In the NBA Finals, the story can change in a second. To stay up to date, use the official FanSided NBA Finals: #HotTakez Tracker.
If the Cleveland Cavaliers lose tonight, the narratives will spin in predictable ways. The repeated Finals failures of LeBron James disqualify his claim to being one of the best players in NBA history. His supporting cast is irrevocably flawed — specifically the ball-hogging Kyrie Irving and the flop-sweat machine that is Kevin Love. The Golden State Warriors are the greatest team in NBA history. The end justify Draymond Green’s means, Stephen Curry is a human volcano and The Death Lineup is the greatest thing to happen to basketball since the slam dunk.
Thing could just as easily go the other direction — the Cavaliers force Game 7 and maybe even win. James locks down his immortal legacy, his supporting cast is redeemed, the Warriors are the flash-in-the-pan frauds, with their small-ball pace-and-space revealed to be nothing more than a new outfit for the Emperor.
These stories can spin, moment to moment, possession to possession. It can be difficult to keep track of — am I supposed to hate Kevin Love right now? Or just loathe him? Well, fear not, I have cataloged some of the main protagonists in the NBA Finals and loaded them and their narratives into the Official NBA Finals Hot Takez Tracker.
Hopefully, this takes all the guesswork out of your preparations for Game 6. No need to generate your own opinions, we’ll have the fickle conventional wisdom waiting for you right here.
For more NBA Finals coverage, check out our NBA Finals hub page.