National Basketball Association

2015 NBA Finals preview: Staff predictions

Published Jun. 4, 2015 6:00 p.m. ET

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With Game 1 of the 2015 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers set to tip off at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PT on Thursday, our NBA staff offers a preview of the matchup and makes its series predictions:

Jovan Buha

It's tough to pick against LeBron James, the best player in the world — especially when he's playing arguably his best basketball ever — but it's even tougher to pick against one of the best teams ever, and that's exactly what these Golden State Warriors are. A top-two offense and defense, combined with the fastest pace in the league, is unprecedented. We've just never seen a player like Stephen Curry before, nor a roster with this much perimeter depth, shooting, size and versatility. And that's before I mention that they might have the two best defensive big men in the league. It's quite frightening. Like last season's Finals, the Warriors — playing the role of the Spurs — should dispatch of a depleted Cavaliers team pretty easily, though LeBron will win a game or two on his own.

Prediction: Warriors in 5

D.J. Foster

There isn't a team in the league better suited to slow down LeBron James than the Golden State Warriors. With Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala handling LeBron duties, the Warriors won't have to help off Cleveland's shooters as much. Although Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson deserve plenty of acclaim for what they do, it's Golden State's elite, versatile defense that should ultimately lead the way to a title.

Warriors in 6

Fred Katz

Any series that has LeBron James in it will make me think twice about picking against him, but there are loads of parallels between this year's Finals and last year's. Whether it's the way the Warriors move the ball, or the two-way dominance of Golden State, or the versatility allowed to Steve Kerr and Ron Adams in defending James, this team is well-suited to go up against the best player in the world (on a team that doesn't have much else right now). We can say that the best player usually wins the series or that jump-shooting teams falter in the playoffs, but shouldn't last year's Finals have deterred that logic? This is the modern NBA. The Spurs, Heat (twice) and Mavericks all won shooting three-pointers. The '09 Magic got to the Finals doing it with a far inferior roster. Golden State can and should win, especially now that Klay Thompson is ready to go.

Warriors in 6

Andrew Lynch

It feels like we've been here before: LeBron James vs. a team that's playing something close to the Platonic ideal of modern basketball. Things didn't go so well for James the last time in the 2014 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, and it's hard to anticipate things going much better against the Warriors. This is team, mind you, that was near or at the top of the league in both offense and defense. That kind of dominance is rare — historic, even — and should spell doom for the Cavs, but I don't expect James to go quietly.

Warriors in 7

Michael Pina

Shooting slump or not, betting against LeBron James in the NBA Finals is unhealthy. He's one of the greatest players ever, still in his prime, leading a quietly underrated supporting cast. But the Golden State Warriors have perhaps the second-best player in the world (and reigning MVP), Stephen Curry. They won 67 games this season and stomped through a treacherous road to get where they are. The Cleveland Cavaliers may have the best player in this series, but the Warriors are deeper, harder to defend and tougher to score on. This is their year to shine, and shine they will.

Warriors in 5

Jordan White

While the Cleveland Cavaliers have been terrific defensively in the postseason, they also haven't faced a quality (or even near-quality) offense. That'll change when they go up against the Golden State Warriors, whose offense has so many weapons that it's impossible to key in on just one guy. When you compound that with the fact that the Warriors have several people to defend LeBron James, which then forces others like the not-completely-healthy Kyrie Irving or the not-exactly-consistent J.R. Smith to step up, it's tough to think the Cavs have enough to win it all.

Warriors in 6