NBA 2K18 Finals Simulation: Warriors-Cavaliers IV

As we prepare for the fourth straight installment of Warriors versus Cavaliers, which team does NBA 2K18 project to win the NBA Finals?

At various points over the past two months, an historic fourth consecutive NBA Finals meeting between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State seemed unlikely at best.  The Cavs devolved into a one-man team, requiring legendary efforts from LeBron on a nightly basis to scrap through the muddled East. Meanwhile, a combination of Steph Curry’s injury woes and a formidable challenge in the form of the Rockets threatened to derail a Warriors repeat. And yet, as the calendar turns to June Golden State and Cleveland are the last two teams standing once again. What a remarkable accomplishment for both sides.

For the fourth straight year though, Golden State will enter this series as a substantial favorite. The consensus pick within the NBA Twitter community seems to be Warriors in five. Last year’s series was a battle between absolutely dynamic offenses. The ultra-brief summary of the 2017 Finals is that both teams scored with ridiculous efficiency, but Cleveland just didn’t have the defensive personnel or discipline to stop Golden State on enough possessions. With a team that has looked totally inept on both sides of the ball far too often during the 2018 Playoffs,Cleveland’s chances of victory look even slimmer this season. At least they have Jeff Green to throw at Kevin Durant!!

As we enter the fourth chapter of the NBA’s premier rivalry, a number of important questions come to mind.  What tone will this clash take over the coming weeks? Will Cleveland attempt to emulate Houston’s switching defense and then grind things to a halt on the offensive end? Will the Warriors get out in transition and obliterate a shaky Cavs defense? And of course, there are big picture questions that loom over the matchup as well. Will the Warriors solidify a dynasty, winning three titles in four years? Will LeBron James lead perhaps the greatest upset in Finals history?

Though we won’t be able to answer these inquiries for a few more weeks, perhaps NBA 2K18 can provide us with a fun, early glimpse of how the Finals will play out.  Let’s simulate the 2018 NBA Finals and find out where 2K stands on Warriors-Cavs round IV.

Game 1: Warriors 113-Cavaliers 100 (GS leads 1-0)

Though the Cavaliers sans Kevin Love gave them a scare, the Warriors came back after trailing early and won this game comfortably. After Cleveland led by as many as 10 in the second quarter, Golden State cut the lead to two at the half. Then the Warriors dominated the rest of the way and cruised to a 113-100 victory.

LeBron continued his postseason rampage, posting 34 points in 42 minutes and knocking down 16-of-32 shots; Cleveland’s next best scorer was J.R. Smith, who had 12 points… yikes. The Warriors survived an uncharacteristically bad shooting performance from KD behind an efficient 26 points from Curry. And in the most fitting fashion ever, Nick Young came in for 15 minutes off the bench and scored 11 points but had a negative plus-minus in the box score.

Game 2: Warriors 138-Cavaliers 116 (GS-leads 2-0)

Game 2 didn’t go so well for the Cavs, as the Warriors poured on an absurd 138 points on them.  Golden State opened up the floodgates immediately, dropping 16 3-pointers on Cleveland and dominating the game from start to finish. Steph led the way once again, submitting the best Finals performance of his career. He nailed 10-of-12 shots from deep, pouring in 45 points and dishing out 11 assists!

A 30-point, 10-rebound, 8-assist performance from LeBron wasn’t nearly enough to keep Cleveland in the game as Kevin Love struggled in return to action. Though the Cavs hit 15 shots from beyond the arc, they just couldn’t keep pace with Golden State.

Game 3: Cavaliers 131-Warriors 129 (GS leads 2-1)

In one of the most thrilling contests in Finals history, LeBron put up one of the greatest  playoff performances of all time. Cleveland outlasted Golden State in a barn-burner behind a 54-point, 14-rebound, 11-assist triple-double from James. LeBron hit an absurd 19-of-33 shots from the field and 13-of-15 attempts from the line in his 44-minute masterpiece. He was quite simply a force of nature. But the other guys showed up too as for the Cavs as well as they returned to Cleveland. Korver, Smith and Clarkson hit three 3-pointers each.

Curry continued his run of excellence, leading the way for the Warriors with 29 points on 12 shots. Though Golden State dropped 15 3-pointers for the second straight game, the Warriors couldn’t keep the Cavs off the glass. Cleveland had 17 offensive boards and despite shooting substantially worse than the Warriors, their second chance points put them over the finish line.

Game 4: Warriors 128-Cavaliers 124 (GS leads 3-1)

The Warriors dished out a heartbreaking loss to the Cavaliers in Game 4, taking a commanding 3-1 series lead. In another explosive affair, Golden State came back to win a close one after trailing early in the second half. The Cavs led by five at the start of the fourth but couldn’t hold on to their lead, allowing 39 points in the quarter.

For the first time in the series Curry and Durant both went supernova. Curry dropped 36 points, while Durant contributed an ultra efficient 29 on 14 shots. Klay Thompson added seven 3-pointers and 25 points of his own, coming up big again for this team when they needed him most. James’ 37 points and 10 rebounds weren’t enough to slay the juggernaut Warriors in this one. Although Cleveland shot a ridiculous 57 percent in this game, the Warriors limited the Cavaliers to only 16 3-point attempts. The Warriors consequently won the 3-point battle again, making 15 shots from deep compared to Cleveland’s 9 makes.

Game 5: Golden State 117- Cleveland 113 (GS wins 4-1)

Despite LeBron having one of the best shooting performances in Finals history, making 21-of-33 shots and scoring 50 points, the Warriors closed out the Cavaliers in tight Game 5. As they did so many times against Houston in the Western Finals, Golden State stormed back in the second half. They trailed by 10 points heading into the fourth, only to outscore Cleveland 36-22 in the quarter.

Next: Could five LeBrons beat five Michael Jordans?

In a losing effort, LeBron proved he’s still the best player in the NBA averaging a preposterous, likely impossible 41/11/8 in the Finals. For Cleveland, another loss in the Finals is only the precursor to a potentially wild offseason, with LeBron’s free agency hanging over the franchise like the Sword of Damocles.

With their victory, Golden State validated themselves as a legitimate dynasty, taking home three championships in four seasons. The Warriors finished the series with a point differential of plus-8.2, a huge margin for the final round of the playoffs but perhaps less than we might’ve expected. Steph Curry deservedly took home his first Finals MVP award after torching the Cavs and averaging 30.4 points per game in the series. The pick isn’t sexy, but NBA 2K18 has spoken.  Its projection falls in line with the broader logic on the series.