Breaking down Cavs-Warriors NBA Finals rematch

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Winning the regular season and advancing through three rounds of playoffs, the Warriors now confront the fifth and final barrier to repeating as champions.

So of course in the NBA Finals they get a rematch with their desired opponent, the Cleveland Cavaliers, featuring LeBron James.

This is as it should be, as the Warriors dumped the Cavs in six games last season, only to spend the next few months hearing about how fortunate they were to face a Cleveland team without All-Stars Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving.

The 2015 title came with an asterisk in the minds of skeptics, so the Warriors spent the 2015-16 season running roughshod over the league – including a 34-point waxing of the “healthy” Cavaliers on Jan. 18 in Cleveland.

The playoffs, of course, present an altogether different set of circumstances. Here is a position-by-position look at the 2016 NBA Finals, keeping in mind that some matchups are likely to change:

SMALL FORWARD:
Andre Iguodala/Harrison Barnes vs. LeBron James: Iguodala in Game 7 of the conference finals made his first planned start of the year, replacing Harrison Barnes. He likely will continue to start, but whom would he replace? It was Andrew Bogut in the ’15 series, and the move turned things in favor of the Warriors. That makes Bogut most likely to sit. James is an exceedingly tough cover and he’s on a mission to bring a title to Cleveland. This may be his best chance. He can’t just play well for the Cavs to succeed; he has to dominate. It’s unlikely he can do that with regularity.

Edge: Cavaliers

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POWER FORWARD:
Draymond Green vs. Kevin Love: This is a pivotal matchup insofar as Love is a fabulous stretch-4 on offense but tends to get lost on defense. It’ll be up to Green to exploit what will be soft defense by Love while simultaneously not allowing Love to start lining up his formidable 3-point shot. Green is sure to keep in mind that the Warriors once coveted Love as their power forward – until they studied his defense.

Edge: Warriors

CENTER:
Andrew Bogut vs. Tristan Thompson: With the exception of Game 5, Bogut made little impact in the Western Conference Finals. He’ll need to be better, at least more active, because Thompson specializes in rebounding, with an emphasis on offensive rebounding. If Bogut is active at both ends, he’ll be too much for Thompson. If not, Thompson will provide his teammates with second- and third-chance shots. Expect Green to see considerable time at center for the Warriors.

Edge: Warriors

SHOOTING GUARD:
Klay Thompson vs. JR Smith: Both have been launching and draining 3-pointers, so let the splashing start. Both love to shoot the 3-ball, but Thompson is better at it. He’s also more consistently better on defense, though Smith is at least capable of locking down his assignment. The biggest different between the two is that Thompson generally plays with more discipline than does Smith, who sometimes rages out of control.

Edge: Warriors

POINT GUARD:
Stephen Curry vs. Kyrie Irving: Russell Westbrook laughed at the thought of Curry playing solid defense, only to post poor numbers on his way to vacation. Irving likely will be more respectful, as he’ll remember the last time he faced Curry, Irving was held to eight points and was minus-21. Curry scored 35 points in 28 minutes and was plus-34. Both will provide scintillating moments, but Curry will deliver a few more. That chip on the shoulder of the back-to-back MVP is not going away anytime soon.

Edge: Warriors

BENCH:
Warriors: The defending champions are quick to brag about their bench, with good reason. They have at least six useful guys, only two of which – Shaun Livingston and Iguodala – are somewhat interchangeable. If Iguodala starts, then a starter goes to the bench. The Warriors used 11 players in Game 7 of the conference finals, and each of them scored. This team’s bench is a legitimate weapon.

Cavaliers: Matthew Dellavedova can be an irritant. Richard Jefferson has turned back the clock a bit. Iman Shumpert can play a little D. In acquiring stretch-4 Channing Frye, Cleveland made perhaps the best trade-deadline move in the league. He’s the one guy on this bench the Warriors have to account for. It’s not enough.

Edge: Warriors

Prediction: Warriors in six.

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