NBA Finals 2016: Cavaliers vs. Warriors Schedule, Format, Predictions and More

Following their thrilling comeback in the conference finals, the Golden State Warriors will once again face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.

Before anyone could finish their "The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls would have..." blanket statements, the Warriors overcame their toughest postseason challenge in the last two years.

Down 3-1 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, they rallied despite trailing for most of the final two games.

Cleveland, on the other hand, barely broke a sweat on its way to conquering the Eastern Conference again. Although the Toronto Raptors momentarily evened the conference finals at 2-2, the Cavaliers recorded a plus-96 scoring margin through the six-game slate.

This marks the second Finals rematch in four years. In 2013 and 2014, the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs traded championships before LeBron James bolted back to Cleveland. But this matchup will look far different, as Kevin Love (shoulder) sat out for the entire series, while Kyrie Irving suffered a season-ending knee injury in Game 1.

The 2016 NBA Finals will begin Thursday night at Oracle Arena, where the Warriors have lost only three times this year. They hold home-court advantage with the 2-2-1-1-1 format that was also utilized in the preceding rounds.

Here's a look at the complete schedule:

Game	Date	Away	Home	Time (ET)	TV
1	Thur., June 2	Cleveland Cavaliers	Golden State Warriors	9 p.m.	ABC
2	Sun., June 5	Cleveland Cavaliers	Golden State Warriors	8 p.m.	ABC
3	Wed., June 8	Golden State Warriors	Cleveland Cavaliers	9 p.m.	ABC
4	Fri., June 10	Golden State Warriors	Cleveland Cavaliers	9 p.m.	ABC
5*	Mon., June 13	Cleveland Cavaliers	Golden State Warriors	9 p.m.	ABC
6*	Thur., June 16	Golden State Warriors	Cleveland Cavaliers	9 p.m.	ABC
7*	Sun., June 19	Cleveland Cavaliers	Golden State Warriors	8 p.m.	ABC

Will Cavs Continue Their 3-Point Explosion?

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

The Cavaliers made quick work of the Eastern Conference, averaging 106.9 points per contest and reaching triple digits in all 12 victories. NBA.com's John Schuhmann put their offensive dominance into perspective:

A cavalcade of three-pointers has fueled their success. Over the first three rounds, the Cavs made 14.4 threes per game with a playoff-best 43.4 shooting percentage. They finished the season tied for seventh in three-point accuracy but have recently performed better than their sharpshooting opponents.

During the regular season, the Warriors topped the NBA with 13.1 three-point makes per game on a 41.6 percent success rate. They earned historic results behind two of the game's most prolific shooters, not J.R. Smith and Channing Frye.

Smith continues to relish his catch-and-shoot role, having sunk 49 threes in the postseason already. Frye, acquired from the Orlando Magic this season, has converted 26 of his 45 deep attempts. ESPN's Dave McMenamin noted the veteran's unusually superb production:

Cleveland has also capitalized on improved efficiency from Irving and Love, who are performing well above their career norms from downtown:

Player	2015-16 3PM-A	Playoff 3PM/A	2015-16 3P%	Playoff 3P%
Kyrie Irving	1.6-4.9	2.6-5.6	.321	.456
Kevin Love	2.1-5.7	2.9-6.6	.360	.446

Per USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt, James commended his healthy star teammates for offering him support.

"We wouldn't be at this point today going to the Finals without those two," he said. "Throughout the first three rounds, they've been the reason why we've played at such a high level. They've accepted the challenge. They wanted to get back to this moment."

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Even if they regress, at least the former All-Stars are active for this championship slate. Last year, James carried the Finals burden, shifting from gifted playmaker to an isolation operator out of necessity. Relying on Iman Shumpert and Matthew Dellavedova, Cleveland shot 29.3 percent (49-of-167) from behind the arc.

The Cavs' aggressiveness backfired during Game 3 and 4 losses to Toronto, when they went a combined 27-of-82 from three-point range. Even in 2016, 41 three-point attempts is abnormally high, especially for a team led by a below-average deep shooter.

James has shot a paltry 32.2 percent from deep, not far off from his career 34.0 clip. After shying away from long looks early in the series, he drained five of 10 threes over Cleveland's last two wins. That's not his game, so the Warriors may back off and dare him to shoot.

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are the game's two most dangerous shooters, but Cleveland has proved to be just as reliant on three-point precision. Either way, the winner will again disprove the antiquated notion that a jump-shooting team can't win a championship.

Prediction

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

The Cavaliers are peaking at the right time. All the grumblings about poor team chemistry have dissipated, but facing a team with 85 wins could cause earlier issues to resurface.

When these teams met earlier in the season, Golden State precipitated Cleveland's head coaching change with a 132-98 trouncing. Andre Iguodala, last year's Finals MVP, again flustered the Cavs with 20 points off the bench. Whether he assumes the spot of Andrew Bogut or Harrison Barnes, the veteran will likely return to the starting lineup with the lofty assignment of containing James.

If not for the Cavs' postseason offensive brilliance, their middling defense would draw more attention. Per NBA.com, they own a 102.9 defensive rating, and mediocre defense won't pass against elite competition.

Irving and Love will make this year's matchup more intriguing than last year's six-game series, but their defensive shortcomings will also sting. They'll need to sustain their masterful shooting to finally bring Cleveland a championship, but the Splash Brothers are more likely to keep wreaking havoc from outside the arc.

Prediction: Warriors in six.