NBA Finals 2015: Schedule, Predictions and More for Cavaliers vs. Warriors

The Golden State Warriors have been the NBA's best team all season long, while many assumed entering the 2014-15 campaign the Cleveland Cavaliers would be in that spot, so it is only fitting that they will meet in the NBA Finals with everything on the line.

Both teams breezed through the playoffs with very few bumps along the way, and the stage is now set for what could be one of the most entertaining and competitive NBA Finals series in a long time. LeBron James and Stephen Curry will undoubtedly steal the headlines, but both teams have no shortage of supporting players who will make a major impact as well.

As the hype continues to build toward Game 1 of the Finals, here is a look at the schedule for the entire series, as well as a prediction for who will ultimately come out on top.

NBA Finals Schedule

Game	Date	Time (ET)	Away Team	Home Team	Watch
1	Thursday, June 4	9 p.m.	Cleveland Cavaliers	Golden State Warriors	ABC
2	Sunday, June 7	8 p.m.	Cleveland Cavaliers	Golden State Warriors	ABC
3	Tuesday, June 9	9 p.m.	Golden State Warriors	Cleveland Cavaliers	ABC
4	Thursday, June 11	9 p.m.	Golden State Warriors	Cleveland Cavaliers	ABC
5*	Sunday, June 14	8 p.m.	Cleveland Cavaliers	Golden State Warriors	ABC
6*	Tuesday, June 16	9 p.m.	Golden State Warriors	Cleveland Cavaliers	ABC
7*	Friday, June 19	9 p.m.	Cleveland Cavaliers	Golden State Warriors	ABC

Cavaliers Player to Watch: Kyrie Irving

There is no denying the fact that LeBron is the biggest reason why the Cavs went from one of the league's worst teams to an NBA finalist in one season. James is almost guaranteed to play well in the NBA Finals, though, which is why guard Kyrie Irving may be the biggest key to the Cavs' success.

LeBron has received big-time support from some unexpected sources throughout the playoffs, as the likes of Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith, Matthew Dellavedova and Iman Shumpert have all stepped up in a major way.

They had to rise to the occasion with Kevin Love out for the remainder of the postseason and Irving nursing a knee injury. Irving missed Games 2 and 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks, but he returned in Game 4 and helped close things out with 16 points, five assists and four rebounds.

The former Duke standout looks solid in his return to the lineup, and head coach David Blatt was thrilled to have him back in the fold, according to Bud Shaw of the Northeast Ohio Media Group:

"

He did fabulously. He played beautiful, moved well. He was impactful. But it was a lot bigger than that. The fact that he came back to play, the fact that he wanted so badly to be part of this series and being able to move forward. He wanted to be with his guys and contribute. We wanted this break to let other guys heal and he stepped in there and really helped us and did a great, great job.

"

Irving's production has been up and down in the playoffs due largely to the injury, but he is coming off a regular season in which he put up nearly 22 points and five assists per game as the Robin to LeBron's Batman.

In addition to that, Mary Kay Cabot of the Northeast Ohio Media Group said the Australian-born superstar is in a better state of mind than ever before:

Despite Irving's growth as a player this year, ESPN's Skip Bayless said his absence from the lineup was somewhat beneficial to the team as a whole:

That theory certainly has some merit, but when it comes to a series with all the marbles on the line, the Cavs will need their best players to play at an elite level. Irving is among them, and his performance will have a major hand in whether the Cavaliers win their first NBA title.

Provided the layoff allows him to get relatively healthy, Irving could ultimately prove to be the biggest difference-maker on either team in the NBA Finals.

Warriors Player to Watch: Klay Thompson

After winning the NBA MVP award, there will be plenty of pressure on Curry to put the Warriors on his back in the Finals. Golden State is a deep and talented team that receives production throughout the lineup, though, which must continue against the Cavs.

Aside from Curry, it is difficult to argue with the notion that Klay Thompson is the Warriors' most important player. He averaged close to 22 points during the regular season and was among the best three-point shooters in the league.

That has continued during the playoffs, as he is hitting from downtown at a clip of 42.5 percent, but there are some concerns regarding the former Washington State star with the NBA Finals looming.

Thompson took a shot to the head in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals against the Houston Rockets, which caused him to bleed from his ear. Following the contest he displayed some concussion-like symptoms, according to SportsCenter:

In addition to that, Thompson's father, Mychal, revealed Klay was ill following the game, per ESPN's Mike & Mike on Twitter: 

While the Warriors and Thompson have some time before the NBA Finals begin, any type of head injury is worrisome. It isn't yet known how long it will take Thompson to recover, but it isn't outside the realm of possibility that he might have to miss some time.

If Thompson heals up and plays, though, his contributions will be key since the Cavaliers figure to focus most of their defensive attention on stopping Curry.

The 25-year-old star excels at hitting open shots, and if he is able to do that in the Finals, it will make life extremely difficult for Cleveland.

It is impossible to tell how the head injury will impact Thompson's level of play, though, which makes him a true X-factor ahead of the series.

Prediction

There is no shortage of compelling storylines as the Cavs and Warriors get ready to lock horns. They appear to be the two best teams in the league with arguably the NBA's two best players, which sets the stage for a potentially epic affair.

Even Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson was hoping to see the Cavaliers and Dubs make it to this point:

There was never much doubt that this NBA Finals matchup would come to fruition, as both teams managed to cruise through the their respective conferences. In fact, no finalists have been more dominant in the past 24 years, per NBA.com/Stats:

Both teams boast an undeniable amount of talent, but their ability to reach the Finals is essentially unprecedented, as they have both made it to this point with first-year head coaches.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, that hadn't been done since the advent of the league:

Most of the focus will be on the players, though, and rightfully so. Curry is the NBA MVP, and players who have taken that honor have a long history of success in the NBA Finals, per NBA on ESPN:

With that said, a case can be made for LeBron to win the MVP each and every season, so the 2015 NBA Finals are essentially a case of two MVP-deserving players going head-to-head.

There are other factors to consider, however, most notably Thompson's health. That is a major question mark, and it could be the difference in the series if he isn't at his best.

The Warriors have thrived thanks to contributions from supporting players such as Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala all year. While the Cavs haven't always had that luxury, their secondary players are coming into their own.

Cleveland is averaging more than 101 points per game in the playoffs and is tied for best defensive club (with Chicago) at 92.6 points allowed per contest. The Cavaliers are also shooting nearly 36 percent from long range, which isn't far off from Golden State's 38.

With the NBA Finals looming, it feels like the Cavs are reaching their peak, while the Warriors are simply trying to hang on to theirs. Because of that, look for the Cavaliers to pull off the minor upset and win the series in seven games.

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