Well, the NBA Finals are set. And it’s the matchup that most everyone wanted to see with the Stephen Curry-led Golden State Warriors doing battle against the reborn Cleveland Cavaliers, featuring LeBron James. The Warriors finished off the Houston Rockets Wednesday night in game 5 at Oracle Arena with a 104-90 victory sending the franchise to the championship round for the first time in forty years. This will also be the first time since the very first NBA Finals where two rookie coaches — the Cavalier’s David Blatt and the Warrior’s Steve Kerr — will face off for the title.
Other storylines to watch features the reigning league MVP, Stephen Curry, against the 4-time league MVP LeBron James. Meanwhile, with the conference finals wrapping up so quickly — a 4-0 sweep in the east and a 4-1 series in the west — the NBA finds itself in an awkward situation: There will be a record seven days between postseason basketball games. Unable to alter the schedule because of logistics, the NBA will get a taste of what the NFL experiences in the run-up to the Super Bowl, when every angle is analyzed to such a ridiculous extent that most of it begins to feel meaningless. The teams split the series during the regular season with both clubs winning at home. James did not play when the team traveled to Oakland and loss. The Warriors are relatively healthy, while the Cavaliers fortunes will ride on whether Kyrie Irving’s knee tendonitis will be well enough after the break to return to the player he was before the injury. The series tips off Thursday June 4th at Oracle Arena at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.
