pressure for both squads to make the most of that opportunity.
Key Eastern Conference contenders, such as Cleveland, Chicago and Washington, won't always be at the mercy of injuries, clearing championship paths for the Hawks. Likewise, the Warriors won't always be a nearly flawless 67-win outfit.
Golden State's situation is actually more complex, bordering on less promising, because of how brutal the West remains. Bleacher Report's Stephen Babb expands:
"In short, the rest of the West is still very good—and seemingly improving by the year. The Rockets and Clippers both boast fairly young cores, and it seems premature to count out the Spurs even upon nearing the end of Tim Duncan's career. The Pelicans will be even better next time as Anthony Davis continues to find his MVP form.
And let's not forget the Oklahoma City Thunder, either. They're a perennial contender when healthy and could cause Golden State all sorts of problems in coming years.
Just not this one.
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Another chance like this, despite how good the Warriors and Hawks are, may not be in the cards for a while. And the urgency this creates should make for one helluva series.
2. Washington Wizards vs. Los Angeles Clippers
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Surprise sells more than star power.
Anyone claiming to have predicted a Clippers-Wizards NBA Finals sparring also has a castle in the sky to sell you. No one could have foreseen this months ago. Not even weeks ago.
The Clippers were second-tier contenders with an iffy defense playing in a contender-crammed Western Conference. The Wizards spent most of the regular season playing sub-.500 basketball, finishing the calendar 24-28 after starting 22-8.
First-round heroics aren't even enough to quell the shock. The Clippers did unseat the reigning champs, yet it came at the cost of Paul's hamstring. The Wizards, meanwhile, are wearing thin on hope after announcing that John Wall has five non-displaced fractures in his left hand.
As The Washington Post's Michael Lee underscores, their title aspirations seem to be toast:
"Wall had been no worse than the second-best player in the Eastern Conference this postseason, leading the Wizards to a franchise-record five straight playoff wins before an awkward fall caused his left hand to inflate like a blowfish. Barring Wall making a miraculous return, the Wizards' best opportunity to reach the conference finals—and possibly the NBA Finals—for the first time since 1979 has been ruined.
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For both the Wizards and Clippers to overcome injuries and odds to make it this far, appearing in this discussion at all, is an accomplishment on its own.
To then meet each other in the NBA Finals, perhaps worse for wear but still standing, would be incredible. Astounding. Among the most improbable Finals dates ever.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors
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Not everything has to be a surprise.
First thing's first: The aesthetic appeal here is crazy high. Draymond Green would get to defend James. Klay Thompson and Irving would hold three-point fiestas. Andrew Bogut and Timofey Mozgov would be boxing out under hoop, fighting for both rebounds and the rights to the NBA Finals' thickest accent.
Hence why this Cavaliers-Warriors Finals meetup became a popular prediction back when the playoffs began. The Warriors held the league's best record and ranked in the top two of offensive and defensive efficiency, while the Cavaliers went an NBA-best 34-9 after starting the season 19-20.
Nothing has really changed with the Warriors. But Love's season-ending shoulder surgery did put this square dance in jeopardy. It wasn't guaranteed to begin with and seemed even less likely with the shorthanded Cavaliers dropping Game 1 of their second-round series to the Bulls.
Game 2's 106-91 drubbing of Chicago has since helped restore faith in these same Cavaliers. So long as they have James, they have enough to make it out of the East.
Facing the Warriors would be a different test—one that pits James, yesterday's MVP, against Curry, today's MVP. The NBA is no longer just James' league. He's as valuable as anyone, but there are now others nipping at his heels.
Anthony Davis wants a piece of the alpha-dog pie. And it was Curry who won the All-Star Game's popularity contest, leading all players, including James, in votes received.
James, then, wouldn't just be playing for his third title. He'd be trying to deliver a message—a potent reminder that the NBA is still his league despite all that Curry, the new MVP on the block, has done for one of the best teams in recent memory.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com, Sports-Reference.com and NBA.com unless otherwise cited.
Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @danfavale.
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