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2016 NBA Finals Preview: Warriors vs. Cavaliers

By Gerald Bourguet

Jun 16, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) shakes hands with Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the fourth quarter of game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Warriors won 105-97. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 16, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) shakes hands with Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the fourth quarter of game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Warriors won 105-97. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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2016 NBA Finals
Dec 25, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (left) reacts as Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (right) looks on in the first half of a NBA basketball game on Christmas at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Golden State Will Win If…

Steph Curry plays exactly the way he did in the last two games of the conference finals; Klay Thompson has one or two big performances; Green’s playmaking out of the pick-and-roll makes Love unplayable; Golden State’s bench comes up big in a couple of home games; and LeBron James doesn’t completely dominate the series.

Cleveland Will Win If…

LeBron James has another legendary series; Kevin Love holds his own on defense while spreading the floor from three-point range; Tristan Thompson massacres the Dubs on the offensive glass; J.R. Smith has one or two vintage games where he goes off; Klay Thompson disappears like he did in last year’s Finals; Draymond Green becomes a shell of his former self the way he was early in the conference finals; Kyrie Irving plays the best defensive series of his career while lighting it up on the other end; Lue finds the perfect balance between offense (Irving, J.R. and Frye) and defense (Delly, Shumpert and Thompson) with his rotations; and Stephen Curry goes completely cold at the worst possible time.

More hoops habit: Golden State Warriors: 5 Takeaways From Game 7

Prediction:

It feels disrespectful to the Cavs, but would anyone really be surprised to see the Dubs win their second straight title in five games or so? The Thunder were a nightmare matchup by comparison, and the Warriors are riding high after their historic comeback from a 3-1 deficit.

The Golden State Warriors defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 4-1.

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