5 reasons Cavaliers and Warriors are the NBA’s best rivalry

4. Star Power

These two teams probably have the most star power on their roster of anybody in the NBA. Kevin Durant and Steph Curry are both MVP caliber players that have challenged for top player of the entire league. On their team is a member of the 60-point club, Klay Thompson, and pulling everything together is the ultimate swiss army knife player Draymond Green. Across from them is one of the greatest to play the game, LeBron James, with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love backing him up. Some might argue that Love and Irving don’t deserve to be put in this class, but they’ve shown time and time again that they have earned their status as stars. The majority of these guys are good enough to be the best players on their own teams, but instead they’ve all been gathered together on two separate teams. No matchup across the entire league can come even close to the amount of star power that exists on these two squads.

Even the higher-end role players have legitimate talent that has to be acknowledged. Andre Iguodala has been the best player on two NBA team and won a Finals MVP. Tristan Thompson brings a similar elite specialization to the Cavs. He’s well aware that his role as a defensive stopper is largely what brings Cleveland together, and he’s matchup nightmare for strong Eastern Conference foes that have attempted to derail their trips to the last two NBA Finals.

Look at some of the NBA’s best rivalries, historically. What the best always have in common is the star power across both rosters. Cleveland and Golden State are filled to the brim with incredible talent that just outclasses a huge chunk of the NBA, and this makes their rivalry that much greater.