The NBA Finals is set for another rematch. The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors will have another crack at it again as the Cavaliers look to seek revenge from last year and the Warriors seek a repeat. These NBA Finals will be one for the ages for LeBron James as this is his sixth straight trip to the NBA Finals.
What it took for the Warriors to Reach the NBA Finals
In the first round of the NBA Playoffs, the Warriors took on the eighth-seed Houston Rockets. It seemed as a breeze but also a scare for the Warriors. In Game 4 of the series, the unanimous MVP, Stephen Curry slipped while running to contest a halftime buzzer beater shot by Rockets forward Trevor Ariza. Curry was diagnosed with a sprained MCL in his right knee and missed the rest of the series. It didn't matter as the Warriors went on to beat the Rockets in five games.
In the Western Conference Semifinals, the story was no different. The Warriors took on the fifth-seed Portland Trailblazers. Curry was out for the first three games of the series but returned for Game 4, scoring 40 points and set an NBA record for most points in an overtime period with 17. The Warriors went on to win the next game and series in five games.
The real scare came in the Western Conference Finals as the Warriors took on the third-seed Oklahoma City Thunder. The Warriors were in trouble early, losing the first game at home and losing the next two of three. The Thunder led the series 3-1 and everyone had written the Warriors off. However, the Warriors played their best basketball when they had their backs against the wall. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green took matters in their hands and went onto winning three straight and becoming the 10th team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 series deficit to win. Now, they look to repeat as champions and are set to play the Cleveland Cavaliers in a Finals rematch.
How the Cleveland Cavaliers Reached the NBA Finals
The Cleveland Cavaliers couldn't have asked for a better playoff run. Sweeping the eighth-seed Detroit Pistons in the first round, the Cavaliers were starting to get in a groove from shooting from deep.
In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Cavaliers took on the fourth-seed Atlanta Hawks. The Cavaliers solidified their three-point shooting, setting records in most three-points in an NBA game with 25 and most three-pointers in a four-game playoff series with 77. Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, J.R. Smith and Channing Frye couldn't be stopped from deep The Cavaliers were simply dominant in a weak Eastern Conference.
However, the Eastern Conference Finals is where the Cavaliers got their true test against the second-seed Toronto Raptors. It seemed as if the Cavaliers were going to sweep the Raptors, blowing them out in the first two games of the series. When the series shifted to Toronto, the Raptors found a way to hand the Cavaliers their first two losses of the playoffs. The Raptors found a way to take out the Cavaliers hot shooting and their strong inside game. It was all tied at two games apiece heading back to Cleveland for Game 5 and that is when the Cavaliers Big 3 took over. The Cavaliers went on to win the next two games, winning by a total of 64 points. The Cavaliers won the series in six games. It took only 14 games for the Cavaliers to reach the Finals for the second time in two seasons. After losing to the Warriors in the Finals last season, the Cavaliers will look to seek revenge.
What to Expect in the Finals Rematch
With both teams being healthy, this series is set to go the distance. Last season in the Finals, LeBron James was the lone player keeping the Cavaliers alive. This season, LeBron James will have a healthy Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love and this series will have a different flow.
Expect both the Cavaliers and the Warriors to fire from deep at will as well as going inside. Head coach Steve Kerr likes when the Warriors move the ball to find the open shooter. Both averaging 26 points per game in the playoffs, Curry and Thompson will likely be heavily guarded by the Cavaliers because of their three-point shooting. However, this will open up the paint for players like Draymond Green, Shaun Livingston, Andrew Bogut and Andre Iguodala. They can play in the post as well as drive to the hoop for easy layups considering the Cavaliers weak interior defense. If the outside game doesn't work for the Warriors, they can shift to a more inside-type offense. The supporting cast for the Warriors must show up as this is a different Cavaliers team and will need to take the load of the Warriors' stars.
Things are different for the Cavaliers this season from last season. Rookie head coach Tyronn Lue has changed the offensive philosophy for this Cavaliers team as they are much more versatile. They can hurt the Warriors from deep as well and can go inside for layups and dunks. The Cavaliers Big 3 in Irving, James and Love improved their chemistry and will be tough to stop either one. Averaging 24 points per game in the playoffs, Irving is deadly when he runs isolation plays and the Warriors will have to put their defensive anchors in Green, Iguodala, and Livingston to stop him. One player who will be tough to stop is LeBron James. James is averaging 24 points in these playoffs and he can attract a lot of double teams leaving players like Love, Smith, Frye and Iman Shumpert open for three-point shots. The Cavaliers supporting cast must be aware of this and will have to be ready to step up on offense in the Finals.
Series Prediction
Last year's series went to six games with LeBron James basically doing it all for the Cavaliers. Now with a healthy Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and a few new additions to the Cavaliers team, it seems like they are ready to win it this year. The Warriors who unexpectedly went to seven games with the Thunder showed signs of doubt to win the series but still managed to overcome that. With that said, the Cavaliers are destined to finally win their first Larry O'Brien trophy in their 46-year history. The Cavaliers will win the series 4-2.
