NBA Finals 2016: Cavaliers vs. Warriors Schedule, Format, Predictions and More

Following their thrilling comeback in the conference finals, the Golden State Warriors will once again face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.

Before anyone could finish their “The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls would have…” blanket statements, the Warriors overcame their toughest postseason challenge in the last two years.

Down 3-1 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, they rallied despite trailing for most of the final two games.

Cleveland, on the other hand, barely broke a sweat on its way to conquering the Eastern Conference again. Although the Toronto Raptors momentarily evened the conference finals at 2-2, the Cavaliers recorded a plus-96 scoring margin through the six-game slate.

This marks the second Finals rematch in four years. In 2013 and 2014, the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs traded championships before LeBron James bolted back to Cleveland. But this matchup will look far different, as Kevin Love (shoulder) sat out for the entire series, while Kyrie Irving suffered a season-ending knee injury in Game 1.

The 2016 NBA Finals will begin Thursday night at Oracle Arena, where the Warriors have lost only three times this year. They hold home-court advantage with the 2-2-1-1-1 format that was also utilized in the preceding rounds.

Here’s a look at the complete schedule:

 

Will Cavs Continue Their 3-Point Explosion?

The Cavaliers made quick work of the Eastern Conference, averaging 106.9 points per contest and reaching triple digits in all 12 victories. NBA.com’s John Schuhmann put their offensive dominance into perspective:

Over the last 20 years, no team has been as efficient offensively through the first 3 rounds as these Cavs at 116.2 pts/100 poss.

— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) May 28, 2016

A cavalcade of three-pointers has fueled their success. Over the first three rounds, the Cavs made 14.4 threes per game with a playoff-best 43.4 shooting percentage. …

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