This is the first time in NBA, NFL, MLB or NHL history that the same teams are meeting four straight timesNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
The Cavaliers and Warriors will meet in the NBA Finals for a fourth straight season, and while some fans will "complain that we've seen this movie before," it "doesn't make it any less intriguing," according to Rod Beard of the DETROIT NEWS. There is "always the possibility of some unexpected plot twist." But despite another Cavs-Warriors matchup, "don't lose sight of the treat everyone got: some gripping, high-level basketball in each of the conference finals." The Warriors "showed that they're always must-see TV in overcoming double-digit deficits in the last two games to get two wins." Meanwhile, LeBron James is "back in the Finals with a bunch of misfit Cavs" (DETROIT NEWS, 5/30). In S.F., Bruce Jenkins wrote it is the "fourth round of an ongoing Finals saga, as fresh and intriguing as ever" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 5/30). The AP's Brian Mahoney notes this is the "first time in NBA, NFL, MLB or NHL history that the same teams are meeting four straight times in the championship round, and intrigue in the teams hasn't waned yet" (AP, 5/31).
SIT BACK AND ENJOY: SB NATION's Harry Lyles Jr. wrote four years of Cavs-Warriors is "sort of like eating the same thing for dinner night after night," but basketball fans can "still enjoy this series." This is a matchup between "arguably the best player of all-time, and one of the best teams ever assembled." The dish is "nothing new for us, but it's still a gourmet meal" (SBNATION.com, 5/30). In Cleveland, Kevin Kleps asked, "What could be better than seeing LeBron James, possibly playing as well as ever, trying to pull off the seemingly impossible against a historically great collection of talent?" (CRAINSCLEVELAND.com, 5/30). In N.Y., Frank Isola writes if any fans think Cavs-Warriors for a fourth straight year is a "bad thing then run along." The "best team vs. the best player is a dream match-up and the television ratings will prove that." This is "great drama for the NBA" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/31). ABC's T.J. Holmes said the Cavs are "one of the biggest underdogs we've ever seen in the NBA Finals and some people are saying, 'Why do I even need to watch this matchup again? It's such a lopsided matchup.'" Holmes: "Well, this is one of the greatest teams going against one of the greatest players. That's why you need to watch" ("GMA," ABC, 5/31). ESPN's Jon "Stugotz" Weiner said of complaining fans, "What else do you want? It's the best player in the world versus the best team in the world, you can't ask for much more than that, and it's a better matchup than anything else the East could offer." ESPN's Mike Golic: "We're getting the best players in the game, I want to see the best players play. LeBron James is the best player in the game, Kevin Durant is one of the best, Steph Curry and you can go on down the line for Golden State. If you give me the best players in the game, that is what I want to watch" ("Golic & Wingo," ESPN Radio, 5/31).
NO COMPLAINING HERE: Durant said, "You just get a great set of players on the court. I mean, it may not be as suspenseful as a lot of people want it to be or as drama-filled, but that's what you've got movies and music for." James said, "Teams have had their opportunities to beat the Cavs over the last four years and teams have had the opportunities to beat the Warriors over the last four years. If you want to see somebody else in the postseason, then you got to beat them." Asked if it was good for the NBA to have the same Finals matchup four consecutive years, James said, "You've got to ask [NBA Commissioner] Adam Silver" (ESPN.com, 5/30).
WITNESSING GREATNESS: USA TODAY's Nancy Armour wrote, "Imagine griping about being tired of seeing the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals again." How it was "boring to see Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell pitted against each other for yet another year." How it would have been "nice to see someone -- anyone -- beside Magic and Bird at the season's end." Years from now, fans will "look back on these four years and recognize how rare it was to see the greatest players of their generation, and some of the best the game will ever see, going against each other with the title on the line" (USA TODAY, 5/30). In Dallas, Tim Cowlishaw writes fans "certainly struggle to admire greatness in sports," and Cavs-Warriors provides the "perfect example" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 5/31).
CAN'T LOOK AWAY: SI.com's Andrew Sharp wrote running this matchup back one more time is "probably not ideal for anyone invested in the NBA's success." To any basketball fans who "promises not to watch the Finals: I don't necessarily believe you, but I can't really blame you" (SI.com, 5/30). USA TODAY's Nick Schwartz wrote even if the series is "predictable, it's not the disaster for the NBA some fans and analysts are making it out to be." Although a Cavs-Rockets matchup "may have been more interesting, it's likely that at least 20 million fans will watch" tonight's Game 1. The Cavs and Warriors have "delivered a trio of NBA Finals that have been the most watched series in the last two decades." Finals ratings "spiked significantly" in '15 and "even more people watched" in '16 and '17. The Cavs "may be huge underdogs and the Warriors may win in a sweep, but that doesn't mean no one will watch the games" (USATODAY.com, 5/29). Meanwhile, CNN's Brian Lowry noted he suspects the "clash-of-titans factor might actually benefit ratings -- assuming the series is competitive -- than new blood might have" (RELIABLE SOURCES, 5/29). In DC, Jerry Brewer writes no one without a "strong rooting interest is really thrilled" about Cavs-Warriors. But many fans are "too obsessed with loving, hating and debating the historical significance" of both James and the Warriors to "abstain from watching." Brewer: "This is the 'Fast and Furious' of guilty sports pleasures" (WASHINGTON POST, 5/31).
NO DRAMA? In DC, Deron Snyder writes under the header, "NBA Finals' Only Drama Might Be How Many Games The Cavaliers Win." ESPN NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy said, "This is the biggest difference that I remember between two teams heading into the Finals in my time in the NBA" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 5/31). In Houston, Jerome Solomon wrote the Warriors-Rockets Western Conference Final was the "de facto championship series." The "best two teams in the NBA already have faced each other." The championship "has been decided." Silver has "mentioned a final-four bracket reseeding," an idea that would be "better for the league and fans" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 5/31). In Boston, Steve Bulpett writes beyond the fact that some people "may just be bored with this seemingly annual event, there is the larger question of whether the Cavaliers can muster enough from King James' court to create any true competitive drama" (BOSTON HERALD, 5/31). In N.Y., Benjamin Hoffman writes under the header, "Warriors And Cavs Star In Basketball's Version Of Groundhog Day" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/31).
