Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Finals Preview

Jan 9, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles past Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) in the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers 112-94. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA Finals are finally here. Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers. Which team will be named the 2014-15 NBA champions, the team that hasn’t won an NBA title in 40 years or the team that has never won a championship?

The Warriors are making their first trip to the NBA Finals since 1975. The Warriors swept the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the NBA playoffs, they beat the Memphis Grizzlies in six games in the Western Conference Semifinals, and they beat the Houston Rockets in five games in the Western Conference Finals.

After finishing the regular season with an NBA-best 67-15 record, the Warriors were considered one of the favorites to win the NBA title this season. They are now just four wins away from achieving that goal.

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Although the Cavaliers have never won a championship, they have been named Eastern Conference Champions twice (2007 and 2015). The Cavaliers entered the 2014-15 regular season as favorites to win the title. Despite starting the season 19-20, the Cavs entered the playoffs as strong contenders and are now headed to the NBA Finals after sweeping the Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs, beating the Chicago Bulls in six games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and, lastly, sweeping the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

This year’s NBA Finals features two rookie coaches in Steve Kerr and David Blatt and pits two of the greatest players in the league up against each other in Stephen Curry and LeBron James. This will be a battle between the league’s current MVP in Curry and a four-time NBA MVP in James.

The Cavs boast a “Big Three” of James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love, although Love has been ruled out for the rest of the playoffs with a shoulder injury. The Warriors, on the other hand, boast more of a team mentality, despite their best player being one of the current faces of the NBA.

Here’s the schedule for the NBA Finals:

In this comprehensive NBA Finals preview, we will discuss the regular season meetings between the Warriors and the Cavs, the key matchups, keys for each team to win the series, and a prediction of the result of the series.

We’ll start off this preview by examining their regular season matchups.

Next: Regular Season Meetings