Some people believe in a curse, a curse that has kept the city of Cleveland from winning a major sports championship in over 50 years. Now, I’m not a witch nor do I know anything about curses but the Cleveland Cavaliers sure did have some bad luck during the postseason. In the first round the Cavs lost one of their best players Kevin Love during what looked like a dirty play. His shoulder was dislocated and he would not return at any time during the playoffs. Then in the conference semifinals, point guard Kyrie Irving battled knee and foot injuries that carried even into the conference finals.
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Ultimately in game one of the NBA Finals, during overtime he injured his knee for the last time. Kyrie fractured his knee cap and required season ending surgery. The short handed Cavs battled hard but fell short to the deeper and healthier Golden State Warriors. So this brings up the question, would the Cavs have won the NBA title this year if LeBron’s 2 best wingmen were healthy?
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The Cavs started the season very slow falling to 19-20 at one point. That did not last long, they had the best record after the all star break and were the hottest team going into the playoffs. What if their momentum wasn’t taken from them by injuries? Had Kevin Love and Kyrie been healthy in the NBA Finals, Cleveland would be celebrating a championship parade. LeBron playing the way he did in the Finals, he was unbelievable. Surround the way he played with Kevin Love’s ability to score, rebound, and spread the floor, along with Kyrie’s incredible scoring punch and ability to break down the defense. There is no doubt in my mind the Cavs would have beaten the Warriors in 5 or 6 games.
The Cavs proved they could beat the Warriors when they defeated the Dubs in Cleveland late in the season. Throughout these finals it was clear LeBron lacked a real sidekick to help him score. Either Kyrie or K Love could have provided that. Both proven lethal scorers, they could have attracted more attention off LeBron onto themselves helping him to be more efficient. After three games it appeared the Cavs might shock the world and defeat Golden State without their 2nd and 3rd best scorers. The team got tired and the Warriors found their footing, it was history from there.
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Although had the Cavs been healthy, Cleveland could be celebrating like never before. The bottom line is they were not healthy, this is professional sports and injuries are a part of the game. The Warriors earned their title and we have no right to take that away from them. You play against who is put on the court. I fully expect the Cavs core guys to be back next year. One thing we can all hope for is a healthy rematch between the Cavs and Warriors in the next seasons NBA Finals.
