Golden State Warriors: 2015 NBA Finals Preview

Regular Season Matchups

The regular season means nothing now, but in order to understand how these teams stack up, it doesn’t hurt to look back on their two matchups from a few months ago. Not all of the information from that small sample size is applicable, but it’s still worth examining.

In the first meeting between these two teams on Jan. 9, the Dubs easily won at home, 112-94. Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving were completely healthy back then, but LeBron James was on the tail-end of his eight-game sabbatical and didn’t play.

Irving had 23 points, six rebounds and five assists, but the Splash Brothers combined for 47 points on 16-of-32 shooting, the Dubs put up 36 fast break points and Golden State outscored Cleveland 40-28 in points in the paint.

In their second meeting on Feb. 26, it was a completely different story. The Warriors were in the middle of a six-game road trip and played at Quicken Loans Arena with LeBron actually on the floor this time, and King James made a major statement with 42 points (15-of-25 shooting), 11 rebounds and five assists in a 110-99 victory.

The two teams split their only two meetings 1-1. In that second meeting that resulted in a loss, the Dubs only had 14 fast break points, though they still outscored Cleveland 48-38 in points in the paint. The Splash Brothers combined for only 31 points on 10-of-30 shooting in that game.

Two major keys stand out, but a look at Golden State’s regular season and playoff numbers could tell you this as well: the Dubs are at their best when they’re pushing the tempo and scoring in transition…and, obviously, when Steph Curry and Klay Thompson aren’t in the middle of cold shooting streak.

Next: The Experience Factor