Two unstoppable teams in the NBA, namely the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers verse each other in the 2015 Playoff Finals on Thursday, June 4 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. The game airs on ABC at 6 p.m. Pacific Time and 9 p.m. Eastern Time.
Leading 4-1, the Golden State Warriors closed off the Houston Rockets in Game 5's 104 - 90 victory on Wednesday, May 27.
"It was special, I think, because everybody was kind of enjoying the moment. We wanted to appreciate the moment, not take it for granted, because it was something that we've been waiting for and wanted to close out tonight," MVP Stephen Curry said. "But you kind of take it for what it is because you have four more wins and you don't want to get too ahead of yourself. We're going to appreciate what we've done because we've got to be proud of winning the Western Conference. That was tough all year long, and we're excited about the next step."
Four decades since their last appearance in the Finals, the Warriors coach Steve Kerr said that he feels "relieved" at making it so far in 2015. Kerr quoted Pat Riley to sum up his experience as a coach in a recent interview with the NBA.
"When you're coaching in the NBA, there's winning and there's misery. And he's right. Winning feels like a relief more than anything most of the time. But to get to The Finals, first time in 40 years for the Warriors, it's more than relief. It's joy. Our players are feeling it. I know our fans are. I'm happy for everybody, especially our fans. Forty years is a long time," said Kerr.
Cleveland Cavaliers playing against Atlanta Hawks on April 2010.
Leading 4-0, The Cleveland Cavaliers locked the Atlanta Hawks out of the Finals in Game 4's 118 - 88 crushing defeat on Tuesday, May 26. The Cavs are enjoying a short-lived vacation and time of celebration prior to Game 1on Thursday.
"For a lot of our guys that have been banged up, including myself, to get some rest and be able to get back to as close to full strength as possible," James said in an interview with NBA on Friday, May 29. "I don't think we'll be able to get there, but as close as possible, and I'm going to do a lot of shooting this week to kind of get my shot back on point, where it was kind of missing the last round."
Team Rosters:
Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, David Lee, Draymond Green, Andrew Bogut, Andre Iguodala, James Michael McAdoo, Harrison Barnes, Leandro Barbosa, Shaun Livingston, Marreese Speights, Justin Holiday, Festus Ezeli, Ognjen Kuzmic, and Brandon Rush.
Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Kendrick Perkins, Brendan Haywood, J.R. Smith, James Jones, Timofey Mozga, Iman Shumpert, Anderson Varejao, Joe Harris, Matthew Dellavedora, Mike Miller, Tristan Thompson.
2015: Eastern Conference Finals Game Schedule & Scoreboard:
Game 1: Wed. May 20, Cavaliers 97 -89 Hawks at Atlanta, Georgia
Game 2: Fri. May 22, Cavaliers 94 - 82 Hawks at Atlanta, Georgia
Game 3: Sun. May 24, Cavaliers 114 - 111 Hawks at Cleveland, Ohio
Game 4: Tues. May 26, Cavaliers 118 - 88 Hawks at Cleveland, Ohio
2015 Western Conference Finals Game Schedule & Scoreboard:
Game 1: Tues. May 19, Rockets 106 - 110 Warriors at Oakland, California
Game 2: Thurs. May 21, Rockets 98 - 99 Warriors at Oakland, California
Game 3: Sat. May 23, Rockets 80 - 115 Warriors at Houston, Texas
Game 4: Mon. May 25, Rockets 128 - 115 Warriors at Houston, Texas
Game 5: Wed. May 27, Rockets 90 - 104 Warriors at Oakland, California
