The NBA Finals are set for Game 1 and Game 2 from Oakland with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors playing on Thursday night and Sunday night on ABC and playoffs coverage is streaming from the WatchESPN website with a live stream online as LeBron James and Stephen Curry battle and the first matchup is from Oracle Arena and starts at 9 pm ET.
James comes in looking to win his third title and this is his fifth straight trip to the finals and the first since coming back to Cleveland. James has taken the Cavs to the finals in his previous run with the team, but the city has not seen a championship in any sport for over 50 years. The Warriors are coming into the finals for the first time in nearly as long, as they have not won since last taking a title 40 years ago.
Stephen Curry won MVP this season and he is putting himself in the discussion as one of the best shooters of all time. Curry has set records for the playoffs for threes made and he had a fantastic seasons shooting from the outside. James has not been shooting all that well during the playoffs, but he has had short series and he is one of the only players on either team with extensive finals experience.
Both teams come in playing very well and after winning their conference finals series in shortened runs. The Warriors won in five games over the Rockets, while the Cavs were able to sweep the Hawks in the east. The teams have now had a week to rest and both have needed it, as Klay Thompson was coming back from a concussion, while Kyrie Irving has not been 100 percent for a while and likely will not be for Game 1 no matter what.
The Warriors have won 12 games and dropped just three during the playoffs and they come in having lost just a couple games at home during the regular season. Curry shattered the old record of threes made in a playoffs and now he gets the chance to add to it. The best bet for the Cavs to stop Curry is to make sure he doesn't get open looks, but he seems to make those a lot as well. The Cavs bench could be the key for Cleveland in this series, as they will have to step up if the team gets into a shootout with the Warriors.
Curry is coming in mostly healthy following a scary fall he had in Game 4 of the west finals, but he was able to return to that game and did not have any lingering issues. The Cavs are here despite losing Kevin Love in the first round and there is no hope that he will be back after getting shoulder surgery. With Irving injured it puts even more weight on LeBron's shoulders and he is already carrying his city. The Additions of Iman Shumpert and JR Smith cannot be understated, as those two have really helped the Cavs this year.