The NBA Finals.

It's certainly starting to look like it's going to be Golden State and Cleveland. After all, both have 2-0 series leads, and one would be hard pressed to imagine the Houston Rockets beating the Warriors 4 out of the next 5. True, the first two games in Oakland have been close, and the Rockets now go home for Games 3 and 4. But there's a reason Golden State posted the best record in the league during the regular season. These guys are good. REALLY good. Looks for them to split the two games in Houston and the Warriors close it out in Game 5.

In the East, it's all but a done deal as well. Lebron and his Cavs won the first two games in Atlanta, the second being a blow-out. Does anybody really think the Hawks can win 4 out of the same next 5 after dropping the first two at home? With Games 3 and 4 being in Cleveland, they'll be lucky to avoid a sweep. Either way, pencil in Cleveland to go on to the Finals.

Interestingly, the Cavs are getting this done without the services of Kevin Love. Sure, good teams rally around each other when a star player goes down -- next man up, and all that -- but many, including yours truly, thought the loss of Love would seal their fate when it got down to the nitty-gritty of the playoffs. We were wrong. The Cavs look better than ever.

Idle thought:

Just what purpose does Cleveland head coach David Blatt serve anyway other than giving dumb looks and even stupider answers at press conferences? The man's making somewhere around $5 million a year, and the Cavs are winning not BECAUSE  of him, but in SPITE of him. Blatt might have done well coaching on the Israeli-European circuit, but he's way, WAY over his head in the NBA.

Not only doesn't he have a clue, the players seem to know it as well. Blatt can call a play, and the players will ignore it and run their own. During time-outs, Lebron is the one seen talking strategy to the team -- not Blatt. He might nod his head in agreement, but nobody's paying any attention to him anyway. So what good is he? Then again, it should be remembered Dan Gilbert still owns the Cavaliers, and Blatt was his hire. To become the billionaire he is, this guy must be a genius behind closed doors, because every time he says or does something publicly, he comes across as a buffoon.

Conclusion? Why not make Lebron player-coach and save the $5 million they're wasting on Blatt? He's already calling the shots anyway.

Assuming the above scenarios play out as predicted, the Cavs against the Warriors in the Finals would be a very intriguing match-up.

Golden State would have home court advantage, and when they get it going they can be flat-out awesome. Having the best record all year long, especially coming in the brutal western conference, speaks for itself.

If one harkons back to the beginning of the season, one would remember the Cavs started out slowly. It was predictable. They had a few new parts they were trying to fit together, including Lebron and Kevin, plus some new coach that won a bunch of games in the old world across the pond. But as the season went on -- well -- look at them now, in spite of the nitwit.

Yep, Lebron never could get over the final hump in his first go-round with the Cavs. He had to take his talents to South Beach and hook up with the likes of D-Wade and Chris Bosh to finally win a championship. But that was when James was a magnificently talented young man trying to single handedly will the otherwise not-so-talented Cavs to glory. He came close.

But now he's been there, done that as a seasoned veteran and has a terrific supporting cast around him as well in his Cleveland II sequel.

The Warriors would likely be favored, if for no other reason than home-court advantage going in. They've only been beaten there three times -- all year -- twice in the regular season and once by Memphis in the playoffs. The Cavs and Warriors split their two games this year, each winning handily on their own home floor.

But bet against Lebron III and the current Cavs at your own peril. The King is on another mission.

Final idle thought: It's already been speculated by some that Blatt, due to his incompetence, will be fired at year's end, the $15 million or so Gilbert would still owe him notwithstanding. If Lebron really wants him gone -- chances are he WILL be gone.

That scenario raises an interesting question. Has an NBA head coach ever made it to the Finals, maybe even won it, only to be fired shortly thereafter? Wouldn't that be something? Talk about throwing bloody meat into the hungry shark infested waters that are the sports media...... Stand back. This could get ugly in a hurry.

Then again, all the above could be entirely wrong. Perhaps the Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets will storm back to win their conference championships and meet in the Finals.

Stranger things have happened and it's entirely poss......

Nah.

Forget that.