The Four Most Intriguing Subplots of the Two NBA Conference Finals Series
The Boston Celtics will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference, while the Houston Rockets will face off against the Golden State Warriors out west
Only four teams remain in the hunt to win the 2017-18 NBA championship.
The Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers have emerged as the final two standing from the Eastern Conference, while out west, the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors are set to take part in an eagerly anticipated matchup.
Obviously, the two series are appointment viewing for any NBA fan because they will determine which two teams will compete in the Finals, but there are other reasons why those matchups are so compelling.
Listed below are four subplots worth following, as the two NBA Conference Finals series play out.
(All statistics were taken from Basketball Reference).
1. Will the Celtics' Jayson Tatum be able to continue one of the greatest playoff runs for any rookie?
The Celtics' Jayson Tatum is probably not going to win the Rookie of the Year award, but if the postseason was accounted for in that honor, the 20-year-old forward may have a better case to take home the hardware.
Fellow rookies Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers and Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz — the two leading candidates to win the Rookie of the Year award — had mixed results this offseason, as some of their counting stats actually went up, but their shooting percentages and overall effectiveness took a bit of a hit.
Tatum has similarly shot worse from the floor during this postseason, but he's more than made up for that by upping his scoring output — he's averaging nearly 18.8 points per game currently compared to the 13.9 figure he put up during the regular season — and being more of a facilitator on offense.
Simmons and Mitchell are the favorites to win the Rookie of the Year award, but it's Tatum who still has a shot to take home a ring.
2. Can the Cavaliers' LeBron James become even more dominant?
LeBron James is averaging 34.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and nine assists per game during this current playoff run. James has had dominant playoff runs before, but that he's managing to do this at age 33 is simply mind-boggling.
James' drive to constantly improve himself has enabled him to still reach this level of peak performance even at an age where it would be fair to expect him to decline a bit.
What's also quite noticeable is that James is starting to place a great deal of trust in his teammates again, even after a regular season, in which many of them were fairly inconsistent.
James is at his best when he seamlessly moves back and forth from being a facilitator to a scorer and this postseason run is further evidence of that.
3. Can the Rockets' James Harden remain on target during the most important playoff series of his career?
James Harden's playoff struggles have long been overstated. He doesn't suddenly go from superstar to below average players once the postseason starts.
Harden does tend to shoot poorer from the field during playoff time, however, and that undoubtedly hurts his teams especially since many possessions end with him hoisting up a shot.
Harden is certainly not alone in terms of shooting worse from the field during playoff time, but he cannot afford the same dip in performance this time around.
For the Rockets to have any chance to defeat the Warriors, Harden will need to be on point right from Game 1, and he will need to consistently believe in himself and in his ability to come up big when it matters most.
4. Will the Warriors' Steph Curry continue to hold the upper hand over the Rockets' Chris Paul?
The Warriors' Steph Curry and the Rockets' Chris Paul have been rivals long before the latter moved to Houston last offseason.
Being two of the top point guards in the NBA today, it was inevitable for Curry and Paul to develop a rivalry, but thus far at least, the former has emerged victorious more times than not.
In 27 games played against one another, Paul has put up the better stats, but Curry has more wins. That has a lot to do with Curry playing with better teammates, but now, Paul is playing with a great team himself.
Watching the two fierce combatants go at it over the years has been great fun for many NBA fans, and now, the two are primed to face off again in what should be a memorable encounter.