Around the NBA: Cavs/Warriors III tips off tonight

By Josh Liddick, Sports Talk Philly editor 

It all comes down to this: a series between two of the NBA's most all-time prolific teams to decide the champion for the 2016-17 season.

In a series with a whole lot of storylines and a bunch of different outcomes, the Cleveland Cavaliers look for a repeat crown, as the Golden State Warriors look to win two out of three.

For the first time in the storied history of the National Basketball Association, the Cavs and Warriors will meet for a third consecutive NBA Finals bout.

LeBron James looks to enhance his legacy and further push his legitimacy of becoming the greatest NBA player of all-time, while Kevin Durant tries to win his first championship, showing that his move from OKC to Southern California wasn't a coward move, rather a bold and genius one.

The series that starts up tonight is one that could go down as one of the greatest fights we've ever seen, or it could go down as one of the biggest disappointments in NBA Finals history.

There is no doubt that going into this best of seven series, that the Warriors are the stronger of the two teams, but the Cavaliers have shown enough potential these playoffs to further show their will to defend and survive.

The Warriors have one of the most daunting lineups of all-time consisting of four starting players all with first-team All-NBA potential. Steph Curry is a two-time NBA MVP, with Durant following with one of his own. Klay Thompson is one of the biggest key shooters in the NBA, and is joined by defensive mastermind Draymond Green.

The Cavaliers on paper are no match for the Warriors, but having LeBron James control the floor for the team shows that no matter what happens, the Cavs are still in play for a title win.

Having LeBron on your team is one of the greatest advantages there is, and without him, they don't even stand a chance.

Two years ago, the Cavs suffered injuries to both Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving that left them without those two for the entirety of the Finals, pushing LeBron to carry the team on his back with hardly any support at all. LeBron willed his way to possibly the greatest single-handed performances of all-time, but it wasn't enough to seal the deal.

Even though matchup-wise, the Warriors seem to have the enormous advantage, the impact LeBron has on the Cavs is at least worth two players, and for that reason, the Cavs even up the series a bit.

It will be interesting to see how the Cavs play in Game 1 tonight in Golden State, and how dominant the Warriors are coming out of the gates.

When: Thursday June 1, 9 p.m.

Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA

Watch: ABC