Four celebrities who are influencing the NBA Finals
The NBA Finals are not decided by the players on the court. They are decided by celebrities. The world revolves around the movers and shakers in our iTunes and on our televisions, not the guys on the court. The Golden State Warriors don’t lead the Cleveland Cavaliers two games to none because they have four All-Stars. They lead because curses have been lifted, dabbing has been brought back, and sisters we keep up with.
Here are the most influential celebrities in the NBA Finals.
Rihanna
The “Love on the Brain” crooner and LeBron James admirer sat courtside during the Warriors Game 1 victory. But, unlike most celebrities who sit there and wave to camera with a face that says, “Yes. I’m famous. Now go away.” Rihanna made sure that people knew she was present.
Mistake #1: Angering Kevin Durant. You don’t anger Kevin Durant. You answer his marriage proposal and let him bite your butt cheek. You go out of your way to be very friendly to him. That’s what gets him to shoot 10-of-31 at home in a closeout game. When you anger him, he drops 40 on 50 percent shooting.
Mistake #2: Dabbing. The dab died at Super Bowl 50. Any attempt to revive it has been misguided and ill-fated.
Rihanna cost the Cavaliers Game 1 with her angering of Durant and Game 2 with her dabbing. It’s why she didn’t even bother to show her face at Game 2. She knew. She just knew.
Lil B
Lil B cursed Durant in 2011, proclaiming that Durant would never win a title after KD called him “a wack rapper.” No one thought much of this. But then Durant failed to win a title year after year. Injuries and bad luck were cited, but the Lil B Curse was the more likely culprit.
Last July, after Durant signed with the Warriors, Lil B removed the curse saying that Durant “showed humility by joining the Warriors.” This was code for, “Durant couldn’t beat them, so he joined three All-Stars. There’s no way four All-Stars don’t win the NBA title. I better lift the curse before it loses credibility.”
Lil B is much smarter than anyone is willing to give him credit for.
With the curse lifted, there was literally nothing stopping Durant and the Warriors. People feared that his knee injury would be season ending, but the lack of the Lil B Curse ensured that he’d be back in time to wreak havoc in the playoffs.
Khloe Kardashian
Much like the Lil B Curse, the Kardashian Kurse is a very real thing. James Harden has had great seasons in two of the last three years. He was an MVP candidate in both of those seasons. The one down year? He was dating Khloe Kardashian. Rashad McCants is on record as to saying that Khloe ruined his NBA career. Who are we to doubt Rashad McCants?
Tristan Thompson and Khloe began dating in September 2016.
If you ever want proof that Kobe Bryant is better than LeBron James, just bring up this fact: Kobe won a ring while his teammate was married to Khloe. LeBron might get swept in the Finals because his teammate is dating Khloe.
Dating a Kardashian is good for your publicity, bad for your basketball performance.
Drake
Drake has been fairly quiet during the Finals, but that’s by design. Last year, Drake bet against LeBron and Cavs. That didn’t end well for him, costing him $600,000. The Raptors ambassador learned from his mistake and has spent all year supporting LeBron, going as far as giving LeBron an advanced copy of tracks from ‘More Life.’ But we all know Drake is a Warriors super fan, shouting out the Bay Area team in every other song he does.
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That’s why Drake remains mum this year. He’s spent all year getting on LeBron’s good side while still supporting the Warriors. He doesn’t want to upset LeBron for a second straight year because upsetting LeBron is a surefire way to cost your team a game. Drake will continue to play both sides until a winner is decided because Drake doesn’t lose.