NBA Finals Preview: Spurs Not Underestimating Cavaliers

James is the first No. 1 pick to lead the team that drafted him to The Finals since Kenyon Martin did it with the Nets in 2002.

Photo: NBA.com

SAN ANTONIO - The 2007 NBA Finals feature two teams that are very different, yet very alike at the same time.

On one side you have the Spurs, a veteran group led by two-time league MVP and three-time Finals MVP Tim Duncan as well as head coach Gregg Popovich, in his 12th year with San Antonio compiling a .676 winning percentage and garnering the 2003 NBA Coach of the Year Award in the process.

In the other corner you have the Cavs, a group of upstarts led by the magnificent LeBron James and the young coach Mike Brown, once a Popovich assistant, who has guided Cleveland to a 100-64 mark in his two seasons at the helm.

James is the first No. 1 pick to lead the team that drafted him to The Finals since Kenyon Martin did it with the Nets in 2002. The last player to accomplish the feat before Martin? That's right, Tim Duncan.

But the series isn't just about a mentor and his protege on the sidelines or about two marquee superstars leading their respective squads to the brink of a title which would be the fourth in franchise history for San Antonio (all in the Duncan era) and a franchise first for Cleveland.

No, it's about defense, as the Spurs and the Cavs both ranked in the top five in defensive points allowed per game during the regular season.

It's about journeyman veterans chasing a ring as Michael Finley of San Antonio and Eric Snow, Damon Jones and Donyell Marshall of Cleveland are all out to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the first time in their careers.

And it's also about role players stepping up. Sure, Tim Duncan and LeBron James are the bread and butter for both teams but some nights it's Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili taking the spotlight for the Spurs or Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Larry Hughes, Boobie Gibson or Drew Gooden shining for the Cavs.

The world is waiting to find out which group can complete the journey and capture that 16th win of the playoffs first to earn the title of NBA Champions. It all starts in San Antonio with Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, June 7 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.

Yeah PHX should be dere instead of SPURS

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