The 2015 NBA Finals - Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
After many months of hard-fought battles against a wide variety of respected NBA franchises, the Golden State Warriors find themselves in serious contention for an NBA Title for the first time since 1975.
With 67 regular season and 12 postseason victories already in the record books, the Warriors still need 4 more to be able to call themselves NBA Champions.
Standing in the way of their first NBA crown in 40 years?
LeBron James and the Eastern Conference Champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
The teams split their regular season series 1-1, each claiming a victory in front of their home crowd.
It is important to mention that LeBron James was inactive during the Warriors' victory at Oracle Arena.
However, the numbers would suggest that Golden State once again has the advantage in this match-up.
Cleveland went 53-29 during the regular season, while Golden State finished with an astounding record of 67-15.
Nevertheless, at this point in the competition, the regular season victories can sometimes be slightly misleading, and of little importance.
Two factors that are bound to override the importance of "number of victories" are health and determination.
The former, however, is likely going to play an unrequested role for both squads.
At this point in the journey, no team can be considered completely healthy.
Two key victims of injury in the 2015 NBA Playoffs are Kevin Love (who will miss the NBA Finals with a dislocated left shoulder), and Klay Thompson (whose status is uncertain for Game 1 - concussion).
However, determination will likely favor Golden State, as many of the Cleveland players have already achieved success in the NBA Finals.
Golden State, on the other hand, is a newcomer to the big dance.
And while it is true that the duo of Kyrie Irving and LeBron James will prove as formidable opponents, the Warriors have already established themselves as the deepest team in the NBA.
Now it is time for them to finally silence their doubters and prove that their magnificent season has not been a fluke.
Warriors' assistant coach Luke Walton offered his advice, saying, "This is one of the coolest moments you'll ever have in your playing career, but you gotta kinda put that aside until it's all done, and focus on winning four more games."
Needless to reiterate, the best regular season team in the National Basketball Association is four victories away from winning it all.
Prediction: Golden State in 6.
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