The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden Warriors are probably the greatest rival in the NBA right now. They have been meeting in NBA Finals for the last two seasons. And they are predicted to see each other once again in this season's NBA Finals.
And if the two teams will meet once again in the NBA Finals this season, this would probably determine who is really a better team. Because as we remembered, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving got injured when they first met in the NBA Finals. And last season, it is rumored that Draymond Green's suspension in Game 5 and Stephen Curry not being 100% because of an injury became the reason why the Warriors lost.
So far, both teams are playing great as expected.
At 9-1 win-loss record, the Cavs are first in the Eastern Conference. LeBron James is playing great as usual averaging 23.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 9.6 assists per game this season. And despite playing this season being involved in a lot of trade rumor talks, Kevin Love is proving to critics that he fits in the Cavs as he averages a double-double with 20.4 points and 10.3 rebounds.
The Warriors, on the other hand, bounced back well after a total humiliation in the hands of the San Antonio Spurs on opening night at home. Since that opening lost, the Warriors won 8 of their last 9 games. At 8-2, they are second in the Western Conference behind the surging Los Angeles Clippers.
But despite playing extremely well and living up to high expectations, could the two rivals actually swap significant players?
According to HNGN, if the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors face each other again in this season's NBA Finals and the Cavs won the Larry O'Brien's Championship trophy, Stephen Curry might actually sign with the Cavs.
It could be remembered that in last season's playoffs, Kevin Durant's OKC Thunder was knocked out by the Golden State Warriors. And surprisingly, during free agency, he signed with the Warriors. Could the same scenario happen to Steph Curry?
If the Cavs defeat the Warriors again in this season's NBA Finals, will Steph Curry joined the Cavs in free agency? And if he do, will the Cavs let go of Kyrie Irving and Irving sign with the Warriors? This scenario is a little bit complicated. But let's still look at the possibilities.
Despite playing alongside former MVP in Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry is still doing like he usually does in the last 2 seasons when he would the MVP. He averages 27.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists. This means that Curry can co-exist with another superstar player.
LeBron James and Stephen Curry tandem will do a lot of damage to opposing teams. Since they attract a lot of defenders, this might lead to open three for a guy like J.R. Smith and Mike Dunleavy. It could also lead to easy dunks from Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson who played mostly under the rim.
Aside from that, LeBron James and Stephen Curry are the face of the NBA right now. Having them on the Cavs team will make Cleveland more popular. Because according to Forbes, Cleveland is the hottest City in America right now because of their American professional sports success this year.
It could be remembered that the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Championship in June of this year. And in baseball, the Cleveland Indians reached the World Series but lost in Game 7 against the Chicago Cubs. Joining James and Curry together will get the Cleveland popularity to new heights.
On the other hand, Kyrie Irving might also fit for the Warriors. Unlike Curry who mostly does his damage on the three-point line, Irving mostly gets his production by attacking the rim. With this in mind, Irving will attract the defense once he got in the paint. And this could lead to lethal shooters Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant being open.
Irving also scores well as he average 23.9 points this season. But he is not like Curry who is with the same level as Durant in terms of scoring. And if he played with the Warriors, Kevin Durant will go back to being the main scorer.
He could also play well sharing the court with the superstar as he is a teammate of James for more than 2 seasons. So playing alongside Durant will not be a problem.
Curry said that he plans to re-sign with Warriors after this season. With his status now, his salary might jump up to around $25-$30 million per year. But the addition of Kevin Durant to Warriors roster, it is uncertain if the Warriors could keep the two superstars.
This seemingly complex scenario has a very slim chance to happen. But the door is still not close. Because anything can happen in the bizarre world of NBA.
