Appreciate greatness in these Finals
The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers are facing off for the third time and basketball fans need to appreciate their greatness.
The Golden State Warriors ruined basketball. Kevin Durant destroyed all that is good in the world. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are overrated and a stain on the very fabric of the NBA.
LeBron James has never played a challenging team in the Eastern Conference. He’ll never be Michael Jordan or, worse, he’ll never even be Kobe Bryant. The Cleveland Cavaliers benefit from a scared Conference.
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The Warriors and the Cavs are making the league unwatchable. The regular season and, even, the playoffs were just formalities because the big, bad super teams have broken the game. The postseason has been boring.
The hot takes have been flying all season long and the are starting to really pick up with the NBA Finals tipping off in less than a week. Fans of teams who never had a hope of winning a championship this year because they couldn’t put together worthy rosters tried to downplay what Golden State and Cleveland are doing.
The playoffs were boring because of injuries. They were boring because some of the teams in it just weren’t very good. They were not boring because the three best players in the NBA won all their games. The top two seeds in each conference made it to the Conference Finals, a phenomenon that shouldn’t be all that shocking.
Draymond Green was asked about the notion that the playoffs were boring. He hit the nail on the head. He told media “maybe there’s just a lack of appreciation for greatness.”
NBA fans are exerting so much energy into hating that they’re missing out on some truly incredible and special basketball. We are in a golden era of hoops right now and instead of enjoying it, trolls take to Twitter to spew lame takes. It’s time to open your eyes.
Now, that’s not to say you have to like it. I’m not going to tell any Warriors fans that they have to like James. I won’t tell any Cavaliers fan to enjoy Stephen Curry. I won’t tell any non-Golden State or Cleveland fan to be happy that their team isn’t in the NBA Finals.
But we should all step back and really pay attention to what we’re witnessing. There are some pretty amazing things happening in the NBA today and we shouldn’t let blind hate make us miss it. Like Green said, we often don’t appreciate what we have until it is gone.
James is arguably the greatest player ever. Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are two of the best to ever do it, as well. Klay Thompson is one of the league’s most explosive scorers and few have ever shot the ball better than Kyle Korver. Kyrie Irving is the best ball handler we’ve ever seen while Draymond Green is truly a revolutionary figure.
We are seeing the best the NBA has to offer. This is a rivalry that mirrors the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers of yesteryear. It’s incredible, high level play.
These players and teams are breaking and setting NBA records on a regular basis. James has a case to be considered the best to step on a court while Curry is changing the way basketball is played. It’s special.
Green is right, we need to appreciate what we are getting. Windows close quickly. Free agency and injuries can break up teams and derail careers.
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Regardless of where you stand and who you support, enjoy the game. This is what sports should be about. The best players should be competing for championships.
You don’t have to like it–just understand how special this moment in basketball history is.