NBA Matchup #4 (Finals Edition): Warriors vs. Cavaliers

In 2015, the Warriors won the NBA Finals and took the Larry O'Brien Trophy home to Oakland.

In 2016, LeBron James and the Cavaliers came back from a 3-1 deficit to win a championship for the city of Cleveland.

In 2017, the third episode of this historic rivalry will begin on June 1st. Will the team led by arguably the best shooter in NBA history (and 2-time MVP) in Stephen Curry and a prolific scorer (and 1-time MVP) in Kevin Durant prevail? Or will they be offset by one of the greatest players of all time (and 4-time MVP) LeBron James and his partner in crime, Kyrie Irving?

Let's find out using WhatIfSports's NBA SimMatchup Basketball Tool, which allows for simulations of real NBA games, with play-by-play summaries of every single one.

Note: This simulation is the outcome projected by the NBA SimMatchup Tool, not my predicted outcome.

Game 1 (Oracle Arena)

This game had many lead changes, with the score being 58-53 at the half. However, Curry and Durant were a powerful force in the third quarter, leading the Warriors to score 47 points and take a 25-point lead going into the final quarter. The blowout would continue, with LeBron James scoring only 3 points during the 4th quarter, causing the Warriors to take a 1-0 lead in the series. The Warriors would tie the NBA record they set in Game 4 last year by scoring 17 3-pointers as a team. Following this game, LeBron would receive a lot of criticism about not stepping up towards the end of the game, while Stephen Curry would prove that he is always a factor.

Warriors: 139

Notable Performances:

Stephen Curry - 37 points, 11 assists, including 9 3-pointers

Kevin Durant - 29 points, 10 assists, 10 rebounds

Klay Thompson - 20 points, 5 rebounds

Draymond Green - 10 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists

Cavaliers: 109

Notable Performances:

LeBron James - 27 points, 10 rebounds, 14 assists

Kevin Love - 19 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals

Kyrie Irving - 19 points, 6 assists

Game 2 (Oracle Arena)

Coming into this game with a ton of pressure, LeBron James and the Cavaliers would play their hearts out. However, the Warriors, despite slightly slowing down, would outplay the Cavaliers in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, and would go on to win the game. Despite the Cavaliers scoring 40 points in the 4th quarter (with 13 of them coming from LeBron), Golden State shot 50% from the 3-point line and 55% from the field as a whole. In contrast, the Cavaliers would shoot 42% from beyond the arc and 46% from the field. Curry and Thompson would both score 21, while Durant would score 23. Despite LeBron's awesome 33 points, no other Cavalier would score more than 20. Now, the Cavaliers would have a huge amount of pressure, facing a 2-0 deficit.

Warriors: 116

Notable Performances:
Kevin Durant - 23 points, 6 rebounds

Stephen Curry - 21 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists

Klay Thompson - 21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists

Draymond Green - 10 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds

Zaza Pachulia - 13 points, 14 rebounds

Cavaliers: 109

Notable Performances:

LeBron James - 33 points, 13 assists, 8 rebounds, 3 steals

Kevin Love - 19 points, 13 rebounds

Kyrie Irving - 15 points, 9 assists

Tristan Thompson - 10 points, 12 rebounds

Game 3 (Quicken Loans Arena)

The Cavaliers would come out looking unstoppable, with a 60-51 lead at the half. However, the Warriors would outplay them in the second half, setting a new NBA record for most 3-pointers by a team in an NBA Finals game, with 18. Curry would score 38 points in a game which would display why he won last season's MVP unanimously. LeBron would only score 12 points in the entire second half, and the Cavaliers would go down 3-0. Despite a great performance by Tristan Thompson, who racked up 16 rebounds and 4 blocks to go with 17 points, the Cavaliers defense would not be able to stop Golden State. Following this game, LeBron James fans everywhere would be terrified, and Golden State fans would begin to celebrate early.

Warriors: 118

Notable Performances: 

Stephen Curry - 38 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists

Klay Thompson - 22 points

Kevin Durant - 21 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists

Draymond Green - 10 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists

Cavaliers: 103

Notable Performances: 

LeBron James - 32 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists

Tristan Thompson - 17 points, 16 rebounds, 4 blocks

Kevin Love - 16 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists

Kyrie Irving - 15 points, 5 assists

Game 4 (Quicken Loans Arena)

With his legacy on the line, King James would thrive in Game 4, as the Cavaliers would outscore the Warriors in nearly every quarter except the 3rd. LeBron would score 38 points, 14 of them in the 4th quarter. The Warriors would cool down from the last game, with only Durant scoring more than 25 points. Despite the Cavaliers shooting only 32% from beyond the arc, they were scoring many points from offensive rebounds. After this game, the Cavaliers would gain a bit of hope, but would still be down 3-1.

Cavaliers: 119

Notable Performances:

LeBron James - 38 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals

Kevin Love - 24 points, 18 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks

Kyrie Irving - 22 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists

Tristan Thompson - 17 points, 7 rebounds

Warriors: 112

Notable Performances: 

Kevin Durant - 31 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks

Klay Thompson - 25 points

Stephen Curry - 18 points, 8 assists, 3 steals

Draymond Green - 6 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks

Game 5 (Oracle Arena)

In Game 5, the Warriors would look to close out at home, and they would indeed do so. Curry would score 36 points as the Warriors would shoot 54% from beyond the arc. The Cavaliers would attempt to win a tough Game 5 on the road, but would fall short, shooting only 28% from behind the 3-point line. Golden State would also finish with 16 more rebounds than the Cavaliers, and were better in every single dimension of the game. LeBron would score 27 points, but would only put up 2 of them in the final quarter.

Warriors: 127

Notable Performances:

Stephen Curry - 36 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists

Klay Thompson - 26 points,

Kevin Durant - 20 points, 13 rebounds

Draymond Green - 10 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds

Cavaliers: 109

Notable Performances:

LeBron James - 27 points, 12 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals

Kevin Love - 26 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists

Kyrie Irving - 17 points, 5 assists

Tristan Thompson - 14 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks

J.R. Smith - 11 points

Finals MVP: Stephen Curry (30.0 PPG, 6.6 APG, 4.2 RPG)

Essentially, the Warriors would take home another Larry O'Brien trophy. The Internet would go insane with Cavaliers memes, as Cavaliers fans and LeBron fans would go into hiding. The Warriors fans worldwide would celebrate, Westbrook would look upon Durant's new ring with disgust, and Stephen A. Smith's prediction would be wrong again. Curry takes home the Finals MVP and proves that he can be counted on in important games, while LeBron contemplates his career, his legacy, and whether he should take his talents to the Bay.

Once again, this is not my prediction, but a simulation brought to you by WhatIfSports's NBA SimMatchup Basketball Tool. 

I do not endorse, own, or claim to own the SimMatchup Tool by WhatIfSports. I am simply a user.

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