NBA Finals 2015: What Each Team Must Do to Win

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors headline one of the most anticipated NBA Finals in recent memory.

After an up-and-down regular season, the Cavaliers cruised through the playoffs and swept the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks en route to an Eastern Conference championship. However, injuries to star players Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are question marks for the team heading into the NBA Finals.

The Warriors took a similar route and had little issue getting through the stacked Western Conference. The team won the conference championship by defeating the Houston Rockets in five games, after suffering injury scares to both NBA MVP Stephen Curry and All-Star guard Klay Thompson during the series.

Here are some keys to victory for both teams heading into this year's NBA Finals.

Cavs Need to Slow Down Curry

When Curry is on his game, the Warriors usually play at their best. Not many teams this season were able to slow down the MVP, but the Cavaliers have the weapons in place to stop him.

Curry struggled at times against the Cavaliers during two regular-season matchups between the two teams this season and recorded just 20.5 points per game, his sixth-lowest point average against one team.

The Cavaliers utilized defensive specialist Iman Shumpert to play physical defense against Curry, a strategy that they will more than likely use in the NBA Finals. Shumpert has recorded 4.1 defensive rebounds per game while averaging one steal per game. While Shumpert doesn’t exactly light up the stat sheet, his impressive 6’5”, 220-pound frame will cause Curry problems.

Curry is at his best when he is able to score off screens. If he gets any sort of space to make things happen, he will capitalize on his opportunities. Curry improved his game immensely after the All-Star break and shot 51 percent from three-point range.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday said the only way to stop Curry is to pressure him as much as possible.

“You can't really stop him,” Holiday said in an interview with ESPN’s Jeff Goodman. “Obviously, you slow him down. You either just got to play it right or have him make a mistake."

If the Cavaliers hope to win this series, it starts with stopping Curry. If Curry is able to continue his impressive play this postseason, it’ll be a long series for Cleveland.

Warriors Need to Play Great Defense Against James

One of the biggest reasons the San Antonio Spurs were able to dominate last season’s NBA Finals was the team’s ability to give James headaches. Whether it was disrupting passing lanes, fouling James on drives to the basket or forcing him to take jump shots, the Spurs did everything possible to ensure that James wouldn’t play in his comfort zone.

Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard forced James into making many mistakes with the basketball during last year’s NBA Finals. In five games against the Spurs, James led his team with 3.8 turnovers per game, which was a big reason the Miami Heat struggled in all facets.

The one area in which James has struggled during this postseason is what he struggled with last season. Through 14 games against the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks, James has averaged 4.4 turnovers per game.

James is one of the elite passers in the game today, and the Warriors need to prevent him from making big plays to get his teammates involved. If James can make passes like he did on an alley-oop play to center Timofey Mozgov, the Warriors will have a tough time stopping him.

In the one game that James played against the Warriors this season, he dominated. James recorded a double-double with 42 points and 11 rebounds in a 110-99 victory on February 26. James also made his presence felt on the defensive end of the floor with 3.0 steals and one block.

James is similar to Curry in that he usually can’t be stopped, but he can be slowed. If the Warriors hope to earn their first NBA championship, they will need to prevent James from taking control.

Each Team’s Bench Must Show Up

The similarity between the Warriors and Cavaliers is roster depth. From top to bottom, both teams have players who can take over a game in just about any situation, which makes for one of the most anticipated NBA Finals series in recent memory.

The Cavaliers at times this postseason have relied on their bench to win close games. In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks, former New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith scored 28 points to lead his new team to a 97-89 victory.

Cleveland has championship experience on its bench. Cavaliers small forward James Jones and guard Mike Miller helped James win two championships with the Miami Heat from 2010 to 2014. Center Kendrick Perkins won a championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008, while forward Shawn Marion won a championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011.

The Cavaliers have improved immensely this postseason due to the emergence of center Tristan Thompson. Through 14 games this postseason, Thompson leads the team with 4.0 offensive rebounds per game along with scoring 9.4 points per game.

While the Warriors bench doesn’t consist of many recognizable star players, the team has many situational players who have made an impact this postseason. Former All-Star guard Andre Iguodala has made an impact defensively off the bench and ranks third on the team with 1.20 steals per game.

Point guard Shaun Livingston has made an impact when Curry needs time to rest during games. Livingston leads all Warriors bench players with 1.7 assists per game and ranks fourth on the team in shooting 55 percent from the floor.

While James and Curry will probably be the most talked about players during this year’s NBA Finals, each team’s bench adds more flare to the series. Every season, a few surprising players emerge from the bench to make memorable plays during the NBA Finals, a trend that will probably continue in this series.

NBA Finals Prediction

These two teams match up very well together, but experience will triumph over star power in this series. LeBron James will prove why he's arguably the best player in the game today and will lead the Cavaliers to their first NBA championship. The Cavaliers will defeat the Warriors in seven games.

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and ESPN.com.

Follow Curtis on Twitter: @CalhounCurtis