Golden State Warriors lowered the hopes of another mega showdown against the Cleveland Cavaliers, with a LeBron James vs Stephen Curry clash in the NBA finals looking unlikely, after going 1-3 down to Oklahoma City Thunder in the best of seven series Western Conference finals. But the Warriors staged a dramatic comeback, and the dream matchup is set to take the stage, with the Cavaliers plotting revenge after their loss to Curry and co. in last year's final.
The Warriors did not have much trouble in defeating the Cavaliers in last season's final, and the defending champions' brilliant comeback against the Thunder will make them a favourites again.
The Warriors, coming off a record-breaking 73 wins in the regular season, have defeated three top teams – Houston Rockets, Portland Trai Blazers and OKC Thunder – so far and with Curry and Klay Thompson in sharp shooting form, it will take some something special to beat them in the final. Besides the duo, Draymond Green has also played an important hand this season on both the offensive and defensive board, making them a daunting unit.
Cavaliers, on the other hand, have cruised to the NBA Final, thrashing Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks without losing a single game. They also got past Toronto Raptors, who were another dominant team in the regular season, 4-2. With such comfortable wins under their belt, the Cavaliers will go into the finals a confident team.
Though Warriors won last season's final quite easily, 4-2, it would not be fair to compare this title-deciding series with 2015. Cavaliers are a much fitter unit, compared to last season as they were not in full strength with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love injured. Irving only featured in Game 1 in 2015.
But the story is different for the NBA 2016 finals, with the trio of James, Love, and Irving raring to go. As for Warriors, Curry, Thompson and Green must be itching to win a back-to-back NBA title.
Golden State Warriors vs Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Final schedule
Game 1 - June 2
Venue - Oracle Arena
9 p.m. ET ( 6:30 a.m. IST, 2 a.m. BST)
Game 2 - June 5
Venue - Oracle Arena
8 p.m. ET ( 5:30 a.m. IST, 1 a.m. BST)
Game 3 - June 8
Venue - Quicken Loans Arena
9 p.m. ET ( 6:30 a.m. IST, 2 a.m. BST)
Game 4 - June 10
Venue - Quicken Loans Arena
9 p.m ET ( 6:30 a.m. IST, 2 a.m. BST)
Game 5* - June 13
Venue - Oracle Arena
9 p.m. ET ( 6:30 a.m. IST, 2 a.m. BST)
Game 6* - June 16
Venue - Quicken Loans Arena
9 p.m. ET ( 6:30 a.m. IST, 2 a.m. BST)
Game 7* - June 19
Venue - Oracle Arena
8 p.m ET ( 5:30 a.m. IST, 1 a.m. BST)
TV listings: US: ABC. UK: BT Sport. India: Sony Six.
*Only if necessary.
