Would the 2018 Rockets have choked in the NBA Finals against the Cavs?

[HeartBreakKid]

This is like asking if the 2018 Celtics would beat the 2018 Rockets. Getting wrapped up in gravitas of a player is really bad analysis.

Lebron James is not an independent factor of the 2018 Cavs, he is why they are bad (or good) as any other player. The 2018 Celtics who nearly beat them, would not likely receive a vote from the minority of people who picked the Cavs (or even think this is a competitive scenario).

[sp6r=underrated]

oklahoma was a contender for only one of those 3 years

spurs are the only other team that can be 2nd and i would take the cavs over them in 2016 amd the healtht cavs over them in 2015

I've alredy explained the crux of the debate. How do you weigh the RS data, especially the RS point differential? If you don't put weight on it you reach 1 decision. If you do you reach another

So yeah I think the Spurs were better from 2015-17. OKC was better too in 2015 and 16. HOU was better in 2017 and 2018. Shift 2 of those 3 clubs to the east and I think Cleveland makes maybe 1 final.

Which isn't an indictment of Lebron, I think he has the best case for GOAT in part because of those years. It is the guys 2-12.

OKC wasn't better than CLE in 2015...Cleveland was the best team in 2015. OKC was relatively even with CLE in 2016, but 2015 I do not see an argument at all.

I think you probably along with a lot of people were too hard on Cleveland during the RS (and they were still pretty good), and probably didn't want to accept that they were much better than you thought.

I remember many people were very resistant to the idea that they were better than GSW probably because many people went out on a limb saying GSW would destroy them which did not really happen in 2015.

I acknowledged I forgot the year of the Durant injury. It isn't that I don't accept that I was wrong. The data supports my contention Cleveland wasn't #2 in that time period yet alone clear #2.

If you want to persuade me I'm wrong you have to persuade me to abandon RS point differential when evaluating teams

[Heej]

Chris Paul was injured. Cavs had a chance. I still think Cavs could've taken it if they won Game 1. Bron jacked his hand up after that game for no reason, and Klay was injured. He wouldn't have lasted in a 6 game series.

[falcolombardi]

Chris Paul was injured. Cavs had a chance. I still think Cavs could've taken it if they won Game 1. Bron jacked his hand up after that game for no reason, and Klay was injured. He wouldn't have lasted in a 6 game series.

i dont think the 2018 warriors needed klay all -that-much to beat the cavs

they would lose a bit but their roster more than could absorb the loss

[Heej]

Chris Paul was injured. Cavs had a chance. I still think Cavs could've taken it if they won Game 1. Bron jacked his hand up after that game for no reason, and Klay was injured. He wouldn't have lasted in a 6 game series.

i dont think the 2018 warriors needed klay all -that-much to beat the cavs

they would lose a bit but their roster more than could absorb the loss

Oh sure. But 2018 was nowhere near as good as 2017. They had a lot of chemistry issues due to KD. Realistically they were still way better than the Cavs, especially with Iggy back after Game 1. But there was a path there imo. Albeit however faint that path was.

[red96]

That Cavs team was not good. They struggled all season and barely made it out of the 1st round. They wouldve lost to 3-4 western playoff teams. It was a forgone conclusion that whoever made it out the west was going to beat them.

[PistolPeteJR]

As noted, that Rockets team was an all-time squad when healthy. 42-3? Find me another trio with a record like that. And that Cavs team sucked. They would've lost to Indy in the Firt Round if not for some referee shenanigans. (Understandably, given the difference in revenue a LeBron team generates vs. a small-market Oladipo team.) The 2018 WCF was as much the "real Finals" as in any other season in NBA history.

What referee shenanigans?