NBA Finals Schedule 2015: Warriors vs. Cavaliers Storylines and Predictions
This is what you wanted, Cleveland. Be careful what you wish for, though, because the Golden State Warriors have been an unstoppable machine all season.
As soon as LeBron James elected to return home and lead the Cleveland Cavaliers in a title hunt, thoughts immediately turned to a potential NBA Finals matchup against a loaded team from the Western Conference. After all, fans just watched James and the Miami Heat steamroll their way through the watered-down Eastern Conference only to lose to the overwhelming San Antonio Spurs.
Whether the same fate against a different West team awaits the Cavaliers remains to be seen, but the excitement surrounding the impending showdown between James and Stephen Curry is enough to carry NBA fans over for a week.
Here is a look at the complete schedule for the 2015 NBA Finals between the Warriors and Cavaliers, per NBA.com:
| 1 | Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors | Thursday, June 4 | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| 2 | Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors | Sunday, June 7 | 8 p.m. | ABC |
| 3 | Golden State Warriors at Cleveland Cavaliers | Tuesday, June 9 | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| 4 | Golden State Warriors at Cleveland Cavaliers | Thursday, June 11 | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| 5* | Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors | Sunday, June 14 | 8 p.m. | ABC |
| 6* | Golden State Warriors at Cleveland Cavaliers | Tuesday, June 16 | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| 7* | Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors | Friday, June 19 | 9 p.m. | ABC |
Storylines
LeBron James versus Stephen Curry
Curry is the 2014-15 MVP; James is a four-time MVP and largely considered the best player in the league and someone who will ultimately find his name on the short list of the greatest players ever. It doesn't get much better than that in terms of individual star power for an NBA Finals.
Hall of Famer Magic Johnson and Nicole Auerbach of USA Today suggested as much:
The contrast in styles between the two alpha dogs makes the matchup all the more intriguing.
Curry darts in and out of the defense, drills three-pointers with regular ease and makes it look like he has the ball on the end of a string with the way he dribbles.
James is capable of hitting from the outside as well but has been much more effective in the postseason using his strength and power to set things up in the half court. The combination of his post moves, prowess for finishing at the rim and impressive passing ability when double-teams come his way is nearly unbeatable, and it sets up J.R. Smith, James Jones and Iman Shumpert for open perimeter looks.
One factor in this matchup is the experience edge James enjoys. This is his fifth straight trip to the Finals and sixth overall, while Curry has never reached this stage. James understands the physical and mental gruel of playing under the sport’s brightest spotlight and will not be intimidated by the moment.
Before the playoffs, there was some concern surrounding the Warriors that their lack of deep postseason runs in the past with this core would cost them. That clearly hasn’t been the case, and they are now four wins away from lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy in Curry’s MVP season.
James and Curry won’t actually be matched up one-on-one for the majority of games because they play different positions, but don’t be surprised if James switches to Curry in clutch situations down the stretch. He did it against Derrick Rose and Jeff Teague in the Eastern Conference playoffs and is a suffocating defender when he applies himself on that end.
Curry may need one of his notable teammates to step up when James shadows him.
Health
Unfortunately, health has been a defining storyline all season in the NBA.
The Cavaliers have not escaped injuries, and Kevin Love is out for the rest of the season, while Kyrie Irving dealt with lingering setbacks throughout the playoffs. Golden State lost Marreese Speights in the second round against the Memphis Grizzlies to a calf injury (but could have him back by the Finals) and nearly lost Curry when he went down with a terrifying fall in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.
Still, Love’s absence allowed for the emergence of Tristan Thompson, and the young forward grabbed 44 rebounds in the Eastern Conference Finals. Matthew Dellavedova, Smith and Shumpert also picked up the perimeter slack with Irving ailing, and the Cavaliers barely missed a beat on the way to the Finals.
While the supporting core deserves credit, Irving provides a spark even if he is not contributing in All-Star fashion like he usually does. Teague suggested as much, per Bud Shaw of Northeast Ohio Media Group: "Kyrie Irving came in and gave them a boost during the game, and I think they just fed off of that energy from the crowd; we just couldn't recover."
Considering it is impossible to envision James knocking off the Warriors single-handedly without serious help, the health of his supporting cast is particularly important. The long rest will certainly help Irving (and Speights), which will give the four-time MVP another All-Star-caliber player to attack the Golden State defense.
He will need it.
Prediction
Last year’s NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs is a solid reference point for what will happen this year.
While the Cavaliers deserve a ton of credit for persevering without Love and a healthy Irving, the quality (or lack thereof) of basketball in the Eastern Conference certainly helped them make it this far.
The Boston Celtics were never a realistic threat, the Chicago Bulls were banged up (Pau Gasol missed multiple games in the series, and Joakim Noah appeared to labor through extended stretches), and Atlanta was a shell of itself by the end of the Eastern Conference Finals sweep with no Kyle Korver or Thabo Sefolosha and an ailing DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap.
Golden State is simply more battle-tested from a season in the West. It is also deeper around Curry with the likes of Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Andre Iguodala and more. James may be an all-time great, but the better team often prevails at this stage.
He found that out the hard way last year.
Golden State also has the home-court advantage in this series, which is important considering it was an astounding 39-2 at home this year (46-3 if the playoffs are included). The Cavaliers will not be able to steal a game in Golden State, but the Warriors will find a way to win one in Cleveland behind hot three-point shooting. That will be more than enough to win the title.
Prediction: Warriors in five games
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