As the NBA playoffs charge towards their conclusion, the Eastern Conference and Western Conference finals have settled into a peculiar rhythm. Somehow, both penultimate series have been compelling without the games themselves being all that competitive.
The Cleveland Cavaliers dispatched the Toronto Raptors in historic fashion Wednesday night. Their 116-78 victory in Game 5 was the worst blowout in NBA Conference Finals history.
While a 38-point thrashing is certainly noteworthy, it is pretty much par for the course in the last couple weeks. In the last 12 playoff games the average margin of victory has been almost 21 points.
Meanwhile, a similar story is unfolding in the West. The Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma Thunder played a back-and-forth Game 1, but since then the two teams have traded blowouts. Golden State looked exactly like a 73-win team when they dismantled Oklahoma City 118-91 in Game 2. But once the series shifted to Chesapeake Energy Arena, the Thunder returned the favor. Twice.
Yet despite the absurd margins of victory, both series have somehow managed to remain competitive in the macro. After Wednesday, it seems ludicrous to think Cleveland will not roll into the Finals, but that was the overarching sentiment following Game 2 when the Cavaliers wrapped up their second double-digit win in a row. Then the Raptors stormed back at home to even the series. No matter how wide the margin was Wednesday, Game 6 is back in Canada and it should not shock anyone if a Game 7 is around the corner.
Despite the lack of actually competitive basketball games, the conference finals have still managed to capture our attention — not for the games themselves, but for the storylines surrounding them.
LeBron James is in arguably the best position of his career to win a championship as a Cavalier; Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and the Thunder are finally reaching their full potential; and the greatest regular season team in NBA history is crumbling before our eyes. Even the Raptors, the “forgotten team,” are reaching new heights as a franchise with the hopes of an entire country resting on their shoulders.
No matter which way you look, an interesting narrative is staring right back at you.
All of these storylines make for a riveting penultimate round, but when it comes down to it, only one theme seems to truly matter: Home court advantage.
In nine games, only once has road team been the victor — the Thunder in Game 1. Not only has home court virtually guaranteed a victory, it has also almost always resulted in a double-digit win for the home team.
As each series nears its conclusion, home court is the fittingly the only thing standing between a Thunder-Cavaliers NBA Finals. Can Golden State and Toronto prolong their championship aspirations on their home floors? Or will Cleveland and Oklahoma City buck the trend and close the series out early?
That’s two more storylines for an NBA Playoffs already overflowing with them. In terms of narratives, this postseason is truly second to none. Now let’s see if we can get some games to match.
