NBA Finals Schedule 2017: Dates and ABC Tip-Off Times for Warriors vs. Cavaliers

It’s been a long six days since we last encountered the NBA playoffs.

After the Cleveland Cavaliers eliminated the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, 135-102, we've seen it all: LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan debates, the King stating his future is in team ownership, shots at JaVale McGee and more.

Thursday will bring a welcomed change to the hoops news cycle.

At 9 p.m. ET on the first of June, the reigning champion Cavaliers will visit Oracle Arena to take on the loaded Warriors in an NBA Finals rubber match.

Below you can find viewing information on the entire series along with best-case scenarios for both sides.

How to watch

• Game 1: Thursday, June 1, Cleveland at Golden St., 9 p.m. ET, ABC
• Game 2: Sunday, June 4, Cleveland at Golden St., 8 p.m. ET, ABC
• Game 3: Wednesday, June 7, Golden St. at Cleveland, 9 p.m. ET, ABC
• Game 4: Friday, June 9, Golden St. at Cleveland, 9 p.m. ET, ABC
• Game 5: Monday, June 12, Cleveland at Golden St., 9 p.m. ET, ABC
• Game 6: Thursday, June 15, Golden St. at Cleveland, 9 p.m. ET, ABC
• Game 7: Sunday, June 18, Cleveland at Golden St., 8 p.m. ET, ABC

Best-case scenarios

Cavaliers: Kevin Durant comes up small

Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images

This is not the first time James and Kevin Durant have met in the NBA Finals.

Back in 2012, LBJ's second season with the Miami Heat, the King flirted with a triple-double against the Oklahoma City Thunder; he averaged 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.6 steals in the six-game series win.

But, contrary to a semi-popular narrative, Durant held his own.

"

Lebron James guarding Kevin Durant in the 2012 finals. Durant averaged 30 per game. pic.twitter.com/T35GlRBbDo

— justin (@WeNotSocks) May 25, 2017"

The then-23-year-old put up a series-best 30.6 points on 54.8 percent shooting to go with 6.0 boards and 2.2 assists. He did that against the MVP at the same age as Buddy Hield or Ron Baker.

There's a different pressure this meeting, though. As Colin Cowherd noted on his FS1 show Tuesday afternoon, the weight is on KD's shoulders and, for the first time since perhaps 2006-07, not LeBron's:

KD will get his points. But struggling against James—though he's highly unlikely to be the primary defender all series—could be a blood-in-the-water scenario for the Cavaliers. Think of James against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2010 Finals. This is Durant's to lose, and it's possible such gravity hinders his game.

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

James, on the other hand, is coming off a historic comeback Finals victory for his hometown team against the greatest regular-season powerhouse ever. As Whistle Sports alluded to, he could be playing looser than he ever has in a championship series:

Plus, there's the ever-present quest to surpass Jordan. Even The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski thinks a win would put the King "shoulder to shoulder" with his Airness:

It's not exactly likely, but Durant coming up small—while James surpasses (or equals) MJ in the eyes of many—is possible.

Warriors: Status quo

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

According to Neil Paine of FiveThirtyEight, this year's Warriors squad is the second-strongest team ever.

"And if they can take care of Cleveland without much trouble in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, they'll officially become the GOAT—at least, according to the Elo ratings, our pet system for judging an NBA team's strength at any given moment," Paine wrote.

Before the series begins, FiveThiryEight's metrics rate the 2017 Warriors behind only the 72-win, and eventual-champion, 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.

Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images

There's a reason for that. For starters, they breezed through the playoffs after suffering an injury to KD and withstanding a big-time slump from Klay Thompson. As noted by the Associated Press after sweeping the San Antonio Spurs, Golden State is unblemished:

ESPN Stats & Info also passed along some impressive nuggets:

Yeah, those Dubs aren't half-bad.

The best-case scenario for the Warriors is simple—stay healthy and play like they have all along. And that's with a level of historic dominance.