Hello readers, students, sports fans, or those who happened to stumble upon this article accidentally. The wait is over, well, almost over. The NBA Finals are upon us once again, pinning a magical matchup of the world's best shooter against the world's best player. If you were expecting to see Brian Scalabrine, I suggest you catch up on your basketball knowledge. No, it's the Golden State Warriors vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers. And isn't this the matchup we always expected? The NBA wouldn't let LeBron get eliminated before another finals appearance, and we see the Splash Brothers, or Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, carry a team of destiny toward basketball's most coveted trophy.

Storyline after storyline surround this series. Can Stephen Curry jump shoot his way to a title? Will LeBron finally shine as the King he truly is? Which city will end their championship drought and lift a banner next October? Will Riley Curry play hide and seek again with reporters? All this and more to come, on the NBA Finals Preview.

Let us begin with some preexisting statistics for each team:

The Warriors finished the regular season with the best record in the league, at a staggering 67-15 and 39-2 home win-loss total. They enter with the league's Most Valuable Player, Stephen Curry, who is playing straight out of his mind. This postseason, he is averaging 29 ppg, and shooting 44 percent from behind the arc. He shattered Reggie Miller's three-point postseason record and continues to add to the current milestone. Surrounding the sharp-shooting splash bro is a solid starting five, and a deep bench with many contributors and veterans. The Warriors have stayed consistent all season, and stormed through the playoffs with ease, sweeping the Pelicans, beating the Grizzlies in 6, and creaming the Rockets to advance to their first NBA Finals since 1975. They will never go away easy. With tenacious defense and stellar offense, it could finally be the year a trophy returns to the Golden State franchise.

The Cavaliers began the year as a preseason odds-on favorite to win the NBA Finals, with a new "Big 3" consisting of Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving, and of course LeBron James. It seemed like a foregone conclusion on paper. Unfortunately for them, basketball isn't played on paper. The Cavs struggled early, and it took until mid-January, after an injured James returned to the lineup, to find their stride. After the midseason acquisitions of Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith, and Timofey Mosgov, there was no stopping James and company. They finished the regular season the hottest team on the planet, going 34-9 (including a home win over GS…). However, the wear and tear of the regular season showed its mean face to the Cavs once the playoffs began. Kevin Love went out early in the first round, and Kyrie spent the Conference Finals battling injuries that held him out of two games, leaving the weight all on the King's shoulders. Although they have succumbed to injuries, the Cavs have been resilient. They swept the number one seeded Hawks, and have only lost two games the entire postseason. Matthew Dellavedova has become a mini superstar in Cleveland, and a hated player by everyone else's legs. LeBron can do anything he wants with a basketball, and his team will rely on him and only him to carry this team to a championship.

Starting 5

(Advantage: Warriors 3-2)

This is all great to contemplate, but the fact of the matter is that the past is the past, and these teams have to work with what they've got. The match-ups are very intriguing, beginning with the backcourt, Curry and Irving are two of the top point guards in the game right now. I predict a heated offensive battle because they are both so skilled at making and creating their own shots. The downfall is Irving's defensive ability. His lack of skill on that end of the floor will prove to hurt the Cavs in this series. If he cannot contain Curry, the MVP will either score 40, or find a teammate like Klay Thompson who can do the same thing. I would also take Klay Thompson over J.R. Smith in this series. Each one is an incredible sharp-shooter, but J.R. is a bit too inconsistent for me to trust. Look for Klay to get open from many screens and make Smith work for all of his. Sorry Harrison Barnes, but you are not going to beat out LeBron in this position. Nobody will, ever. LeBron is too big, too smart, too skilled, too experienced. Take your pick of an adjective. He could outplay anyone on the court in this series. Look for him to switch and guard Curry on multiple occasions to keep the smaller guard off balance and out of rhythm. The next matchup would be between Draymon Green and Tristan Thompson. Although Thompson has come up huge in these playoffs, he continues to grow as a player, Green is too strong in my book. He's a versatile power forward (PF) that can stretch the floor and make big men play man-to-man defense. The Warriors should take advantage of this matchup, seeing that the slower Thompson will struggle keeping up with Green one-on-one on the perimeter. And now the final matchup: Mosgov vs. Bogut. Each plays an important role on the defensive end more than on the offensive. However, Mosgov's size and ability to score proves to be the advantage. It will be a battle, but Mosgov edges Bogut by a Slim Jim.

Game plans

With such an even matchup ahead, strategy and preparation is key. The Cavs have lived off LeBron this postseason, and that won't change come June 4. Instead of being extremely efficient, the Cavaliers need him to be selfish, and aggressive. He will need to get inside early to open up shooters on the outside. It is important for the Cavs to hit threes this series, because they will fall behind quickly if they try to live off of mid-range shots. That means King James should take about 1,000 threes a day for the next week to make up for his dismal percentage thus far in the post season. Warriors: keep doing what you are doing. It is working. Give the ball to Stephen and let the magic happen. For the Warriors, who like to play a small lineup a lot, it is very important to rebound, rebound, rebound. Box out the bigger opposing players, and minimize second-chance opportunities.

Prediction

Both teams need to get healthy (and fast) in order for this series to reach its full potential. While I love Cleveland's late season and playoff run, I have to go with the Warriors in this matchup. They have stayed consistent all season, and have too many weapons and veterans that cause problems for the Cavaliers defense. They also don't lose at home, and with home court in the series, it will be difficult for Cleveland to win even one game on the road. The Warriors will close this series out in six games, winning their first championship in forty years. It will be Chef Curry serving up a five-star entrée with a side of record-breaking threes, leading Golden State to the golden trophy.