Key factors in Cavs vs. Warriors rematch

I AM for LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. It is payback time, I hope, against the NBA defending champion Golden State Warriors, who dismantled the undermanned Cavs in six games.

In 2015, the Cavs played without injured point guard Kyrie Irving and forward Kevin Love. This year, with their vaunted Big 3—James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, all playing healthy, this Cleveland team is a different beast.

HUNGRY CAVALIERS. They are hungry for an NBA title, and these Cavaliers are seeking to end Cleveland’s 52-year championship drought. In their first trip to the Finals in 2007, the Cavs got swept by the San Antonio Spurs. Then LeBron James left for Miami in 2010.

LeBron’s well-publicized “The Decision” has made him infamous and Cleveland’s enemy No. 1. In 2014, he returned home after getting two championships for the Miami Heat. The following year, he led the Cavs to their second finals appearance but lost to the Warriors. This year, I like the Cavs’ chances.

I’m not saying Cleveland will clinch the title. In fact, the general consensus is that the GSW will take it again in Game 7. And if this is proof of who’s the better team, the Warriors beat the Cavs in their two games in the regular season.

But nothing is certain yet. Who will take the crown depends on a lot of variables.

SPLASH BROTHERS. No one can deny the shooting prowess of top Warriors Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, and if he can keep his emotions in check, Draymond Green will give ample support to the Splash Brothers. They are the best trio in the NBA today. As a Cleveland fan, I prefer the combination of James, Irving, and Love. In the playoffs, they have led the rampaging Cavs in sweeping the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks in the first two rounds.

In the Eastern Conference finals, the Cavs buried the Toronto Raptors with a 113-87 lopsided victory in Game 6. It was a balanced scoring for the Cavs’ Big 3--James scored 33 points, Irving had 30, and Love 20 points.

In contrast, despite being the top team in the regular season, with its recordbreaking 73-9 win-los card, the Warriors struggled in the Western Conference finals. It had to claw back from a 3-1 deficit against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

COACH FACTOR. Both team coaches are newbies. Kerr, who played for the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls, was the Warriors’ rookie coach in 2015, when he led Golden State to its first NBA championship.

Cleveland’s Tyronn Lue is a rookie coach. He once played for the 2001 Lakers team led by the dominant duo of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. He became the Cavs’ head tactician only in January this year. Can he duplicate Steve Kerr’s feat?

As head coach, Kerr has a one-year edge in experience. In terms of brilliance, it’s premature to compare the two, although many are inclined to favor the Warriors’ coach.

MY TAKE. The key to winning an NBA crown is to impose one’s identity over the other. The two teams are built differently, yet each is effective on its own way. The Warriors rely on quick passes to find the open man, while the Cavs love to attack the basket or dish out a corner 3-pointer after breaking the defense.

As a Cavs fan, I see danger signs. No one can out-shoot the Splash Brothers, Currry and Thompson, who can explode anytime. The Cavs must limit them, if they want to get the title.

And who can forget Andre Iguodala, who became the 2015 Finals MVP, mainly for his defensive assignment against James? His pesky defense is one concern.

But still no one can disregard the current Cavs. At 6’8,” James is a freak of nature who can shoot the three and attack the basket at will regardless of Iguodala.

There’s a reason why the Akron, Ohio native is a Rookie of the Year, four-time MVP, and is into his sixth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals: pure talent. Arguably, James is the best all-around player in the world today.

Against the defending champs, he needs a lot of help.

In his 2014 “I’m Coming Home” essay, James said, “I’m going into a situation with a young team and a new coach. I will be the old head. But I get a thrill out of bringing a group together and helping them reach a place they didn’t know they could go.”

Despite the odds being stacked against them, I stick with LeBron James and the Cavaliers. I hope he’d bring Cleveland to its first NBA title.