Congratulations to the Cleveland Cavaliers and their remarkable, history making comeback that earned the home of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame its first major professional sports championship since the Cleveland Browns won the 1964 NFL Championship in the pre-Super Bowl days.
In winning this season’s NBA Title the Cavs not only became the first team in NBA history to win the NBA Finals after trailing 3 games to 1. They also were the first team in nearly 40 years to win a Game 7 on the road.
LeBron James won his third NBA Finals MVP, further cementing his legacy as one of the NBA’s all-time great players. His performance in these Finals, especially in the way he dominated the fourth quarter of the Cavs’ Game 6 win, which tied the series at 3 games apiece, puts him among the most elite players the game has ever seen.
And those who continue to find reasons to bash him sound sillier and sillier with each word.
Sure, he may not be “the” greatest player of all time. That’s a very subjective determination based upon the criterion one relies on in making an argument. But he most certainly is in the discussion.
The attention of the sports world turns almost exclusively to baseball with the college and pro football seasons on the horizon and moving toward center stage come August.
Odds for next season’s NBA Title are being introduced around Las Vegas and elsewhere and there may be some teams worth considering for play.
But there is exceptional uncertainty in making these plays too early as NBA free agency is about to kick in shortly after next week’s NBA draft.
One team poised to make a run at next season’s NBA Title is Oklahoma City, the team that took Steph Curry and Golden State to the full 7 in the Western Conference Finals.
But!
The status of Kevin Durant makes a play right now on the Thunder extremely hazardous. When his “decision” as to where he will play next season becomes public there will be immediate movement in the futures market.
If you are strong in the belief Durant will opt to stay with OKC next season you might consider making a play on the Thunder right now. If you wait until Durant announces his decision and he decides to stay the price on the Thunder likely drops noticeably.
There may still be value on OKC as, barring injury (always a concern when making Futures plays), the price will only get shorter assuming OKC gets off to a decent start next season.
If you are looking for a longshot that has potential for showing significant improvement next season consider the Minnesota Timberwolves. With a bevy of young, developing talent and a proven head coach in recently-signed Tom Thibodeau, Minny is poised to make the Playoffs – probably as a lower seed – that could provide hedge opportunities.
Enjoy the offseason.
Andy Iskoe, and his Logical Approach, provides his popular and unique handicapping statistics to GamingToday readers and online visitors. He has been a long time GT columnist, contributing weekly in-season columns on baseball, pro basketball and pro football. Email: [email protected]