NBA: Warriors-Cavs will make for an entertaining Finals

LeBron James and Stephen Curry. The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

It's safe to say few saw this NBA Finals matchup coming way back in October. But as the two teams prepare to begin their best-of-seven series Thursday in Oakland, Calif., nobody is surprised any longer. The Warriors have put together one of the best seasons in NBA history. The Cavs have been imposing their will on the league since January.

Yes. Let's say it: these are the two best teams in the NBA. And the narratives will be juicy.

The Warriors are pure shooters. They got here without any significant offensive post production, which is usually problematic in the postseason. But Golden State is also the best defensive team in the league, which helps.

At the other end of the floor: the best basketball player on the planet and a guy who more and more is being mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jordan. LeBron is still a few rings short of Michael, but he's got time to win more. And since returning home to northeastern Ohio to play for the Cavs again, it seems like he's only getting better. And he has almost literally dragged his team to the Finals on his broad shoulders.

Yes, the Warriors are aware of the King. But not in awe.

"It's not one person's job to stop LeBron," Golden State power forward Draymond Green told The Associated Press. "If we're going to send any one person on our team to stop LeBron, we'll probably lose. It'll be a complete team effort. And as long as we approach it that way, I think we can do it."

If you like old-school playoff basketball — slow it down and grind it out, possession by possession — you might be disappointed. This series is the apex of the league's transition into uptempo play.

Curry's been the movement's leader, turning in an MVP season. He's been even better in the playoffs, unstoppable at times offensively, hitting an unending series of lightning-quick 3-pointers that have broken the defense of more than one opponent. Curry is no LeBron, but in his own way, he's almost as formidable.

"He's a humble human being who has an arrogance about his game," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told The San Jose Mercury News. "When you have that type of confidence and fearlessness to take the shots that he does, and make them ... it's a good arrogance. It has to do with his confidence in his skillset. It's what makes him who he is on the court, just like his humility is what makes him who he is off the floor."

The NBA's Western Conference is vastly superior to the Eastern Conference. And on paper, it looks like the Warriors will win this series — perhaps easily.

Let's face it: Cleveland is beat up. The Cavaliers don't have forward Kevin Love, who is out for the season after shoulder surgery. Dynamic point guard Kyrie Irving is hobbled with foot soreness and knee tendinitis. He hasn't looked like himself since the Cavs beat the Celtics in the first round.

Without those two, it's hard to see Cleveland summoning the offensive firepower it'll need to win this series. In the East, being less than whole wasn't so much of an issue. But facing Golden State? Yeah, Cleveland's going to have some problems.

Of course, the Cavaliers have a puncher's chance, thanks to LeBron. He has been brilliant in the postseason. Brilliant enough to beat Golden State? Probably not. But it will be fascinating to watch him try.