Will The Cavs Good Fortune Continue: NBA Finals Preview

Well, here we are. My beloved Cleveland Cavaliers have made it to their first NBA Finals in team history. After the historic ass-whooping administered to Detroit, LeBron James and Company invade The Alamo tonight in San Antonio. What will their fate be? Are Duncan, Parker, Manu and the rest too much? How happy is David Stern? Let me answer all your questions. By the way, all the Spurs logos in their history suck and this Cavs logo from the 70's is fantastic.

Let's break it down.

Will Bruce Bowen slow down The King?
--This is an easy answer, made even easier by seeing how ineffective Tayshaun Prince was, absolutely not. The only person that can stop LeBron is LeBron. Bowen is a great defender, don't get me wrong, but he is used to guarding guys like Kobe and Nash and Josh Howard. He isn't used to guarding 6'8" and 260 pounds of pure man-beast that runs like a deer. Bowen will get exposed this series with backdowns and a lot of hand check fouls when Bron cuts to the lane. LeBron has had a lot of success in his career against Bowen and the Spurs, I don't expect that to stop in the Finals.

Who wins on the glass?
--Both teams rebound well. Duncan and Oberto do most of the glasswork for the Spurs while the Cavs huge starting lineup and Anderson Varejao have helped the Cavs achieve the title of #1 offensive rebounding team in the league. I think the Cavs will control the boards in this series and that should lead to extra possessions, extra shots, and extra Larry Hughes missed jumpers.

Will homecourt matter?
--Yes and No. The Spurs are good and experienced enough to win anywhere. That being said, they've lost two home games this postseason and lost a game 7 at home last season to a team lead by the ever-so-clutch, Dirk Nowitzki. That is something they will never be able to live down. Just from watching the Spurs some this season, I'm not sure their crowd is very rowdy which is good for the young Cavaliers. The Q, however, has been rocking for the whole playoffs and definitely gives the boys an extra jolt of energy.

What about the coaches?
--Classic mentor vs. mentee showdown here. Gregg Popovich is one of the greatest coaches of all time. There is no doubt and no discussion. Mike Brown is beginning to carve his own niche out in the league as a guy that doesn't know anything about offense but can suffocate you into submission on defense. Mike Brown knows 99% of what Pop is going to do. Mike Brown also doesn't have any clue what he himself is going to do. I give Pop the edge here but not by as much as you think.

Give me some off the wall prediction.
--Alright, here is my crazy, bold call for the series. Robert Horry and Donyell Marshall are both awful players that get over 10 minutes a game. They both have no game at all inside the 3 point line. But they are both X-factors for their teams. So I'm saying whoever wins the scoring battle in the series between Horry and Marshall will win the title.

How do the Cavs slow down Tim Duncan?
--You can't completely stop Duncan unless he gets in foul trouble. His only weakness is free throw shooting. So the Cavs shouldn't be afraid to take fouls this series and send him to the line. That also should lead to some sick Scot Pollard fouls. Pollard in the Finals, who'd'a thunk it?

Will David Stern influence the outcome?
--I don't think so. He got what he wanted. The star of the league going against the best team in the league with one of the 10 greatest players of all time nearing the end of his prime. The markets may be small but the interest is high because of LeBron. The ratings will be better than they've been in awhile, although the games should start at 8 not 9. The last thing Stern wants is a sweep though so I see this thing going back to San Antonio for games 6 and maybe 7.

Any unsung heroes?
--He isn't going to score and he isn't going to start, but Eric Snow is my guy to watch. He will be put in to guard Manu and shut him down, which he can do. E. Snow is the only Cav with Finals experience and I think he will play well by controlling Ginobili's drive and flops.

So what's going to happen?
--San Antonio has all the experience, better coaching, better guards, moxie, clutch players, Matt Bonner, and rest on their side. But!!! The Cavs are playing with a ton of confidence right now and have had success against this team in the past. They are not afraid of the Spurs. The Nuggets, Jazz, and even the Suns were and it showed. The Cavs are not. I think tonight is a really good chance to steal a road game since the Spurs haven't played in over a week and will be shaking off the rust early. My prediction is that whoever wins game 1, wins the title in 6 games. And since I'm a Cavs homer, I'm picking THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS TO WIN THE 2007 NBA FINALS IN 6 GAMES. Too much LeBron.