If there's anything close to a dream NBA Finals, this may be it. The Golden State Warriors are preparing to host the Cleveland Cavs for Game 1 of the 2015 NBA Finals on Thursday, giving us an epic showdown between 2014-15 NBA MVP Stephen Curry and perpetual "best player in the world" LeBron James.
To get you primed and ready for the pure basketball awesomeness ahead, here's our list of The Top 4 Storylines To Watch In The 2015 NBA Finals.
1. Klay Thompson's Health
Thompson returned to the Warriors' series-clinching Game 5 win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday despite a inadvertent Trevor Ariza knee to the ear which left him dazed and bleeding at one point. Thompson passed the initial NBA concussion protocol tests, but later evaluation pinpointed a concussion, leaving his status for the start of the NBA Finals in doubt. If Thompson can't go for an extended period, it'll be up to the team's depth players to pick up the slack of the ailing Splash Brother.
2. A Motivated LeBron James Is A Scary LeBron James
LeBron James averaged a near triple-double in the Cavs' Eastern Conference Finals sweep of the Atlanta Hawks, dropping 30.3 points, 11 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game in a four-game stretch that'll go down as one of the best in NBA Playoffs history. With the various distractions and horrible injury luck Cleveland has encountered (see: Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving) having brought the critics out of their holes early in the series, a motivated, hyper-passionate LeBron virtually eliminated the East's #1 seed with his own two hands.
Can he do it again against the team that has ruled the NBA roost all season long? We'll see.
3. Is Steph Curry Ready For Overdrive Once Again?
Curry's horrific fall in Game 6 appears to be in the rearview mirror for good, but there appears to be some lingering on-court hiccups which have manifested themselves in some uncharacteristically streaking shooting the past game-plus. Everyone's allowed their off nights, so this could be much ado about nothing. But, with Klay's status up in the air and LeBron James breathing fire on the opposite bench, the Dubs will need Internet highlight-reel Steph on the court and ready to go next Thursday.
4. Who'll Be The Role Player MVP?
Draymond Green may have long since outgrown the term "role player," but his grit and emotional on-court leadership make him a prime candidate for this series' X Factor. However, be sure to keep an eye on both Golden State's Harrison Barnes and Cleveland's Matthew Dellavedova. Barnes has been the unsung hero of the Dubs' playoff run, giving them consistently efficient scoring all over the arc night in and night out, including his banner Game 5 performance in the team's Western Conference closeout win.
On the other side, while the Cavs' backup point guard may not be the pure scoring threat Barnes is, Dellavedova is the ultimate on-court pick-me-up with his seemingly never-ending string of effort plays. The stars will get all the publicity leading up to this series, but the aforementioned names have a legitimate chance of stealing the spotlight when all is said and done.
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