NBA Finals Schedule 2015: Dates, Times, TV Info for Cavaliers vs. Warriors
It's the series that NBA fans have been clamoring for all season long, and now we get it: Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
It's the league's MVP against its most iconic player. It's the league's best team this season against its most intriguing. It's the West Coast against the Midwest.
It's gonna be a heck of a series. Let's break it down.
Schedule
| 1 | Thursday, June 4 | Cleveland at Golden State | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| 2 | Sunday, June 7 | Cleveland at Golden State | 8 p.m. | ABC |
| 3 | Tuesday, June 9 | Golden State at Cleveland | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| 4 | Thursday, June 11 | Golden State at Cleveland | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| 5* | Sunday, June 14 | Cleveland at Golden State | 8 p.m. | ABC |
| 6* | Tuesday, June 16 | Golden State at Cleveland | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| 7* | Friday, June 19 | Cleveland at Golden State | 9 p.m. | ABC |
Preview
Homecourt advantage could play a big part in this series for the Warriors. The Warriors are 7-1 at home this postseason and went an incredible 39-2 at home during the regular season, easily the best mark in the league.
For a Cleveland team that went just 22-19 on the road during the regular season, the intense environment in Golden State's home digs could be tough to handle. On the other hand, Cleveland is an impressive 6-1 on the road this postseason, so James and company shouldn't be shook.
Another issue for Cleveland will be Golden State's depth. Nine players are giving the Warriors eight or more minutes per night this postseason, while Marreese Speights could be back for the Finals.
Golden State has an amazing balance of veterans, scorers and bangers on the block to pull from off their bench, and having a week off will ensure they'll be healthy and hungry coming into their series against Cleveland.
The week off may be even more important for Cleveland, however. While the Cavs have put a lot of talented veterans around James, they are much more reliant on the superstar to win them games.
To this point he's been up to the task, averaging a Herculean 27.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 8.3 assists in 40.7 minutes per night. With Kevin Love done for the season due to injury and Kyrie Irving hobbled throughout this postseason, James has had to pick up the slack, and to this point, he's done that.
But Golden State represents a different type of test for James and the Cavs. The Warriors play excellent team defense and have players like Andre Iguodala who can hound James on the defensive end and make him work for every point.
While players like J.R. Smith, Tristan Thompson and, shockingly, Matthew Dellavedova have stepped up for the Cavs, James still doesn't have a supporting cast like Curry's.
Indeed, who wouldn't want to have Klay Thompson, Andrew Bogut, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green and Iguodala, among others, backing them up?
And Curry has been nothing short of brilliant himself this postseason, averaging 29.2 points, 6.4 assists and 1.9 steals in 38.1 minutes per game. He's broken ankles, he's made impossible shots and he continues to lead the Warriors with a quiet confidence.
Any way you slice this series, all indications point to Golden State winning. They have a superstar, they have an amazing supporting cast behind him, they have great depth and balance, they play excellent team basketball on both ends of the court, they can explode and bury a team on the offensive end at any point and they're playing a much-improved brand of defense this season.
The Cavs have James, a solid defense and a lot of veterans, but they don't have the overall team capable of hanging with the Warriors. This will be a fun series, but Golden State will take it in six games.
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