2016 Cavs vs 2024 Celtics

[Matt15]

Who wins in 7?

[sp6r=underrated]

2024 Celtics are prohibitive favorites based on the team data,

[The Master]

Kevin Love was injured in the 2016 finals and would've been quite unplayable against Celtics' smallball (or he would've played as a center and then Cavs' defense would've been pretty mediocre - Thompson was pretty great in the playoffs at that time).

I just don't think Cavs were built to what happened soon after with smallball lineups becoming a mainstream thing, so it's not a fair comparison: with Love in limited role either due to injuries and matchups, their star power advantage would be limited and their depth was laughable - if they had traded Love for some package of role players, they would have had a chance. The most bizarre and forgotten thing about 2016 run is that Mo Williams got couple of minutes in G7 of the finals and that was his last NBA game, hard to even compare it to the Celtics' depth right now.

Celtics comfortably.

[One_and_Done]

I'll take the team with the GOAT in his prime on it.

[lessthanjake]

I think the 2024 Celtics are better than both of the teams that were in the 2016 Finals. That said, they can change my mind if they struggle to finish the Mavs off (or do the unprecedented and fail to finish them off at all).

[Colbinii]

Celtics. I think the 2024 Celtics, 2020 Lakers, and 2017-2018 Warriors beat the Cavaliers.

It's hard to picture any other teams in NBA history beating the 2016 Cavs.

[One_and_Done]

I think the better question is 'could the 2024 Celtics beat the 73 win Warriors?' No? Then we should assume Lebron will go godmode and take out the Celtics too.

[Colbinii]

I think the better question is 'could the 2024 Celtics beat the 73 win Warriors?' No? Then we should assume Lebron will go godmode and take out the Celtics too.

Huh? I said 2017 and 2018 Warriors, not 73 win Warriors.

[lessthanjake]

I think the better question is 'could the 2024 Celtics beat the 73 win Warriors?' No? Then we should assume Lebron will go godmode and take out the Celtics too.

Yes, the 2024 Celtics could beat the 2016 Warriors. They had a better SRS, despite being less healthy and having way less to play for during the season (weren’t going for the wins record and didn’t have the Spurs breathing down their neck for the #1 seed). And, while they’ve had an easier playoff path, they’ve looked better than the 2016 Warriors did in the playoffs (caveat: The playoffs aren’t over, so the Celtics still have time to look shaky). And they’ve done it in an even more talented league that is more tactically evolved. The balance of evidence suggests the 2024 Celtics are better. And then that’s not even entirely getting into the actual form the 2016 Warriors were in in the playoffs, which was clearly not as high as the regular season, as a result of Steph’s playoff injury. The 2024 Celtics team that managed a better regular season SRS than the 2016 Warriors (again, despite being less healthy and having way less to player for) would be very likely to dispatch the 2016 Warriors in their diminished playoff form IMO, though the Porzingis injury means that the Celtics too aren’t quite as strong in the playoffs as they were during the season.

[RCM88x]

Celtics D is pretty well equipped to deal with LeBron, no real weak defenders and a lot of length and strength. KLove would be played off the court too like he was at many times with GS. I think these Celtics are probably better team as a result of having fewer weaknesses and just a near decade more of basketball evolution to work with.