It’s been more than a week since we saw some NBA basketball and 36 days since the Mavericks were eliminated by the Rockets.
But, ready or not, the Finals are upon us.
Now, who to root for: Warriors or Cavaliers? With no clear-cut villain like the Spurs and Tim Duncan to pull against, this one’s a little tricky.
First off – if you’re into holding grudges – do you more hate the Warriors for upsetting the 67-win Mavs and MVP Dirk Nowitzki in the first round in ’07? Or LeBron James for his mock coughing antics against the Mavs’ star in the ’11 Finals? Or, almost forgot, now-Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr’s barrage of fourth-quarter 3-pointers that capped the Spurs’ Game 6 win over the Mavs 12 years ago today in the 2003 Western Conference Finals?
If you merely want new blood to hoist a trophy, Golden State is the easy choice. The Warriors haven’t been to the Finals since ’75 while LeBron is trying to win his third championship.
But if you’re going with ties to the Mavs or even a Texas angle, you’re a Cavs fan.
Look down Cleveland’s bench and you’ll see some familiar faces. They won’t play much, if any, but Shawn Marion and Brendan Haywood both won rings with Dallas in 2011. Haywood has played only two minutes in the playoffs; Marion has played sparingly in six of the Cavs’ 14 postseason games.
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Cavaliers’ big men Kendrick Perkins (raised in Beaumont) and Tristan Thompson (University of Texas) have Lone Star State roots, so I guess … Go Cavs?
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
