Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 keys to beating the Warriors in the 2017 NBA Finals

The Cleveland Cavaliers are taking on the Golden State Warriors in the 2017 NBA Finals for the third straight championship matchup. Here are five keys to winning the series.

Coming off an improbable comeback from a 3-1 deficit in last year’s NBA Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers look to defend their championship crown in the 2017 NBA Finals. Their matchup with the Golden State Warriors will mark the first time in league history that the same two teams meet in the championship round for three straight years.

Legacies will be on the line in this series. After putting together the greatest three-year stretch in NBA history, the Warriors will be looking to avenge last year’s devastating loss and validate the Kevin Durant signing that created such an “unfair” super-team.

The Cavaliers will be looking to prove that last year was no one-time fluke — especially as LeBron James tries to move one ring closer to Michael Jordan in the G.O.A.T. conversation, since a loss in this series would drop him to 3-5 all-time in the Finals.

The first three rounds of the 2017 NBA Playoffs have been one-sided and ultimately boring, but with the Dubs going a perfect 12-0 and the Cavs boasting a near-perfect 12-1 mark, NBA fans should strap in for an epic slugfest between two bonafide juggernauts in the championship round.

The question is, even for the defending champs with one of the greatest players of all-time, what do they have to do to upset a heavily favored Western powerhouse? To answer that question, here’s a look at five keys to the Cleveland Cavaliers beating the Golden State Warriors in the 2017 NBA Finals.