The conference top seeds took care of business on Sunday. The Cavaliers made mincemeat of the Heat, jumping to a double-digit lead close to the end of the first quarter and all but making the outcome a foregone conclusion by halftime. For the Thunder, meanwhile, much more work had to be done versus the gritty Grizzlies — who were without top scorer and playmaker Ja Morant — before the win could be secured; that said, they managed to sweep the competition and become the first playoff participants to advance past the first round.
Indeed, the Cavaliers have backed up their pacesetting standing in the regular season by continuing to dominate the Heat; the latter displayed trademark grit in advancing past the play-in tournament and gain a playoff slot, but have so far proven unable to duplicate the winning formula that provided success last December. Not for nothing did the wine and gold emerge victorious by a whopping 37 points on Sunday, and by an aggregate 67 through the four-game series; never mind that they competed at hostile Kaseya Center in the absence of starting guard Darius Garland. And on Tuesday, they have an opportunity to finish the job with a fourth straight triumph against the black and red.
Certainly, the same holds true for the Thunder. Armed with the best record in the National Basketball Association, they rode on the consistency of Most Valuable Player candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to bring out the broom against the determined but overmatched Grizzlies. The last two encounters may have been too close for comfort, but they kept their pristine slate all the same and claimed a seat in the semifinals by an average margin of 19.5. They await either the Nuggets or the Clippers, whose own best-of-seven affair is tied at two apiece.
At this point, there seems to be no impediment for the Cavaliers and Thunder to live up to billing and meet in the Finals. Nonetheless, league annals are replete with shocking consequences overriding supposed certainties. It’s one thing to look the part, and quite another to play the part. So far, they have done both with aplomb, but time will highlight their capacity — or lack thereof — to translate their early gains into ultimate achievement.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
