4. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors
We know the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers faced off in four consecutive NBA Finals, a feat never seen before in the modern era. In examining the yearly matchups, though, it’s interesting to note all the moving parts that came in and out during a four-year period that served to freshen up what many had become bored over.
These two teams first happened upon each other in 2015, both relatively new to the NBA Finals scene. It was LeBron James’ first season back in Cleveland, but by the end of Game 1, the superteam he formed before the year was gone.
Kevin Love was already out for the year and Kyrie Irving had suffered a season-ending injury in overtime. This left James a challenge he couldn’t overcome despite his best efforts.
The following year was the rematch that brought along the necessary reinforcements to help James take on the team that won a record 73 games during the regular season. Even with both teams relatively healthy heading into the series, a Draymond Green suspension and Andrew Bogut injury added just the smallest of asterisks.
Golden State historically lost those 2016 NBA Finals after going up 3-1, the first team ever to lose after building such a lead in the NBA Finals. Conventional wisdom would suggest a simple return of that same team to finish the job. The Warriors would instead opt for a little extra, bringing in Kevin Durant to help catapult the scales in their favor for a five-game series victory in 2017.
The Warriors would keep that same dominant core for the following year, but the Cavaliers were fundamentally different, having traded Irving the prior summer. Cleveland was already behind in the talent department against four NBA All-Stars, but Irving’s absence made those NBA Finals a no-contest in favor of Golden State.
Every rivalry has its iconic moments, but four battles with a title on the line spoiled the NBA audience. James had his team up 2-1 with an underwhelming cast of teammates and led the charge in an epic 3-1 comeback the following year; that’s an entirely different article in and of itself.
Durant sealed both of his titles in Golden State with near-identical shots in similar scenarios. J.R. Smith’s all-time blunder in 2018 amid an all-time performance by James will, unfortunately, live on in infamy.
Throughout their years spent dominating their respective conferences, subtle jabs were thrown off the court and skirmishes had to be broken apart on it. Durant put the Warriors on a pedestal even “The King” couldn’t touch, which sucked most of the competitive nature out of what previously was always a nip-and-tuck matchup.
Nevertheless, the Cavaliers and Warriors pressured each other to new heights every summer in ways never seen before in the NBA. The final scores were rarely pretty, but the subplots are what had everyone coming back each year.