June 01--A look at how the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers match up in the NBA Finals:
Golden State, Western Conference champions
First round: Defeated Houston, 4-1.
Second round: Defeated Portland, 4-1.
Western Conference finals: Defeated Oklahoma City, 4-3.
Cleveland, Eastern Conference champions
First round: Defeated Detroit, 4-0.
Second round: Defeated Atlanta, 4-0.
Eastern Conference finals: Defeated Toronto, 4-2.
Season series: Warriors, 2-0.
Key stats
The Warriors lead all teams in the playoffs in points (110.9) and assists (25.0) per game and are third in three-point shooting (40.3%). The Cavaliers are second in points (106.9) and assists (22.9) and first in three-point shooting (43.4%).
Outlook
This is the series all wanted to see, a rematch of last year's NBA Finals participants, the defending champion Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The intrigue of the series starts with Warriors sensation Stephen Curry and his band of brothers who became the 10th team in league history to claw out of a 3-1 deficit to win a series against the mighty LeBron James and his merry crew that is 12-2 in the playoffs.The three-point shooting display by Curry and Klay Thompson in these playoffs only helped cement their legacy as the best shooting backcourt in the game's history. Behind Curry and Thompson, the Warriors set an NBA record for three-pointers made (90) in a seven-game series in the Western Conference finals against Oklahoma City. James, who has reached his sixth consecutive NBA Finals, has the help he didn't have last year in the Finals when the Cavaliers lost in six games. Guard Kyrie Irving (knee injury in Game 1 of the Finals) and forward Kevin Love (shoulder injury in the first round last postseason) are both healthy. The Cavaliers can play small-ball and shoot from deep as well. The matchup to keep an eye on is James versus Andre Iguodala, a supreme defender who just got done guarding Thunder scoring star Kevin Durant. Iguodala was voted the most valuable player of last season's Finals.
Prediction
The NBA best-ever 73-win regular season will be incomplete if the Warriors don't raise another banner. As tough of an out as James and Co. will be this time around, Curry and his guys will make their glorious season complete by winning in seven games.
