Last time on The New Millennium, the Spurs and Hawks continued to dominate their respective conferences, with LeBron taking home his third MVP. But none of it matters if you can't win in the playoffs, and both teams are seeking redemption for the past few years of heartbreak. Who will claim the ultimate prize and win the 2018 NBA Championship?
First Round
This time, there would be no mistakes for Atlanta. LeBron led his fired up Hawks squad to an absolute romp in their first round, easily sweeping the defending champion Bucks. The Pacers and Celtics had themselves a great series, but in the end, it was Boston's clutch ability that led them through, as LaMarcus Aldridge hit the game winner to send Indiana home. Meanwhile, the Knicks fell victim to the force of nature known as Russell Westbrook, who dominated Chris Paul in every facet of the game on the way to a 3-1 series win. The Pistons would be met in the second round by the Nets, who swept past the Bulls thanks to their great backcourt of Derrick Rose and midseason signing C.J. McCollum.
Out West, the feisty SuperSonics gave the Spurs a run for their money, pushing the best team in the NBA all the way to a Game 5 before San Antonio rallied to advance. Denver, led by the extremely underappreciated Thaddeus Young, took down the Utah Jazz in 4, and the Mavericks would do the same to the Grizzlies. But the biggest story of the first round came out of the west coast, as the Phoenix Suns simply couldn't handle Devin Booker and the Kings. Booker took down his real life team in 4, and got plenty of help from wing partner Brandon Ingram and former NBA Finals MVP Sherman Conway in the successful upset.
Second Round
The East remained fairly lopsided, and started out as the Hawks quickly dispatched of the Celtics as Atlanta's Alec Burks thoroughly outclassed Boston's Eric Gordon in all 5 games. In another upset, the New Jersey Nets, former 3-time NBA Champions with all the firepower in the world, fell in 5 to the Detroit Pistons, as Russell Westbrook outdueled Derrick Rose, highlighted by a 40 point performance in the Game 4 win.
The Spurs survived an upset attempt in the first round, and looked stronger for it, as the Denver Nuggets went down in 5. Denver was actually pushing hard for the top spot in the West for most of the year, but this series was extremely lopsided, as Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Love were just so much better than anything the Nuggets could offer. But the Mavericks were not nearly as fortunate, as they ran up against the young and hungry Kings, as Devin Booker, Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram gave the heavily favored Mavericks all they could handle. In Game 7, Dallas finally woke up, as the big man trio of Enes Kanter, DeMarcus Cousins and Zach Randolph took control inside, allowing Stephen Curry to hit seven threes in a blowout win to advance.
Conference Finals
As the seasons have gone on, the Dallas Mavericks have improved massively on defense, and it showed in this inter-Texas battle against the Spurs. Marvin Williams and DeMarcus Cousins harassed Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Love all series long, and while San Antonio was able to take two games, it all unraveled in the end. Game 6 was the demise of the Spurs, as Kawhi Leonard shot just 1-8 from the floor, and the Mavericks back-up point guard Isaiah Thomas came off the bench for 23 points to send Dallas to another NBA Finals.
The Hawks vs the Pistons was a match between teams with very different identities, as Detroit's backcourt of Westbrook and Arthur Stinson frequently combined to win them games, while Atlana's frountcourt of James, Jimmie Lydon and Dwight Howard traded right back. It all came down to a Game 7, which was dead even for most of the first half. In the second, Jrue Holiday absolutely locked down Russell Westbrook, who would finish just 8-25 shooting, while LeBron and J.R. Smith provided more than enough scoring, combining for 54 points and Atlanta was one step away.
NBA Finals
A lot of fans were very excited to see the first ever playoff matchup between LeBron James and Stephen Curry, and while James logged 37 points in Game 1, Curry was largely held in check. Zach LaVine made some big plays down the stretch for Dallas, but an Alec Burks buzzer-beater for Atlanta sent it to overtime. In the extra period, James and DeMarcus Cousins exchanged buckets and assists, but it was Curry who hit the dagger on a wide-open three to win Game 1. The Mavericks had all the momentum heading into Game 2, and it showed, as Atlanta ended up down by 24 at the half and never recovered, as Cousins had his way with Dwight Howard, notching 25 points and 15 rebounds.
The Atlanta Hawks were by this point a complete mess, and the wheels once again fell off in another blowout in Game 3. This time it was Curry who absolutely killed Atlanta hitting 10 threes to finish with 39 points and leave the Mavericks one win away from a sweep and the title. With everything left to do, the Hawks started strong in Game 4, as J.R. Smith drilled one big shot after another as Atlanta was up 6 at halftime. But with Curry and LaVine struggling, it was on Cousins to step up and save Dallas, and he did just that. Cousins filled up the stat sheet, scoring 39 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, but saved his best for last. With LeBron dragging his team back into the game, Atlanta's franchise player hit two big dunks. But when he went for a third, Cousins blocked him at the rim, before taking off with the ball to set up an easy three for LaVine. On the next possession, Cousins blocked Howard at the rim, before setting up a dagger three for Curry, and Dallas went wild. In the end, it was all about the big man, as the preseason acquisition of DeMarcus Cousins will go down as one of the best in The New Millennium's history. The Mavericks cruised to victory, and Cousins was mobbed, the absolute heart and soul of the franchise. The Dallas Mavericks are your 2018 NBA Champions!
NBA Finals MVP: DeMarcus Cousins(23.8 ppg, 14.3 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.3 blkpg)
Boogie Cousins has seen his stock plummet in real life, with multiple devastating injuries that, as of this writing, leave his career in a state of limbo. But in this series, he almost fills the Kawhi Leonard role, the player traded for before the season started who leads the team to glory. And just like Leonard, his contract has now expired, and according to the game, he's testing free agency. That's the headliner for what will be the final offseason of The New Millennium, coming tomorrow.
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