New York Knicks

Tim Hardaway says NBA Finals belong to Warriors

Published Jun. 5, 2015 2:39 p.m. ET

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The young Knicks fans out there may not realize Tim Hardaway Jr. is not the best basketball player in his family. No, that title belongs to his father, who tore up the NBA in the early-to-late '90s with the Miami Heat and the Golden State Warriors, who are currently fighting for a championship.

Now an assistant with Detroit, Hardaway has some words about his former team going for its first Larry O'Brien Trophy since 1975. From Mark Conley of Inside Bay Area News:

The Run TMC ring leader -- now an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons -- said on his blog he would consider the Warriors-Cavaliers a toss-up if Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving were 100 percent healthy.

"I think he goes toe-to-toe, tit-for-tat with Steph Curry," Hardaway writes. But as things stand, "one bad step and he can hurt his knee again because he's not fully healed."

Hardaway likes all the different big and long-spanned bodies the Warriors can throw at LeBron James. And he may make his living in the Eastern Conference now but he will unabashedly be cheering for his original organization out West.

"I'm hyped for this series, and I'll be watching every game from tip off to the final buzzer. And I'll be pulling for the Warriors. I think the Bay Area deserves this Championship. Not to say Cleveland does not, but I think Warriors fans are the best fans in the NBA. They are knowledgeable about the game and they are loyal. They've been loyal since I was there. And now they want to win."

Hardaway had the best years of his career with Golden State, averaging 19.8 points and 9.3 assists per game as a Warrior from 1989 to 1995.

(H/t to Mark Conley of Inside Bay Area News.)

Photo Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports