NBA: 5 Reasons the Cleveland Cavaliers Will Beat the Golden State Warriors in 2015 NBA Finals
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors will play each other in the 2015 NBA Finals. The series begins on Thursday, June 4 with the Warriors having home-court advantage.
The Warriors haven't won the NBA Championship since 1975 while the Cavaliers are seeking their first title in franchise history. As good as the Warriors are, the Cavaliers will win it all because of these five reasons.
1. LeBron James
The Warriors may have the MVP in Stephen Curry, but the Cavaliers have the best player in the NBA in LeBron James. James has now made the NBA Finals the last five consecutive seasons, an incredible achievement. We still don't know how Curry will play in his first ever NBA Finals. Head coach David Blatt may even put James as the point guard to contain Curry. James did lead the Cavaliers in assists this season and he's a lockdown defender.
2. No Love, No problem
Who needs Kevin Love? Tristan Thompson has been a monster on the offensive boards this postseason with his powerful paint presence. Thompson leads all players in offensive rebounds in the playoffs with 56. Getting so many second chance opportunities just gives James more shots, and the rest of the quad more perimeter chances. Watching Thompson against Andrew Bogut in the paint should be an exciting matchup. Love can definitely provide an outside shot, but other players will supply those three pointers. Having Thompson in the paint is just what the Cavaliers need at the moment.
3. Mid-Season Additions
It's tough for New York Knicks fans to watch this postseason. Not just because their team is not in the postseason, but because J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert are thriving with the Cavaliers. Smith leads all Cavalier players in three point shots made with 36, while (you guessed it) Shumpert ranks second with 25. Think about that for a second. Two players who weren't even on the Cavaliers roster in early January are now the two best perimeter shooters on the team. They may not be the "Splash Brothers," but they certainly get the job done.
4. Defense
The Cavaliers have been the best defensive team in the postseason. They swept the Boston Celtics, who only scored 100 points once. The Cavaliers then easily defeated the Chicago Bulls, allowing 100 points again just once. In the Eastern Conference Finals the Atlanta Hawks scored more than 100 points one time in an overtime game. The Cavaliers are allowing just 92.6 points per game this postseason while the Warriors are allowing 96.3. Shumpert is playing terrific on ball defense while Timofey Mozgov is grabbing a lot of key rebounds.
5. Cleveland's Destiny
James left a Miami Heat squad that made the last four consecutive NBA Finals, winning two of them. He loved winning in South Beach with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, but winning a championship for his city would be all-time. James promised Cleveland fans when he was drafted by them he would end the 1964 title drought, and this is by far his best chance at that. Just four more victories, and notorious moments like "The Drive," "The Fumble" and the 1997 World Series are all distant memories.
Here are 5 reasons the Warriors will beat the Cavaliers in the finals.
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