Cavs vs Warriors Preview predictions for Part IV of NBA Finals saga

Once was interesting. Twice was a thrill. The third time settled a score. But four' Well, four is going to be a tough sell for the NBA. But here we are, with the Cavaliers and Warriors preparing to meet for the fourth consecutive time in the NBA Finals, Golden State having KO'd Cleveland in five games last spring.

The Warriors rolled through the West playoffs at 12-0 last year, but lost five games this time and went to a Game 7 against Houston in the conference finals.

Cleveland had been 12-1 before the Finals last year, but needed two Game 7s ' in the first round against Indiana and in the conference finals against Boston ' this year to reach the Finals. We are getting the same Finals yet again, but at least we were close to getting some different representatives.

Now that the matchup is here, though, it's hard to see how things will be much different this time around. Golden State has the same core of players, and in last year's Finals, the Cavs did a decent job limiting Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, but had no answer for series MVP Kevin Durant, who averaged 35.2 points, shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 47.8 percent from the 3-point line.

The good news for Cleveland is that Durant enters this series a little off his game. He has averaged 29.0 points, but his postseason shooting has been all-too human, at 47.9 percent from the field and 32.8 percent from the 3-point line. He scored 34 points on 11-for-21 shooting in Game 7 against Houston, but in his three previous games, he shot 36.5 percent and 31.3 percent from the 3-point line.

And the Cavs could also get a boost from the knee injury that has kept forward Andre Iguodala sidelined for the last four games. Iguodala has been vital to the Warriors' defense against Cleveland star LeBron James in'all three of the Finals matchups between the teams.

Read full article here