The NBA Finals get started on Thursday. As expected, the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers will meet for the third year in a row after dominating their respective conferences.
The Warriors enter the Finals a perfect 12-0, seeking revenge on the team that came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat them in the Finals a year ago. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers enter the Finals with a blemish on their playoff record after losing a game to the Boston Celtics in the conference finals. But no team has shot the ball better in the postseason than 11-1 Cleveland.
Before these two juggernauts go head to head in the Finals, here are eight X-factors to keep an eye on.
Kevin Love
Love hasn’t been a factor for Cleveland in each of the past two Finals matchups due to injuries. He missed most of the 2015 postseason with a shoulder injury and didn’t play a single game in the Finals. Last year, he suffered a concussion in Game 2 of the Finals and wasn’t the same for the rest of the series, finishing with averages of 7.3 points and 5.9 rebounds.
This time around, though, Love is healthy for the most part and coming off a brilliant series against the Celtics. He averaged 22.6 points across five games while shooting 48.6 percent from the floor and a red-hot 53.5 percent from 3-point range. As long as he stays healthy, Love should have a big impact on the series.
Deron Williams
Last year, the Cavaliers’ backup point guard, Matthew Dellavedova, didn’t give them anything much of anything on offense. He was mainly on the floor for his annoying defense. Williams is quite the opposite. The veteran point guard has proven to be a solid addition to Cleveland’s second unit, offering his services as a playmaker and shooter.
Williams has fared well against the Warriors in his career with averages of 16.9 points and 6.9 assists. It will be interesting to see how he performs against them in the Finals in a backup role.
Iman Shumpert
Although Shumpert has been limited to the fewest minutes of his postseason career, he has been extremely active on both ends of the floor, pulling down rebounds, making defensive plays and electrifying the crowd with dunks like the ones he threw down against the Toronto Raptors and Celtics.
.@imanshumpert with authority! 💪 #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/ZC9NOBva0M
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 1, 2017
Iman Shumpert THREW DOWN the reverse! 👀#NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/56QS5mfIbL
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 24, 2017
When the Cavaliers need a boost of energy off the bench in the Finals, they’ll look to Shumpert to provide it.
Kyle Korver
Korver has had his moments in the postseason, scoring in double figures in three games so far for the Cavaliers. He had a forgettable series against the Celtics, but his performances in Games 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals should serve as a reminder that he can be a highly effective scorer off the bench. The veteran shooting guard has knocked down 22 of his 53 3-point attempts in the postseason, and is closing in a milestone with nearly 200 career playoff 3-pointers.
JaVale McGee
It’s funny to think that at the beginning of the season, McGee had only just survived the Warriors’ last round of roster cuts and wasn’t expected to play much. Not only has he proved to be a solid backup to Zaza Pachulia, but the former first-round pick has revived his career with Golden State while playing a big role in the Warrior’s pursuit of another championship. The veteran center has scored in double figures in four playoff games, and he continues to make his presence felt as a rebounder and pain protector.
Ian Clark
Clark played a pivotal role in the Warriors’ postseason run last year when Stephen Curry missed time with a knee injury. This year, he’s averaging more points and shooting a better percentage than he did last year, which is sure to get the 26-year-old guard paid in the offseason. Clark has also improved as a defender,earning the praise of Warriors assistant coach Ron Adams.
“He really battles,” Adams told Bay Area News Group’s Carl Steward. “I think what distinguishes him is that he’s really good on the ball, really active, and he really likes to mix it up around the rim. … He has a nice gamut of defensive skills and when he’s confident, he just does a good job doing a lot of things.”
Andre Iguodala
Iguodala had a huge impact on the Finals two years ago. In addition to guarding LeBron James for long stretches in the series, the veteran forward averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists, which earned him MVP honors for the Finals. When the Warriors returned to the Finals in 2016, Iguodala battled back issues and wasn’t able to give his team the same effort across all seven games in the series.
After playing just 10 minutes in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals and missing Game 2 with a sore left knee, there was some concern that Iguodala might not be healthy for the rubber match against the Warriors, but the 32-year-old told the Mercury News after practice on Saturday that he feels “good.” If he’s healthy for the Finals, Iguodala should have a big impact for Golden State.
Klay Thompson
Up till now, this has been Thompson’s worst postseason to date. The All-Star guard is averaging just 14.4 points while shooting 38.3 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent from behind the arc. A year ago in the playoffs, he averaged 24.3 points and recorded six games with at least 30 points, including a 41-point game in the conference finals against Oklahoma City. So far in the playoffs, Thompson has been lucky enough to reach 20 points just twice. But if he can find his rhythm in the finals, the Cavaliers have a big problem.
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