The journey to the NBA playoffs is never a straight line. The regular season is too long and too exhausting, and teams will always go through slumps, Players sustaining injuries, and Superstars getting bored.

Consider the unfortunate situations of both the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers, two powerhouse teams who would love to clash again in June for a third consecutive matchup in the NBA finals. Both teams are dealing with problems in just about six weeks prior to the start of the postseason.

The Warriors are currently without superstar Kevin Durant, who is recovering from a sprained a ligament in his left knee and a bruised tibia bone. According to The New York Times, the team said he would be re-evaluated again in early April, a few weeks before the playoffs.

Durant's absence has been causing some problems for the Warriors, who just recently lost to the Chicago Bulls two days after losing to the Washington Wizards. The Warriors scored just 87 points against the Bulls, which is their lowest point total, as well as the first time they had lost consecutive games this season while shooting a miserable 38.6 percent from the field.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, on the other hand, are currently atop the Eastern Conference at 42-19. They have not just been waiting around; they have bolstered their roster in recent days with the key additions of veteran point guard Deron Williams, and defense-minded center Andrew Bogut, who was the Warriors' former starting center.

For Coach Tyronn Lue, the Cavaliers' late-season acquisitions and experiment in team-building can potentially create challenges in terms of figuring out his rotations. According to The Tampa Bay Times, despite Cavs superstar LeBron James doing superhuman things throughout the season, the team would soon realize that they need team effort more than ever if they want to get back to the NBA Finals and beat the Warriors a second time around.

Nobody would be surprised to see the Cavs and the Warriors back again in the finals. But as one team copes with the absence of a high-profile player, and the other brings new players into the fold, the past few days have ultimately revealed the different paths they are taking.

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