3. Win the Point Guard Matchup
Now, here’s an awesome battle of elite point guards that NBA fans should highly enjoy, as the Cavs’Â Kyrie Irving and the Warriors’ Stephen Curry will get to show off their handles and shooting abilities.
As shown by the following statistics from the 2014-15 regular season and playoffs, the 2015 NBA MVP in Curry has Irving beat in almost every category.
2014-15 Regular Season Per Game Statistics Comparison:
| Player | Season | Age | G | MP | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Curry | 2014-15 | 26 | 80 | 32.7 | .487 | .443 | .914 | 4.3 | 7.7 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 23.8 |
| Kyrie Irving | 2014-15 | 22 | 75 | 36.4 | .468 | .415 | .863 | 3.2 | 5.2 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 21.7 |
2014-15 Playoffs Per Game Statistics Comparison:
| Player | Season | Age | G | MP | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Curry | 2014-15 | 26 | 15 | 38.1 | .461 | .437 | .820 | 4.9 | 6.4 | 1.9 | 3.6 | 29.2 |
| Kyrie Irving | 2014-15 | 22 | 12 | 35.1 | .436 | .481 | .838 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 18.7 |
However, despite Irving being banged up with a myriad of injuries throughout the playoffs, he has had nine days to rest up until Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
“It’s made it difficult,” Cavs head coach David Blatt said about the impact of Irving’s injury. “But that is the situation. You know, as we have in every other case this year, faced that with the same resolve and the same no-quit attitude and have made it our model for no excuses. We play and we play to win regardless of the situation.”
When both Curry and Irving find a shooting rhythm, they are extremely difficult to slow down. Noticeably, Irving has actually shot a better percentage from downtown in his 12 playoff games than Curry has in all 15 of the games he’s played.
Next: Win the Battle in the Paint
