NBA Playoff Schedule: TV Info, Predictions for Warriors vs. Cavaliers

After a couple of noncompetitive series in the conference finals, the NBA Finals are set. The Golden State Warriors put the Houston Rockets out of their misery Wednesday night to finish the series 4-1 out West. This came the day after LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers finished off a sweep of the Atlanta Hawks in the East.  

Now we have the Finals matchup we have been hoping for since the playoffs started. On one side we have the newly crowned MVP in Stephen Curry and a Warriors team that was the best squad in the league all year. On the other side, James, a perennial mainstay on the MVP ballot, leads a banged-up Cavs team that we thought might take a couple of years to round into a Finals contender.

Yet despite the injuries, the Cavs pieced together timely shooting from J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert and, at times, shutdown defense from the forward combination of Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov. Unfortunately, we have to wait a full week for this series to tip off. Here's a look at the schedule and broadcast information for the Finals:

Each game of the Finals will be broadcast on TV on ABC and streamed on Watch ESPN.

Game	Date	Time
Game 1-Cavaliers at Warriors	Thursday, June 4	9 p.m. ET
Game 2-Cavaliers at Warriors	Sunday, June 7	8 p.m. ET
Game 3-Warriors at Cavaliers	Tuesday, June 9	9 p.m. ET
Game 4-Warriors at Cavaliers	Thursday, June 11	9 p.m. ET
Game 5*-Cavaliers at Warriors	Sunday, June 14	8 p.m. ET
Game 6*-Warriors at Cavaliers	Tuesday, June 16	9 p.m. ET
Game 7*-Cavaliers at Warriors	Friday, June 19	9 p.m. ET

*if necessary

Now since we have a week to kill, let's make a few early predictions for how this series could play out.

Kyrie Irving Will Be X-Factor

For the majority of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Cavaliers were without star point guard Kyrie Irving. It didn't ultimately matter for that series, but you better believe the Cavs are hoping Irving heals up before next Thursday.

Irving did play in Game 4 against the Hawks. He had 16 points and five assists in 22 minutes. But as Stephen A. Smith of ESPN pointed out, Irving still looked hurt while he was on the floor.

The week off will certainly benefit him most out of everyone in this series. His health could play a big part in how the Finals play out. With Irving at full health, the Cavs have the potential to have the two best players on the floor on a given night. Irving and James can take over a game at any point, but that can only happen if Irving is at or near 100 percent.

But if he is still gimpy, the Cavs will have a much harder time against a deeper and more talented Warriors team.

The Dubs have an injury concern of their own, though, as Klay Thompson left Game 5 against the Warriors after taking a knee to the head from Trevor Ariza. As Sam Amick of USA Today reports, Klay developed concussion-like symptoms after the game and was throwing up in the locker room.

Bill Duffy, Klay's agent, told Amick he had no problems with how Klay's situation was handled.

"

I think Klay was communicated with. There was no pressure whatsoever. It's absolute that this was handled the right way, with communication between the team and us, so I see no issue whatsoever, or no need for scrutiny. ... To me, it's a non-issue as to how it was handled.

"

As we mentioned, the teams have a week to get their players as healthy as possible. However, Irving's health is a more pressing need for his team, and how well he is able to play can affect the entire series.

This Will Be One of James' Biggest Challenges in Finals

James has faced some tough teams in past NBA Finals. His Cavaliers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs back in 2007. Then last year, almost that same Spurs team (plus Kawhi Leonard) mopped the floor with James and the Miami Heat.

But facing the Warriors could be James' toughest task yet. To start with, Golden State has multiple players to throw at James on defense. Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala are all capable of checking James if the matchups call for it, and each presents him with a different challenge.

Of course, it's nearly impossible to completely shut James down, but this committee of defenders can make life difficult for the Cavs star. If Irving is still hurting, there will be even more pressure on James to deliver.

Outside of Irving, the supporting cast around James isn't as good as the Warriors role players, but it also isn't as bad as past Cavs teams he has taken to the Finals. Smith is capable of getting hot and swinging a game off the bench, and Shumpert is capable of knocking down shots as well (9-of-21 from three against the Hawks).

But any person who follows the NBA will tell you the Warriors bench is significantly more dangerous than the Cavs bench. And when the Cavs need a big shot, you can bet James will be taking it. Even though Curry is the MVP, the Warriors have several players who can step up in a big moment.

James can mitigate a lot of his team's shortcomings, but he can only do so much. If he doesn't get assistance from his role players, the Warriors will cruise to their first title in 40 years.