HOUSTON, TX – MAY 28: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors shoots the ball against the Houston Rockets in Game Seven of the Western Conference Finals during the 2018 NBA Playoffs on May 28, 2018 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – MAY 27: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates with Jeff Green #32 in the second half against the Boston Celtics during Game Seven of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 27, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)The Eastern Conference champions went through the ringer just to get past the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics, who are promising teams but are clearly below the level of the Warriors.
More worrisome, LeBron James is averaging 41.3 minutes per game in the postseason. The four-time MVP was clearly fatigued at times during the conference finals, and Cleveland will need even more from him to pull off an upset in the NBA Finals.
It’s hard to see how the Cavs will have an answer for Kevin Durant, when they didn’t in the Finals a year ago and nobody has throughout this year’s playoffs.
Durant was the 2017 Finals MVP after averaging 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists. Through the first three rounds of the postseason in 2018, he’s putting up 29.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists a game.
Although James is one of the greatest players in NBA history, he can only do so much to counteract Golden State’s star-studded roster, Durant in particular.
