A Royal Pain
Fansided

NBA Finals Preview: Golden State Warriors vs Cleveland Cavaliers

By Tyler Watts

Dec 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) defended by Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland defeats Golden State 109-108. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) defended by Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland defeats Golden State 109-108. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
Dec 28, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) alongside guard Kyrie Irving (2) against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Cavaliers defeated the Suns 101-97. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 28, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) alongside guard Kyrie Irving (2) against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Cavaliers defeated the Suns 101-97. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Why the Cleveland Cavaliers will win

1. LeBron James

James is entering his seventh consecutive NBA finals series and despite his record not being perfect it is an impressive accomplishment.  Now James is tasked with defeating the team with NBA’s best record for the second year in a row.  This Warriors squad is 12-0 in the playoffs, but King James can be the great equalizer.  An All-Time great shines in the biggest moments, and this series is the history making rubber match.  LeBron does not want losing two out of three finals to the Warriors on his legacy.

2. Kyrie Irving

Irving shares a similar story with Steph Curry.  He was injured in the first game of the finals in 2015 and missed the rest of the series.  When Irving returned healthy last season, Cleveland won the title on a clutch Irving three in game seven.  Check out the magical shot below.

Irving is healthy again and playing great.  He will need to be a thorn in sides of Curry and Thompson when Golden State has the ball and be the running mate to LeBron on the offensive end if Cleveland is going to win back-to-back championships.

3. Finding the most efficient lineup and use it

Cleveland has great depth this season and can plug in a bunch of different combinations to make life difficult on the opposition.  They need to find a lineup that can defeat the Dubs small ball look and attack with it.  An unsung player might be the hero in this series for disrupting the Warriors offensive flow.

Home/Kings News