The Golden State Warriors won 67 games during the 2014-2015 NBA season, have the reigning NBA MVP in Stephen Curry, and have home court advantage in the 2015 NBA Finals against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Here are five reasons the Warriors should win the NBA championship.
5. The Cavs are far from 100 percent. When the 2014-2015 NBA season began, the Cavs had a Big Three. Entering the 2015 NBA Finals, Kevin Love is out and the health status of Kyrie Irving, who missed two of the four games in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks, is unknown. The Warriors, meanwhile, are almost completely healthy.
4. The bench of the Warriors. While the Splash Brothers get a lot of the attention, and rightly so, the team has a solid bench. David Lee and Andre Iguodala are former NBA All-Stars coming off the Warriors bench, and Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa are guards who can impact the game as well. This is a huge advantage for Golden State.
3. Home-court advantage. Because of their success during the 2014-2015 NBA season, the Warriors have earned the home court advantage. That means the series starts in Oakland, but, more importantly, it means Game 7 would take place at home. Teams rarely lose Game 7 at home with a championship on the line.
2. Draymond Green on defense. One of the most fascinating decisions that will be made in this series is how Draymond Green will be used on defense. Green, a member of the 2014-15 NBA All-Defense First Team, may see time guarding both Cavs starting forwards, LeBron James and Tristan Thompson. How well he plays on the defensive end of the court will be a huge factor for the success of the Warriors.
1. The play of Stephen Curry. Immortalized in Drake’s “0-100,” “Chef Curry with the pot” not only shot his way to the NBA MVP Award, but also into the NBA playoffs record books. Reggie Miller nailed 58 3-pointers in 22 games in the 2000 NBA playoffs. Curry has 73 in just 15 games. If that pace continues, Curry and the Golden State Warriors will be 2015 NBA champions.
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