Six of the last seven teams to lose the Finals the previous year won the next facing the same opponent. They again have a first-year coach after Tyronn Lue replaced David Blatt in January. Make no mistake, this Cavs team is deeper and more talented than previous year with a healthy Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving.
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And Steph Curry injured now? And Cleveland is a threat from three-point range, which wasn’t the case last season.
Dellavedova, who clocked up 40-minute games in last year’s finals when Cavaliers’ starting point guard Kyrie Irving fractured a knee cap in game one, is back to being a back-up. The Warriors won, leaving Lebron and the Cavaliers with a frustrating loss. Golden State usually does it in transition or off penetration. Many sports outlets suggest whether Varejao gets a ring depends on Cavaliers management, since the National Basketball Association doesn’t have any league-wide regulations on how to divvy out championship rings. If James and Love use a power game to control the lane and slow the game, the Cavaliers would have an advantage.
On the other side, Draymond Green can guard Love or Tristan Thompson or Channing Frye, and Andre Iguodala can guard LeBron, which is what happened on the way to Iguodala winning the 2015 Finals MVP. Cleveland needs to limit turnovers that lead to easy baskets.
Much like last round, I think the Warriors are the better team and I’ll take them to beat the Cavs in six games and have yet another parade down Broadway in Oakland.
“Like how is he getting those shots off?”
After Curry was the first unanimous Most Valuable Player selection in league history last month, James said Curry was worthy of the honor before debating the difference between most valuable and best player that year.
The odds that Curry will play in at least one Finals game without making a three pointer are 125/1.
As a gift for the winning the championship past year, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr used his connections to get Iguodala and Stephen Curry on the famed site of the Masters. The Cavaliers lacked the depth to match up with the smaller lineup and lost the series. “No matter who he plays against, he goes out there the same way with that aggressiveness”. Bring a title back to the city of Cleveland for the first time in over a half century. Logic would say Game 7 if you pick Golden State. He has three flagrant fouls in the playoffs. Too much shooting, just enough defense and that championship chemistry will lead to another title. Golden State also must stick to the fundamentals and not rely on its big men to grab rebounds.
“I have no confidence in saying Golden State will win”.
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The 73-win Warriors are fresh off a Game 7 victory against the Oklahoma Thunder that capped a remarkable comeback from a 3-1 deficit, and they hope to roll that momentum right into Game 1 on Thursday night in front of their rockin’ home crowd at Oracle Arena.
