7 reasons we want Cavaliers vs. Thunder in 2016 NBA Finals
By John Buhler
3. Russell Westbrook vs. Kyrie Irving.
No position in the NBA is deeper than at starting point guard. Roughly two-thirds of the league have All-Star caliber point guards that are capable of leading a solid team to a respectable NBA Playoffs run. However, it would be very hard to top an NBA Finals head-to-head matchup at the one between Oklahoma City’s Westbrook and Cleveland’s Irving.
Yes, the best point guard in the game plays for Golden State in two-time league MVP Stephen Curry, but from a pure competition standpoint, its hard to top the Westbrook/Irving pairing. Nobody plays with the tenacity of Westbrook at the point. His competitive nature at point guard just isn’t rivaled in today’s game.
Irving may very well have the best handle of any point in the game. Curry is more flashy, but Irving won’t turn the ball over quite like Curry does. Irving is able to transition from being the primary ball handler at point guard to somewhat of an off-ball shooting guard when James takes over at point forward.
Both Irving and Westbrook present interesting mismatches that will have to be exploited for either team to win the 2016 NBA Finals. In a league that receives criticism for lack of parity, one wouldn’t be able to say that about the starting point guard matchup in this best-of-seven series between Cleveland and Oklahoma City in the 2016 NBA Finals.
Next: 2. Kevin Durant vs. LeBron James.