Cavaliers vs. Warriors 2018 NBA Finals Schedule Set

The Cleveland Cavaliers clinched a conference title Sunday night, and the Golden State Warriors will be joining them in the NBA Finals following a Game 7 victory Monday.

Cleveland lost both regular-season matchups with Golden State, and the Finals may be a repeat of that considering the Cavs needed two Game 7s to win the East, which is commonly viewed as the weaker conference. 

Here's the schedule for the 2018 NBA Finals, which will tip off Thursday in Oracle Arena, courtesy of NBA.com. 

2018 NBA Finals Schedule

Game 1: Cavaliers at Warriors; Thursday, May 31, at 9 p.m. ET (ABC)

Game 2: Cavaliers at Warriors; Sunday, June 3, at 8 p.m. ET (ABC)

Game 3: Warriors at Cavaliers; Wednesday, June 6, at 9 p.m. ET (ABC)

Game 4: Warriors at Cavaliers; Friday, June 8, at 9 p.m. ET (ABC)

Game 5: Cavaliers at Warriors; Monday, June 11, at 9 p.m. ET (ABC)

Game 6: Warriors at Cavaliers; Thursday, June 14, at 9 p.m. ET (ABC)

Game 7: Cavaliers at Warriors; Sunday, June 17, at 8 p.m. ET (ABC)

Cavaliers star LeBron James added to his legacy by leading Cleveland to a fourth straight Finals appearance, but the team's one-man show is unlikely to be a recipe for success in the Finals. The Cavs lost to the Warriors in five games last year, and they had Kyrie Irving to ease some of the scoring burden on James.

Without Irving, Cleveland is even less equipped to handle Golden State.

Cleveland relied on James to an unhealthy degree in the first three rounds. He's averaging 34.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 8.8 assists and playing 41.3 minutes per game. Kevin Love (13.9 points) is the team's next highest scorer, and he missed Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals with a concussion.

Leading this team—with its myriad roster issues—to a conference title is a massive achievement for James and one of the best illustrations of his legendary skill.

Cleveland's supporting cast made big contributions at various times throughout the Eastern Conference Finals. Jeff Green had 19 points and eight rebounds in Love's absence in Game 7. George Hill went off for 20 points in the team's Game 6 victory. Tristan Thompson averaged eight rebounds per game over the series.

Simply put, the degree of difficulty gets much higher for the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.

As good as the Celtics are and as bright as their future is, the inexperience of Terry Rozier, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum was laid bare the longer the Eastern Conference Finals went on. Rozier and Brown were 7-of-32 from the field in Game 7, and Rozier missed all 10 of his three-pointers.

The Warriors are battle-tested, and the Western Conference Finals were a perfect example of how Golden State's stars eventually come up big. Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant both struggled in the first half of Game 7, and they combined to score 61 points in Monday's victory.

Most importantly, the presence of James did little to neutralize Durant during the 2017 Finals. Durant averaged 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists, which earned him Finals MVP.

The Cavaliers defense has improved slightly in the postseason. Cleveland ranked 29th in defensive rating (109.5) during the regular season, according to NBA.com. The team is eighth in defensive rating (105.9) in the playoffs.

But James can only guard one player at a time, and whatever energy he expends on defense is energy he can't use on offense. The four-time MVP was visibly fatigued at times during the conference finals, and the Cavs will have to lean on him more heavily against Golden State.

The Warriors downed the Cavaliers in five games in 2017, and this year's Finals appear to be headed for another decisive result in Golden State's favor.