2016 NBA Finals are upon us and for the second year in a row, we’re heading to Oracle Arena in Oakland, California with the crew on ABC to watch the NBA’s championship series. Same teams, different story.
The 2016 NBA Finals is indeed a rematch between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers but unlike the matchup in 2015, the series might be a little less clear-cut.
The Warriors come into the series fending off their toughest opponent since their meteoric rise to the top as the Oklahoma City Thunder pushed them to their limits in a seven game series in the Western Conference Finals. On the other hand, the Cleveland Cavaliers breezed through the East and while they did hit a slight bump in the road against the Toronto Raptors, the Cavs eventually prevailed.
Unlike last year, the Cleveland Cavaliers are fully healthy and they’re ready to give the defending champions their best shot. With a possibly injured Stephen Curry, Draymond Green potentially facing a suspension, and the Dubs looking vulnerable after their seven game classic with the Thunder and the Cavs are looking to attack. Cleveland has a determined, driven and motivated leader in LeBron James heading to his sixth straight NBA Finals appearance and with a healthy Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love by his side, the King will look to take his place atop the NBA’s kingdom once again but the Warriors trio including the Splash Brothers, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, along with their enforcer Draymond Green aren’t going to go down easily.
It’s setting up to be a classic matchup, but who will prevail as the victors at the end of the day? The NBA on Def Pen staff makes their predictions. And if you have an issue with their choices, by all means hit them up on twitter.
Esfandier Baraheni – (@JustESBaraheni)
The rematch of last year’s NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors is set to be one for the history books. By history I mean it will be made as LeBron James will bring home the first NBA championship to the city of Cleveland. The Cavaliers have looked like a well oiled machine throughout these NBA Playoffs, going 10-0 before losing twice to the Toronto Raptors, but despite those losses, the Cavaliers look like a different team then last year. With Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love healthy and ready to go, the question surrounding the Cavs will be how those two superstars approach the bright lights and attention that come with the NBA Finals.
After barely escaping the Oklahoma City Thunder, coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the Western Conference Finals to win in Game 7, the Warriors obviously have some stepped on the gas pedal at the right time. That being said, the Warriors will need to play on a much higher level if they want to be prepared for a well-rested Cavaliers team. The combination of a struggling Draymond Green and a focused LeBron James with his star-studded cast will be what push the Cavaliers just over the top of the Warriors in 6 games. But let this be said, if the series goes to 7, the Golden State Warriors will repeat, which is something LeBron and the Cavaliers can’t afford.
Prediction- Cavaliers in 6
Charlie Taylor (@ChilliCharlieRT) –
Another year, another NBA Finals. Sad because we only have 4-7 games left of the season but I’m sure these two teams will go out with a bang.
With that said, I am wiping last years Finals out from my mind while I make this decision because last year was abnormal. Compared to last year, Golden State’s path to getting here was harder, the Cavs are healthy coming in and we have the level playing field that you people can’t help but disregard it and say “Warriors got an easy path”. Miss me with that.
It’s clear that both teams are ready, this was the matchup we knew was most likely. And like last year, I’m giving it to the Golden State Warriors, they’ve been battle tested and have gone through the trenches, I feel like the Cavs will get 2 games and act as if they’re all best friends and then the Warriors will bring them back to reality. (oop, there goes gravity) LeBron James has been reliant on his team, which is nice for him, but he’ll quickly realise that they won’t get it done. I expect the Cavs to crumble at some point, forcing LeBron to take the reigns. It will be hard-fought and Golden State will go back-to-back.
Prediction – Warriors in 6. Book it.
Rob Lopez (@r0bato) –
The funny thing about this rematch is that as soon as the 2015 NBA Finals ended, everyone thought we’d just run it back again in 2016. These two teams are undoubtedly the best two teams in the NBA once again despite some pushback from the Thunder and Raptors but at the end of the day they prevailed and proved why it’s going to take a lot more than a good strategy or even an injury to knock off the two best players in the world. It’s being billed as the ‘baby faced’ assassin Stephen Curry against ‘The King’ LeBron James. A clash of the NBA’s two best as they both look to cement their legacies. LeBron, heading to not only his sixth consecutive NBA Finals but also his seventh in the last 10 years and Stephen Curry, the unanimous NBA MVP looking to prove to everyone why he deserves that honor.
Yet if you really look at it, this series goes much deeper than the two stars. Sure, they’ll bot get their 23-30 points a night some other rebounds and assists but the key is the others. Both Big 3’s will step up and do some damage but who will be more effective on both ends of the floor. That’s where I give my edge to the Warriors. You have to trust Draymond Green and Klay Thompson to produce on the offensive and defensive end, they have the pedigree to command that respect but do Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving? I don’t see it. I can’t see Kyrie keeping up with either Klay or Steph running around screens, I can’t see Love handling a switch onto a smaller, quicker Curry. Stephen Curry made light work of Tristan Thompson last year, and TT is without a doubt the best option the Cavs have on the pick and roll switch besides LeBron James. Defense will be the key in this series and the Warriors just do a better job at it than the Cavs.
Prediction – Warriors in 6
Austin Smith (@auti_3) –
With a now-healthy Cavs rotation, NBA fans, casual and avid alike, will have a harder time discrediting Golden State’s championship run this time around. The Warriors season has been full of league records—From first team to reach 73 wins to first unanimous MVP—this squad simply can’t avoid coming in first. So why is it that crazy to believe they’ll finish the year in first place?
Sure the earlier, once dysfunctional Cavaliers are finally meshing on both sides of the ball in the postseason, but the Dubs never stopped doing that (if you exclude Game 3 and 4 of The Western Conference Finals). It’s no secret they’ve been dominant throughout the 2015-2016 season. I expect their reign on terror to continue coming off an adrenaline/morale-boosting Game 7 at home.
Prediction – Warriors in 6
Honi Ahmadian (@BLSSBlog) –
The Cavs mostly rolled through the Eastern Conference to get to the Finals but the level of competition they faced is nothing close to what the Warriors are. Cleveland dominated using lineups with Kevin Love or Channing Frye at the center position, or playing both of them together, but the Warriors will absolutely exploit those guys’ defensive deficiencies. Those lineup adjustments from both teams will be fascinating to watch but ultimately Golden State is deeper and more versatile, with fewer players who can be considered liabilities on one end of the floor.
The Dubs just won 73 games and sneaked past the greatest test they will face during the playoffs. LeBron and his band of shooters will keep it close, but this is the Warriors’ season and nothing will keep them from adding another title.
Prediction – Warriors in 6
David Morrow (@DMorrow96) –
An OKC team that had everything come together for them at the perfect time was the true test for Golden State. They showed fierce resilience in coming back from a 3-1 deficit to a team that was playing at an extremely high level. I don’t believe that the Cavs can quite challenge the Warriors in the way that the Thunder did. The Dubs are battle-tested and overflowing with confidence. The Cavs haven’t played a team of this level in a high-intensity playoff game since the finals a year ago.
One factor that lent to the Thunder’s success in the conference finals was the team’s post play. The Serge Ibaka-Steven Adams tandem down low was absolutely stellar on both ends of the floor. Kevin Love isn’t half the defender that Ibaka is, and while Tristan Thompson’s rebounding is huge for the Cavs, I’m not sure he can quite bring what #PlayoffStevenAdams brought to the table for OKC. Golden State is the better team.
Prediction – Warriors in 6
JD Shaw (@JshawNBA) –
Picking against LeBron James last year seems different than trying it again this time around. The Warriors are coming off of a grueling 7-game series (that in my opinion, confirmed to me that the Warriors are in fact beatable and are not untouchable as many think). Whether or not Stephen Curry is injured is your opinion, but Yahoo Sports is adamant Curry was 70% at best just last week. Several Warriors players underperformed against OKC last series, which worries me. Cleveland, the hungrier team, has been impressive.
As we saw the last time LeBron lost a Finals, this time around will be a different beast for the Warriors (think 2012 Finals). This Cavaliers team is basically last year’s team plus Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, and Channing Frye. That’s scary. Yes, the Warriors have improved… But the Cavaliers have too. The Thunder, as I predicted, blew Game 6 at home last series. No, the Cavaliers aren’t blowing a game again (Game 4 in Cleveland last Finals).
Prediction – Cavs in 6
