NBA Finals 2015: Schedule and Early Predictions for Cavaliers vs. Warriors
Other than oddsmakers and most basketball fans, who saw this NBA Finals matchup coming?
Following the short-lived conference finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors will collide in a highly anticipated showdown. Rarely a league to tell Cinderella tales, the NBA welcomes the two favorites entering postseason play.
Much like LeBron James' first year with the Miami Heat, he leads the second-seeded Cavaliers into the championship after falling short of towering expectations during the regular season. As for the Warriors, new head coach Steve Kerr took a strong team to new heights. A title will finally give the underappreciated juggernaut the credit they deserve.
Both teams have a full week to get their bearings, something each side needs with stars banged up. Some health questions could sway a series that is otherwise inconspicuously one-sided.
| 1 | Thur., June 4 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Golden State Warriors | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| 2 | Sun., June 7 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Golden State Warriors | 8 p.m. | ABC |
| 3 | Tue., June 9 | Golden State Warriors | Cleveland Cavaliers | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| 4 | Thur., June 11 | Golden State Warriors | Cleveland Cavaliers | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| 5* | Sun., June 14 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Golden State Warriors | 8 p.m. | ABC |
| 6* | Tue., June 16 | Golden State Warriors | Cleveland Cavaliers | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| 7* | Fri., June 19 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Golden State Warriors | 9 p.m. | ABC |
Preview
Eight years after James guided Cleveland to its first Finals, the Cavaliers get another crack at capturing a championship. Yet that long wait is nothing compared to what the Bay Area has endured.
NBA.com/Stats noted the significance of Golden State's lengthy Finals drought:
For the first time since 2012, James won't face the San Antonio Spurs in the Finals. Anybody who views Golden State as an easier adversary, however, would be mistaken. Per Basketball-Reference.com, these Warriors rank better than last year's champions on both sides of the court:
| Record | 62-20 | 67-15 |
| Point Differential | +7.8 | +10.1 |
| Offensive Rating | 110.5 | 111.6 |
| Defensive Rating | 102.4 | 102.4 |
| Net Rating | +8.1 | +10.2 |
Their top-rated defense gets lost in the sea of Stephen Curry swishes, but they limited the Houston Rockets to 99.1 points per 100 possessions with a 48.9 effective field-goal percentage, according to NBA.com.
All-NBA defenders Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut anchor a stifling unit down low, but their perimeter defense dominated in Wednesday's series-clinching Game 5, during which they generated a record 13 turnovers off of MVP runner-up James Harden.
Averaging 27.6 points on a bloated 24.9 shots per postseason game, James will have his hands full against Green and veteran Andre Iguodala. Yet a scary scene from Wednesday night creates concerns over All-Star Klay Thompson.
After getting inadvertently kneed in the head by Trevor Ariza, the shooting guard went to the locker room to go through concussion protocol. He came back out and nearly resumed play, a chilling thought considering what followed.
Blood from the cut flowed from his ear, requiring Thompson to receive stitches. During a Thursday morning appearance on Mike & Mike, his father, Mychal Thompson, added some alarming details to his son suffering some symptoms indicative of a concussion:
Thompson's agent denied any concussion to USA Today's Sam Amick, but he is set to receive further testing. Although the protocols failed during Game 5, more knowledge of a concussion's severity means the week off doesn't guarantee Thompson's readiness for the first game. He had finally caught fire after a rough start, making 10 of 19 three-point attempts during the last two bouts versus Houston.
Cleveland, who is already missing Kevin Love, at least can look forward to a healthier Kyrie Irving. After missing two games with a knee injury that bothered him all postseason, he returned during a decisive Game 4 against the Atlanta Hawks, recording 16 points and five assists through 22 strong minutes.
The Irving who shot 42.5 percent with 2.7 assists against the Chicago Bulls won't suffice against Golden State. Role players helped James circumvent the chronically injured Hawks, but keeping up with Curry and Co. is an entirely different story. With apologies to Derrick Rose, this is the first time Cleveland faces a true superstar all postseason.
Prediction
Riding James and defense is one thing against Eastern Conference offerings, especially since the Bulls and Hawks each played two games without a key offensive contributor.
There's something to the "Well, they have LeBron" argument, but it's one more historically contained to the weaker conference. Against a club with a premier offense and defense, counting on J.R. Smith and Matthew Dellavedova becomes much riskier.
During the season, Cleveland went 18-12 against the Western Conference. Facing tougher competition throughout the year, the Warriors more than doubled the Cavaliers' average point differential.
Of course, Thompson's health could swing the series. A tremendous two-way star, he is imperative to Golden State's chances on both sides. When he's splashing alongside Curry, nobody can stop the Warriors.
Prediction: Warriors in five
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