2018 NBA Finals: Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers preview

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(Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Individual matchups

UPDATE: Kevin Love will indeed suit up for Game 1.

Andre Iguodala is out for Game 1 and the status of Kevin Love is currently unknown. We’d like to assume the basketball gods aren’t cruel, and that the Warriors will roll with their Hamptons 5 lineup while Tyronn Lue favors his Kevin Love-at-the-5 rotation, but for now, we’re going to assume they’ll miss at least one or two games, if not more.

With those two pivotal pieces available, traditional matchups wouldn’t have mattered as much in a series that has small-ball written all over it. However, with Iggy out and Love probably still on the mend for Game 1, Jeff Green will most likely play the 4 next to Tristan Thompson, while Kerr will stick with Looney at center.

Iguodala returning to action might prompt a Hamptons 5 lineup to start, and if Love is healthy again, we could see him spend most of his minutes as a small-ball 5. In any case, here’s a look at the likely matchups to start the series.

PG: Stephen Curry vs. George Hill

Let’s see here … the two-time champ and two-time MVP whose 24.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game on .472/.385/.939 shooting splits in the playoffs are actually down from his regular season numbers … against George Hill, who has reached 20 points just once this postseason and is somehow failing to fill a void previously filled by the artists formerly known as Isaiah Thomas, Derrick Rose and Jose Calderon. This one’s pretty easy. Advantage: Warriors

SG: Klay Thompson vs. J.R. Smith

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The Cavs need one or two big J.R games in order to have a chance. With Klay Thompson no longer having to worry about guarding Kyrie Irving in this matchup, our money is on the other Splash Brother — who’s shooting a blistering 42.6 percent from deep on 7.6 attempts per game in the playoffs — to handily take this matchup. Advantage: Warriors

SF: Kevin Durant vs. LeBron James

The Warriors aren’t going to stick with Kevin Durant guarding LeBron James all series, as they can throw KD, Klay, Draymond Green, Shaun Livingston and (hopefully) Iguodala at him to. This is the marquee matchup, but the Dubs will be happy if it plays out like last year: LeBron averages his triple-double, while KD outplays him by putting up comparable numbers (35-8-5) and even more insane shooting splits (.556/.474/.927 last year) in a superior situation. Still, given that the King is averaging a 34-9-9 stat line in these playoffs, he gets the edge. Advantage: Cavaliers

PF: Draymond Green vs. Jeff Green

Normally we’d get to enjoy some Kevin Love vs. Draymond Green, but thanks to injury, we have to settle for a battle of the Greens. Draymond has been playing some of the best defense of his career, so aside from a 19-point Game 7 against the Celtics, Jeff Green doesn’t quite compare to his counterpart, who is averaging 11.1 points, 11.6 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.5 blocks per game in the playoffs. Advantage: Warriors

C: Kevon Looney vs. Tristan Thompson

The complexion of these matchups changes if either Iguodala or Love returns, but for now, our uninspired matchup at center consists of Looney vs. TT. One is a force on the offensive glass that’s done serious damage against Golden State before, while the other had played zero playoff minutes before this season. For the Cavs’ sake, they’d better hope this matchup is A) as decisively in their favor as it seems and B) on the court long enough to matter. Advantage: Cavaliers