Cavs, Warriors on collision course for another NBA Finals clash

May 9, 2017 - 12:16 PM
3720
Reuters file

Defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers and rival Golden State Warriors are on a collision course for a third straight NBA Finals clash after dominating their respective foes so far in the playoffs.

The Cavaliers and the Warriors both swept their opponents in the first two rounds to book a spot in the Eastern and Western Conference finals, respectively.

Cleveland dominated the Indiana Pacers and cruised past the Toronto Raptors in four-game sweeps to move closer to the championship round.

That made the Cavaliers become the first team in NBA history to go 8-0 in the first two playoff rounds for two consecutive post-seasons.

The major factor behind Cleveland’s dominance is none other than LeBron James who, in his 14th season, is still putting up impressive numbers, averaging 34.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.5 blocks in the playoffs.

He is also poised to overtake the legendary Michael Jordan as the top playoff scorer in NBA history. James currently has 5,847 points for No.2 on the list, just 140 away from Jordan’s 5,987.

Meanwhile, the Warriors also brought out the brooms against the Portland Trail Blazers and the Utah Jazz.

The Dubs are steamrolling opponents in the highly competitive West without head coach Steve Kerr who has been sidelined indefinitely due to a back injury.

Kerr recently underwent a successful spinal cord leak procedure, but there’s still no definite timetable on his return.

The Warriors are fine without him though, with assistant coach Mike Brown currently calling the shots.

Cleveland awaits the winner of the Boston-Washington series which is currently tied at 2-all.

Golden State meets the winner of the San Antonio-Houston matchup which is also knotted at 2-all.