You have probably heard about the Cavaliers vs Warriors rivalry by now. Even if you do not follow the NBA as much, the rivalry between these two teams should not be unknown to you. After all, these two clubs have dominated the NBA over the past three years, making it to the previous three straight NBA Finals. And while the Golden State Warriors have dominated their opponents mightly in the Western Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers have done the similar job in the Eastern Conference.
Ever since LeBron James returned to Cleveland in 2014, he's faced the Warriors every single time in the NBA Finals for three straight years.
He has won one time and lost two times to the Warriors. The way this season has been evolving so far, it seems that we will see the Cavs and the Warriors in the Finals one more time. But before that, we will have a Warriors-Cavaliers showdown on Christmas Day as the Warriors will host the Cavaliers on Monday in their NBA Finals rematch.
NBA Finals rematch on Christmas Day
Heading into this season, both teams made some roster changes during this past summer. And while the Warriors' changes weren't so drastic, the Cavaliers made a couple of moves that caught some people by surprise. The Cavs traded Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and Brooklyn's 2018 first-round pick.
They also signed Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, and Jeff Green, hoping to narrow the gap between themselves and the Warriors. Many believe that the Cavaliers have a much better team this season than they had the last one when they lost 4-1 to the Warriors in the NBA Finals. But before we reach the potential rematch in the NBA Finals again this season, we'll enjoy the Christmas Day matchup between two of the best NBA teams.
Steve Kerr jokes about the Cavs ahead of their meeting
The Warriors are currently second in the Western Conference with a 26-7 record, while the Cavaliers are third in the East with a 24-9 record. Heading into their matchup on Christmas Day on Monday, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr talked about the game ahead and answered some questions about the Cavaliers.
When Kerr was asked to comment on the Cavaliers' season so far and their early struggles, he answered sarcastically:
"It was really surprising. I didn't really think that they would come back. I know LeBron is great and everything, but I thought they would be sub .500(winning percentage)."
Kerr was obviously referring to the Cavs' slow start of the season as they managed to win just five of their first 12 games. He also added that he thinks the Cavaliers are a great team and he complimented on the way LeBron James has performed so far.
We hope to see a great game on Monday as the Cavs-Warriors rivalry continues on Christmas Day.
