No

Rematches don’t happen very often in the NBA Finals. We got that last year, and it turned into one of the best Finals anyone can remember.
LeBron James was beyond human during the series, Kyrie Irving hit big shot after big shot, and the Golden State Warriors did their thing, spreading the wealth and proving they were one of the best teams of all time.

It was epic. Too bad it won’t happen again.

Cleveland slumped into the playoffs. It seemed like from about November up until around two weeks ago it was a foregone conclusion that the Cavaliers would have the No. 1 seed in the East.

And then Cleveland lost, and lost, and lost. On the second to last day of the regular season, the Cavaliers lost the No. 1 seed to the Boston Celtics.

Maybe LeBron rallies his troops and they make another push, but I don’t see it happening. He has played way too many minutes this season (and eventually that will catch up to him), and the set of role players this season just isn’t the same as last year’s championship team.

So with the Cavaliers looking like a team that can be beat, who beats them? It’s not exactly a “take your pick” situation, but the East has other teams that can get it done in a seven-game series.

John Wall and the Washington Wizards look as if they are on a mission. When Wall is on, he is one of the very best players in the league. Did you see the first game of the Wizard’s series against the Atlanta Hawks? Wall was on.

There’s blood in the water in Cleveland. It might not be a lot, but other teams can smell it.

— Blake Dowson

Yes

It might make the league seem a lot less competitive than it really is, but this year’s NBA Finals will be a Cavs-Warriors matchup yet again.

On the Western Conference side of things, it really isn’t a hard prediction to make. The Warriors are insane.

A team is hard to beat when four of a team’s starting five are on the All-Star roster. As good as the Spurs are, which has been really good for a really long time, they still finished six games back of Golden State in the final standings.

While they might not be a 73-win team like last season, the off-season addition of Kevin Durant will definitely bolster the squad’s chances if a series gets close. (Spoiler: It won’t get close.)

On the other hand, I have the Cavs making it out of the East. Even though they went 5-7 in March and ended the season on a downhill skid that allowed Boston to scoop up the No. 1 seed, LeBron James will carry this team to the Finals.

With Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love surrounding him, LeBron will pick up his pace and put the team on his back when the playoffs come along, just like every other year.

However, the Cavs are not a good defensive team. Their deficiencies on that end of the floor could lead to the Celtics or the Wizards picking up a series victory.

But when Cleveland cares, it cares. At some point in the playoffs, the team will find its groove and make its way through the East to meet the Warriors in the Finals.

But unlike last year, the Warriors will get the job done. But they also blew a 3-1 lead, so anything is possible.

— Pete Ruden