NBA Finals 2018: Dates, Game Times, TV Schedule for Championship Series
One half of the seemingly inevitable is set for the 2018 NBA Finals.
LeBron James willed his Cleveland Cavaliers past the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, setting up a possible showdown with the Golden State Warriors.
While predictable, another standoff between the Cavaliers and Warriors seems like a given, and as usual, it's bound to provide more entertainment than expected despite the desire for new blood in the title game.
2018 NBA Finals Schedule
Game 1: Thu, May 31: Cavaliers at Warriors/Rockets, 9 p.m. ET, ABC/R
Game 2: Sun, June 3: Cavaliers at Warriors/Rockets, 8 p.m. ET, ABC/R
Game 3: Wed, June 6: Warriors/Rockets at Cavaliers, 9 p.m. ET, ABC/R
Game 4: Fri, June 8: Warriors/Rockets at Cavaliers, 9 p.m. ET, ABC/R
*Game 5: Mon, June 11: Cavaliers at Warriors/Rockets, 9 p.m. ET, ABC/R
*Game 6: Thu, June 14: Warriors/Rockets at Cavaliers, 9 p.m. ET, ABC/R
*Game 7: Sun, June 17: Cavaliers at Warriors/Rockets, 8 p.m. ET, ABC/R
*If necessary
But it's hard for new blood to do much of anything with LeBron still controlling the Association.
It sounds dramatic, but context always helps—the Cavaliers head to the Finals despite overhauling the majority of the roster at the trade deadline.
Not that fans should have expected any different regardless. The Eastern Conference is akin to James' stomping grounds, where even falling in an early-series hole doesn't mean much because it's not so much being at a disadvantage as it is a feeling-out period before James figures out how to counteract what an opponent's throwing at him.
The proof, as always, is in the numbers, as Cavaliers broadcaster John Michael noted:
Numbers should have the eventual Western Conference winner terrified. James didn't have a Kyrie Irving or much of anything from Kevin Love against the Boston Celtics. He pulled them back from a 0-2 deficit anyway, averaging 41.4 minutes with 33.6 points, 8.4 assists and 9.0 rebounds on 52.4 percent shooting from the field.
For context, the Game 7 road triumph saw James put up 35 points over 48 minutes, while the second-highest scorer for the Cavaliers was Jeff Green at 19. Notables like Green (2-of-9), J.R. Smith (3-of-8) and Kyle Korver (1-of-6) couldn't hit a shot from range consistently to help make a difference.
Whichever team from the opposite conference emerges has been put on notice—trying to wear down James and hope it combines with a poor performance from those around him doesn't work.
"Our goal going into the series was to make him exert as much energy as humanly possible and try to be as good as we can on everybody else," Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "For the most part, I thought we were pretty good at that ... but he still scored 35. It's a joke."
Joke or not, the Warriors and Houston Rockets aren't making it easy on each other.
It's Game 7 time Monday night for the two powerhouses, though the hosting Rockets could once again be without Chris Paul:
For shame, as Paul had to sit out Game 6, a 115-86 loss where the Rockets sorely missed his 19.8/4.6/6.8 series slash line with 40.7 percent shooting from the floor.
While the Paul absence might be the main factor fans point at in hindsight that helped produce another Cavaliers-Warriors showdown, perhaps the biggest takeaway is how it unlocked Golden State's rhythm.
Sans Andre Iguodala, the Warriors stormed back from a huge deficit while hitting 42.1 percent of their shots from deep. Kevin Durant put up 23 points, with Stephen Curry adding 29 and Klay Thompson leading the way with 35. The latter two combined for a 14-of-28 mark from deep.
If LeBron gathered unstoppable momentum with his back against the wall, it seems the Warriors did as well. The Warriors will have to take the show on the road in a Game 7 just like LeBron did, though their emerging a winner and going to the Finals would seem fitting at this point given those circumstances. And if Paul can't get right, the NBA might be better off with two teams at full health going seven games anyway.
Either way, the presence of LeBron, the historical implications of his performance and the storylines surrounding his reshuffled team at the age of 33 means the Finals will entertain. Knowing how series including him go, fans are almost assuredly heading toward a seven-game classic regardless of opponent.
Call it a nice capper before LeBron then takes center stage during the offseason featuring his trip to free agency.
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