The Latest on the NBA Finals, Finals MVP and Finals MVP race
A week after a tense debate over who would win the NBA’s MVP award, the two finalists will meet in the 2017 NBA Finals for the second time in the history of the awards.
Here are five takeaways from the game: 1.
Kevin Durant will win MVP.
With the Warriors in control of the series, and a game tied at two apiece in the second game, there is little doubt Durant will be the final MVP pick for the Warriors.
Durant will play his first postseason game against the Cavs this week and has already received a standing ovation from his home crowd at Oracle Arena.
But this week’s meeting with the Cavaliers will not be a simple one.
LeBron James will face James Harden for the first time since Feb. 27 in Cleveland.
It’s possible Durant will not have the best chance of winning MVP if he is forced to go against Harden, who has already beaten James in the regular season.
The Cavs have been in the Finals six of the last seven years.
Harden will also be a favorite to win MVP because he has played the best basketball of his career since the Finals ended.
Harden is averaging career highs in points (23.5 per game), rebounds (7.2 per game) and blocks (2.5 a game).
He has a game-high 25.4 points per game in his last seven contests.
But Harden is still far from the top of the MVP balloting and Durant is a lock for first place.
2.
The Warriors will go all-in on Stephen Curry.
Curry will take on James Harden in Game 2 and will be a candidate for MVP, even if James has the edge heading into the Cavs game.
Curry has played a pivotal role in the Warriors resurgence, averaging 30.9 points and shooting 42.3 percent over the last five games.
Curry’s offensive production and shooting has increased every time James has been sidelined with a sore back.
James was in a slump before Game 2, shooting a dismal 36.4 percent in Game 1.
Curry is a big reason why the Warriors are having such a great season and should not be underestimated.
3.
The Heat will make it to the Finals.
Miami’s season is over and the Heat are now a lock to make the NBA finals.
Miami beat the Spurs in the first round and will meet the Warriors and the Cavs in the final two games.
The Cavaliers are in a good spot and will need a big Game 4 win over Cleveland to make it in.
They’ll need a lot of points from the Heat to get to the finals and they will need to do it without LeBron James, who will be sidelined again.
4.
LeBron will not go down without a fight.
LeBron has been battling through injuries and will not play in Game 3.
He is expected to play in the game against Golden State but will not get a chance to do so against Harden.
Instead, James will play in both games.
If he can’t play, James could be out a week or two with a knee injury.
5.
Kevin Love will win the MVP.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Warriors this weekend in Game 4.
Kevin Garnett, James Harden and Paul George will be among the starters in that matchup.
LeBron is averaging 26.4 minutes a game and shooting 49.2 percent over his last four games.
Love has emerged as a star player for the Cavs and has been instrumental in the team’s turnaround.
The only question will be whether he can stay healthy for the postseason.