NBA Finals: Playoff Tree
Season Review – Conference Finals Eliminations
4. Houston Rockets (41-41)
Notable upcoming Free Agents: Chase Budinger (70)A dramatic change with Andre Iguodala coming in at the deadline really jumpstarted the Rockets into the second half of the season, and proved huge in tough playoff series' against the Thunder and Kings. With only Chase Budinger out of contract, this Houston team looks set to return with a well-versed offseason to gel together and win a Championship.
3. Boston Celtics (47-35)
Notable upcoming Free Agents: NoneThe band has already locked themselves in for another go-round next year, and this was a better-than-expected result with Kevin Garnett out for the postseason. No doubt this result can only fuel the Beantown fire more to get back to the top of the NBA mountain, but next year may truly be the last hurrah.
Finals Preview: Golden State Warriors vs Charlotte Bobcats
There's fresh faces battling it out this season, with the youthful exciting Golden State Warriors coming up against the gritty defensive Charlotte Bobcats for the NBA crown.
Previous matchups
28/11: CHA 110 @ GS 103
17/12: GS 78 @ CHA 104
Battle of the captain swingmen
Both with more than 10 NBA seasons under their belt, team leaders Stephen Jackson & Gerald Wallace will meet for the chance to win their first Championship ring. Stephen Jackson has had a storied career, including early success in San Antonio and some not so savoury incidents with the Indiana Pacers, but has truly became a stalwart and leader of the Bay Area since his arrival in 06-07, and in particular his role in the "We Believe" Warriors. This would be a crowning achievement for Jax, who has held up the offensive production for the Warriors as their young core of Stephen Curry & Monta Ellis continued to grow, but now is starting to also play the role of facilitator as his teammates continue to progress. Gerald Wallace has waited a long time to get to this moment. As the original face of the franchise in his recruitment after the inaugural Charlotte Bobcats season, Wallace has been the pillar of consistency, and taken a team synonomous with losing into a perennial contender, including tying their franchise-record of last season with 49 wins. This would be the ultimate token of gratitude for a player who's been steeped in mediocrity for far too long, for a city that's been dying for some Championship success.
Hamilton returns to the Finals, new sharpshooters get their shot
At the trade deadline last season, when the Bobcats traded away their young prospect Gerald Henderson for the veteran sharpshooter Richard Hamilton, no one could've guessed the impact that "Rip" would have in changing the fortunes of the Charlotte Bobcats. Since his acquisition, the Bobcats have transformed into a defensively dominant, gritty team that echoes the former Pistons system that Hamilton thrived in so well. When you look at the other end of the court, you see two sharpshooters of the future. Stephen Curry and Eric Gordon, both under the age of 25, find themselves in a profound position, providing the outside scoring gusto that has lead them to this Finals berth. As the league seems to turn more towards an outside threat than an inside threat, it seems certain that the new tandem of Curry & Gordon will play a huge role in the Warriors high-octane offense as they try to secure their first ring in over 45 years.
by jubba910 on Fri Feb 05, 2021 5:35 pm 
