How’d The Cavaliers Get Here?
The Cavaliers got to the number one seed in the entire league by dominating the hell out of everybody. This is just such a complete team centered around the most completely player in the NBA. Even though the Cavs play at one of the slowest paces in the NBA (24th), they’re one of the most efficient offensive (sixth) and defensive (seventh) teams. They didn’t let teams score inside on them. They didn’t let the opposition makes threes against them. They challenged everything, played the passing lanes and turned most 48-minute contests into 36-minute laughers. They finished with the best record at home for the second straight year. At the trade deadline, they turned arguably the best team in basketball into the hands down favorite to win it all with their Antawn Jamison acquisition. For years now, the Cavs have tried to find a proper number two guy for LeBron James to play with. With Jamison being given that role, LeBron’s first title looks to be within his grasp.
How’d The Bulls Get Here?
The Chicago Bulls made it here for two reasons: 1) Chris Bosh broke his face and had to miss key games down the stretch and 2) the Bulls were able to get Joakim Noah healthy at the right time. Noah injured his left foot at the end of February and the Bulls plummeted down the standings without their dominant defensive presence. Chicago lost ten straight games during Noah’s injury. When he came back, they started clicking again and thrived off that 11th ranked defense in the NBA. They finished the year 10-4 after his return and ended up squeaking into the playoffs on the last day of the season with a 41-41 record (just one game better than the Toronto Raptors). Derrick Rose finished the year on a tear by averaging 25.4 points on 54% shooting to go with his seven assists per game during the month of April.
