NBA Finals Schedule 2015: TV Times, Live Stream Coverage for Cavs vs. Warriors
The NBA Finals are almost always compelling to basketball fans, but with LeBron James and Stephen Curry leading the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors, respectively, the 2015 edition truly feels like a can't-miss event.
Both the Cavs and Dubs essentially steamrolled their way to the ultimate series of the playoffs, and there is little doubt that they are the two best teams in the NBA. The best teams don't necessarily always meet in the Finals due to extenuating circumstances, but that isn't the case this year.
Basketball fans can catch every game of the series on ABC or via ESPN3's live stream. Here is a full rundown of the entire schedule for the 2015 NBA Finals, along with a closer look at the key players who figure to decide which team reigns supreme over the basketball world.
NBA Finals TV Schedule
| 1 | Thursday, June 4 | 9 p.m. | Cleveland Cavaliers | Golden State Warriors | ABC | ESPN3 |
| 2 | Sunday, June 7 | 8 p.m. | Cleveland Cavaliers | Golden State Warriors | ABC | ESPN3 |
| 3 | Tuesday, June 9 | 9 p.m. | Golden State Warriors | Cleveland Cavaliers | ABC | ESPN3 |
| 4 | Thursday, June 11 | 9 p.m. | Golden State Warriors | Cleveland Cavaliers | ABC | ESPN3 |
| 5* | Sunday, June 14 | 8 p.m. | Cleveland Cavaliers | Golden State Warriors | ABC | ESPN3 |
| 6* | Tuesday, June 16 | 9 p.m. | Golden State Warriors | Cleveland Cavaliers | ABC | ESPN3 |
| 7* | Friday, June 19 | 9 p.m. | Cleveland Cavaliers | Golden State Warriors | ABC | ESPN3 |
Top Players to Watch
LeBron James
He may not technically be the MVP—that honor went to Curry this season—but few would argue with the notion that LeBron is the best all-around player in the NBA. He has carried a somewhat questionable and banged-up roster to the NBA Finals, and the Cavs need him to be on top of his game in order to win it all.
This will be King James' fifth consecutive NBA Finals appearance after he went to four in a row during his tenure with the Miami Heat. His overall numbers may be down slightly compared to where they were in recent years, but it can be argued that LeBron is at his best.
In fact, the four-time MVP and two-time NBA champion feels as though he has never been in better form than he is right now, according to ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin.
"I think if you put it all together, yeah," James said. "If you put everything together as far as my mind, my body, my game. If you put everything in one bottle, this is probably the best I've been."
It is tough to argue with LeBron's assertion because he has excelled in every facet of the game as of late. Also, he has managed to do so with Kevin Love on the shelf and Kyrie Irving battling an injury, which means he has relied mostly upon role players for support.
With that in mind, ESPN's P.J. Carlesimo believes the 2014-15 season has been among James' finest performances, per Mike & Mike on Twitter:
LeBron seems to be playing nearly flawless basketball right now—although that isn't entirely true since he has struggled with his long-range shots to the tune of less than 18 percent shooting (17.6 percent) from beyond the arc.
James connected 35.4 percent of the time from deep in the regular season, and ESPN's Max Kellerman points out that he could find that shooting stroke at any time:
If LeBron is able to add more efficient shooting from deep to his repertoire during the NBA Finals, then he could prove nearly impossible to keep in check.
Slowing down James already figures to be an incredibly tall task for the Warriors because they don't have many great options in terms of who will defend him. Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Harrison Barnes all figure to get a shot, but it is tough to imagine any of them enjoying much success.
King James won't be able to win the series entirely on his own, but if he continues to fire on all cylinders, then the Warriors will need to play incredible team basketball to overcome him.
Stephen Curry
LeBron may be the closest thing to a total package in basketball right now, but as the reigning NBA MVP and perhaps the best shooter of all time, Curry isn't one to take a backseat to others.
For as dominant as the "Baby-Faced Assassin" was during the regular season, he has been even better on the playoff stage. Curry is averaging over 29 points (29.2) per game and connecting on nearly 44 percent (43.7) of this three-point shots, which makes him virtually unguardable.
In fact, despite Curry still having at least four—and as many as seven—games left to play this postseason, he is already the all-time leader in three-point field goals made during a single playoff run, according to ESPN Stats & Info:
Curry has obliterated that record, and he has a chance to put it out of reach if he continues to hit at his current clip. Based on his body of work, there is no reason to believe that the 27-year-old superstar will slow down any time soon.
When asked about his counterpart, James acknowledged that notion. LeBron doesn't believe it's possible to keep Curry in check due to his penchant for beating opposing defenses in myriad ways, per McMenamin:
"Well, the same way you slow me down. You can't. ... He has a great motor. I think a lot of people don't understand how great his motor is. He never stops moving. His ball-handling, his ability to shoot the ball off the dribble and off the catch. It's uncanny. I don't think there's ever been a guy in the league to shoot the ball the way he does off the dribble or off the catch, off the ball. He just creates so many matchup problems for your defense, and you just always have to be aware.
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The thing that makes Curry even more dangerous, though, is the fact that he has so many capable players around him. That includes Klay Thompson, Andrew Bogut, Green, Iguodala, Barnes and several others as well. Cleveland simply can't afford to focus all its attention on Curry, because so many players on Golden State's roster can score the basketball.
There is no question that the Cavs are in a tough spot against such a deep and talented team. If Curry plays anything like he has throughout the first three rounds of the playoffs, however, it may not matter how well the Cavaliers play against the rest of Golden State's roster.
Kyrie Irving
Although LeBron has done most of the heavy lifting in the playoffs thus far, the Cavs were far from a one-man operation during the regular season. Irving averaged nearly 22 points (21.7) per game and was an All-Star in his own right, but he has struggled to reach that level of effectiveness during the postseason due to a knee injury.
The former Duke standout missed Games 2 and 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks, but the Cavaliers still proved to be too much to handle due largely to the play of James. There is no doubt that Cleveland is a far more dangerous team when Irving is playing well, which is why he could be the biggest X-factor in the NBA Finals.
Kyrie has gotten plenty of rest between the end of the Eastern Conference Finals and Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, but he admitted that he's likely to be hampered by the knee ailment to some degree, according to Rick Noland of the Chronicle-Telegram:
Even Cleveland head coach David Blatt conceded that Irving hasn't returned to ideal form yet, per Chris Haynes of The Plain Dealer:
Some promising signs were offered in Game 4 against the Hawks—Irving scored 16 points in just 22 minutes—but excelling against Atlanta and playing well against a team of Golden State's caliber are two different things.
That's especially true on the defensive end because Kyrie believes he will be tasked with covering Curry when the NBA Finals commence, according to McMenamin:
Defending Curry is a tall task in perfect health, but doing it with an achy knee could prove to be impossible. If Irving is able to fight through the pain and do an admirable job in that regard, though, the Cavs' chances of winning the series increase exponentially.
Nobody is exactly sure of what to expect out of Kyrie in the NBA Finals, but if his play resembles that of the guy who served as a great wingman to LeBron during the regular season, the Cleveland could very well be in line for its first NBA championship.
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