The matchup we've all been waiting for is finaly here. On Thursday night, the NBA Finals will tip off as Game 1 between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers is scheduled to be played at Oracle Arena. It will be a matchup between the unstopable force from the Eastern conference, and the unguardable offense from the Western conference as both teams have had similar paths to the Finals.
Golden State enters the finals with a perfect 12-0 record as they swept their way into the biggest stage of the NBA. Cleveland Cavaliers, on the other hand, come into this matchup with 12-1 record in the postseason, with their lone loss coming in Game 3 against the Celtics in the conference finals.
Historic runs by the Warriors and the Cavs
These two teams have had historic runs so far as they've dominated their opponents along the way. Golden State finished the regular season with the best record in the league, and stormed through the Western conference in the playoffs, without a single loss. Impressive, to say the least.
Throughout the 12 wins so far in the postseason, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant played great basketball for the Warriors, carrying the team on offense but also on the defensive end. Curry is averaging 28.6 points per game on 50 percent shooting while Durant is averaging 25.2 points per game and shooting 55 percent from the field.
Cavaliers were the number two seed in the Eastern conference and haven't faced a true test so far in the playoffs. Indiana was swept in the first round, Toronto in the second, and in the conference finals the Celtics managed to take one game. The key player for Cavaliers' success has been LeBron James. James is playing at an unbeliveable level in this playoffs, averaging 32.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game.
Kyrie Irving is the second key-contributor for the Cavaliers this season. Throughout the 13 games this postseason, Irving is averaging 24.5 points and 5.6 assists per game.
Part three ahead of us
Warriors and the Cavaliers continue to rewrite the history books of the NBA as this will be the third straight time these two teams meet in the NBA finals. That had never happened before, and this just goes to show you how dominant these two teams have been for the past few years. The Warriors won the title in the 2015, winning it 4-2 against the Cavaliers. Last year, in the 2016 finals, the Cavaliers bounced back after being down 3-1 and won the title in Game 7 at Oracle Arena.
This time, the Warriors are even stronger and better as they added former MVP, Kevin Durant, to their roster.
Cleveland on the other hand, still has the best player in the world in their lineup - LeBron James. James has competed against Durant in the NBA finals in 2012, back when Durant was with Oklahoma City Thunder and James was playing for the Miami Heat. LeBron obviously won that battle as his Heat dismantled the Thunder 4-1. It will be interesting to see two of the top three players in the world go head-to-head.
The epic, third matchup between the Warriors and the Cavs, is right ahead of us and we expect it to be one for the ages. Both teams are healthy and with full roster so there will be no excuses this time for either team. Game 1 tips off on Thursday night at Oracle Arena in front of a sellout crowd. Let the show begin!