PREVIOUS PLAYOFF MEETINGS

2015 NBA Finals: The Warriors won their first NBA title since 1975 when they defeated the Cavaliers 4-2. After falling behind 2-1 in the series, Golden State coach Steve Kerr made a major lineup change by starting sixth man extraordinaire Iguodala instead of center Andrew Bogut. The move allowed the Warriors to use Iguodala, their best one-on-one defensive player, for longer periods as the primary defender on LeBron James. In addition to his stellar defense, Iguodala averaged 20.3 points in his three starts and was the NBA Finals MVP.

2016 NBA Finals: The Warriors led 3-1 and appeared to have the series under control until they were forced to play Game 5 without Green, who was suspended for accumulating too many postseason flagrant foul points. Without Green, the Warriors lost Game 5 at home and Game 6 in Cleveland. In Game 7 in Oakland, Kyrie Irving hit a 3-pointer with 53 seconds left to break an 89-89 tie as Cleveland won 93-89. The Warriors, who didn’t score over the final 4:39, became the first team in Finals history to blow a 3-1 lead. The championship was the first for the city of Cleveland since the Browns in 1964.

2017 NBA Finals: Led by new acquisition Durant, the Warriors won their second NBA championship in three seasons with a 4-1 series victory. For the 2017 playoff run, Golden State was nearperfect, going an NBA-record 16-1 with the only defeat coming in Game 4 of the Finals at Cleveland. Durant was the NBA Finals MVP.