The two teams in the 2016 NBA Finals are the same ones who duked it out for the championship a year ago. Golden State got the better of Cleveland then, winning the series 4-2 for its first NBA title in 40 years.
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So what’s different about these two teams since they met 12 months ago?
1. Cleveland’s Big Three is whole and well-rested
The Cavaliers entered last year’s NBA Finals down one-and-a-half members of the LeBron James, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving trio that was put together the previous fall to lead the team to its first NBA title. Love never made it past the first round, separating his shoulder against the Celtics. Irving entered the Finals battered and bruised before bowing out with a broken kneecap in overtime of Game 1. That left James and an assortment of role players to attempt to bring down the smoking-hot Warriors.
Cleveland comes into this series in great shape health-wise, having played just 14 postseason games compared to the 17 Golden State has under its belt, and the Cavs haven't played since Friday after beating Toronto in Game 6.
It should be noted, however, that all three were on hand when the Warriors throttled the Cavs, 132-98, in January.
2. The Warriors are now the hunted
Yes, the Warriors won 67 games in the 2014-15 season and had homecourt advantage, but they were still considered upstarts by many. Conventional wisdom said a jump-shooting team that relied heavily on the 3-point shot could not win an NBA title. One championship and 73 regular-season wins later, they are the team to beat.
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Golden State has grown accustomed to the getting the best shot from its opponents at this point. Not only that, they appear to embrace it. They know that after the season they had, anything less than a championship will deeply tarnish their already historic success.
3. The Cavs seem to have found chemistry
The 2014-15 season was filled with big expectations, centered around James, Irving and Love. Even though they made it to the Finals, they never seemed to quite gel their first season together. The team has appeared more tight knit, especially after the coaching change from David Blatt to Tyronn Lue. There have been more high-fives, smiles and hugs from the Cavs since February than there were all last season. Will it translate into a ring this year? Who knows. But it can’t hurt.