Revenge can be oh so sweet, and the path the Cleveland Cavaliers have taken during the 2015-16 season has put them in great position to avenge last year’s 2015 NBA Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors.
The 73-9 Warriors, who had the best regular-season record in NBA history after surpassing the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ mark of 72-10, look stronger than ever and are eyeing back-to-back championships.
The 57-25 Cavs, who like last postseason possess a highly-impressive 12-2 overall record in the playoffs, are only four wins away from a championship the city of Cleveland has waited over 50 years to finally celebrate.
Here’s the complete 2016 NBA Finals schedule, with Games 5-7 being played if necessary.
The Cavs, who were the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, will not have home-court advantage in the NBA Finals for the second-straight year.
In what was the predicted finals matchup before the season started between the NBA’s top two teams, here are some keys to success for the Cavs in order to beat the Warriors.
1. Stay Healthy and Ride Momentum
As was very obvious looking back on last year’s NBA Finals, the Cavs were not at full strength whatsoever. Star power forward Kevin Love missed all but three games last postseason with a dislocated left shoulder, while All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving battled an array of injuries throughout the playoffs and missed the last five games of the finals.
However, that is not the case this year as the Cavs are completely healthy going into this 2016 rematch with the Warriors on Thursday night.
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