The Eastern Conference Finals matchup is set between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics for the second year in a row. And for the second consecutive year, the Cavs are the favorites. Obviously, as a Celtics fan, it’s impossible for me to buy into that hype, so I’m stuck looking for loopholes and digging for ways Boston could possibly knock LeBron off course. In the same breath, I’ve begun to think of all the things that make me hate LeBron and the Cavs, which has helped me devise a list of reasons for non-Celtics fans to root against the Cavaliers.
First and foremost, LeBron James is one of the least likable athletes in all of pro sports. James has such a fat head that his hairline actually recedes further every time he bloviates about his own statistics on Instagram. To say that I root against LeBron would be a massive understatement. Sure, I’m able to recognize his basketball greatness––I’d have to be stupid not to––but I’m mostly unable to separate my appreciation for his game from his pompous attitude and inability to detect social cueing. So rooting for LeBron under any circumstances is a no-go for me, much less against my team. Plus, LeBron has been to 7 straight NBA Finals, so I think a collective vomit from my fellow LeBron-haters is in store if Cleveland comes out on top.
If LeBron James is the Swiss Army knife in Cleveland, as was eloquently put by Colin Cowherd, the rest of the Cavs roster works well with the metaphor; they’re a bunch of useless tools. From top to bottom, this Cavaliers roster is probably the least talented bunch that LeBron has surrounded himself with since 2007. Kevin Love isn’t the explosive scorer he was on the Timberwolves anymore, and he’s not as likable anymore either. Yet, even at that, they’re still the going-away favorites in this series, and it’s infuriating.
I mean, I get it––the Celtics are a ragtag team of misfit toys without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. But while missing arguably their two best players, the C’s have still made it through the Bucks and the 76ers in 12 total games on their way to the ECF. Past that, the Celtics are simply an amiable group of guys. They’re young, fast, fun to watch, and playing way ahead of their time.
Listen, I may be preaching to the choir as a Boston sports blog writer, but if you’re someone who’s on the outside looking in, think hard about whether or not you want to root for the same old thing in the NBA Finals again––especially if it involves this dumpster fire of miscreants surrounding LeBron James.
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