Lakers, Cavaliers on Finals Collision Course

The Chicago Bulls vs. Boston Celtics has become must-watch television for any hoops fan. Same goes for the Portland Trailblazers and Houston Rockets series. Dallas and San Antonio have provided plenty of drama, and you can expect that before it is over the Miami Heat vs. Atlanta Hawks series will provide some thrills as well.

By comparison, the Cavaliers series against the Detroit Pistons is dull. Same with the Lakers versus the Jazz. There is a reason for that — the Cavaliers and Lakers are the two best teams in the NBA. They are playing the best basketball right now, with potent offenses and quality defenses. They have looked head and shoulders better than anyone, nobody in their respective conferences appears ready to challenge them. And that includes the teams the  are playing.

The only time Cleveland or Los Angeles have looked vulnerable is when they have gotten bored with a big lead and let the other team back in  the game. That may give the coaches something to chew on in film sessions and practices, but it is pretty clear that these teams are winning big and still have another gear.

Tuesday night, the Cavs led by 29 before getting bored and letting the Pistons close the gap to single digits with a 25-4 run in the fourth quarter. When challenged, Cleveland responded with a 10-1  late run that ensured their double-digit win.

The Lakers have had a habit of getting bored and giving up leads all season, and that continued Tuesday night. The Lakers led by 20 points in the second quarter but let the Jazz  come back.

The Lakers and Cavaliers are drawing big television numbers because they have the two biggest stars in the game — Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. But right now, they are not providing the most exciting basketball to watch. People need to watch some of the very exciting game threes that are coming up, like the Bulls and Celtics. Or Trailblazers and Rockets. That is going to be exciting basketball.

The Lakers and Cavaliers games are going by comparison. But that is because they are the two best teams. When they meet in the Finals, things will be plenty exciting