The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

WINTER is finally here.

Yes, I am a huge ‘Game of Thrones’ fan and it provides the perfect context for this year’s NBA playoffs and championship scenarios.

I’m not going to bore you with the details here, but to say the least, this year’s playoffs have been underwhelming.

Similar to ‘Game of Thrones’, we have been teased the entire series about the epic clash between the living and the ice walkers. It’s exactly the same scenario with the NBA: we came into the 2016-2017 all in on a Cavs/Warriors final.

Cleveland stormed through the east, dropping only one game in the conference finals almost by accident.

Meanwhile Golden State got through the west easily, minus their head coach for more than half the run and arguably their best player, Kevin Durant, in spots.

Beyond those two facts alone, this would have been an epic NBA finals.

But when you add to the mix that this year is the proverbial rubber match between these two teams having met in each of the last two NBA Finals; Draymond Green’s weird infatuation with playing against and out-battling LeBron James; the addition of former MVP Durant to a roster that just missed out on last year’s title; and finally the history between Mike Brown and James - this, ladies and gentlemen, is something special.

It came close, but neither the Shaq/Kobe Lakers nor the Jordan/Pippen Bulls ever faced the same opponent three consecutive times despite the best efforts of the Nets of the early 2000s and Jazz of the mid- to late-90s respectively.

When the Cavs and Warriors tip off on Thursday, the level of familiarity will be easy to see.

We have seen LeBron up top, ball in hand, directing the screen and roll with hopes of drawing a big out to take advantage of their slow feet.

We have seen Kyrie Irving beating out poor perimeter defenders with classic crossovers and fancy finishes.

We have seen Kevin Love dominate the boards, granting his team second and third opportunities on the offensive end.

We have also seen Steph Curry comfortable with his shot and hit from anywhere on the court. The same can be said for Klay Thompson and Durant.

When these two teams tip off, we will have seen all of these scenarios play out against the other team for much of the last two years, and the Durant factor a couple of times this year.

The experts would say this line of familiarity should result in frustration for both sides and in a slow paced, disciplined series.

I adhere to the view that the familiarity that everyone has been raging about will have little or nothing to do with the outcome.

In my opinion, despite the tremendous skill on the court, this series will come down to activity and effort of the guys on the sideline.

Yes, you read that correctly ... in a series that features at least six hall of famers, the tide will shift and succeed based on the effort and knowledge of the coaches, Tyronn Lue for the Cavs and the combination of Steve Kerr and Mike Brown for the Warriors.

The old guys in the barber shop often say ‘styles make fights’. In this case they are correct.

The 2017 NBA finals will come down to moments - key rebounds, second chance points, timeouts, foul trouble, energy levels and how the two coaching staffs manage these scenarios.

Like I said earlier, ‘Winter is Here’.

No need to bore you with the details.

Warriors in seven. This is going to be epic.

• Ricardo Wells writes Fourth Quarter Press every Monday. Comments to rwells@tribunemedia.net