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NBA Playoffs 2017: Who will the Warriors play in the NBA Finals?

By Akash Anavarathan

May 22, 2017; San Antonio, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors small forward Kevin Durant (35) dribbles the ball as San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Jonathon Simmons (17) defends during the first half in game four of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
May 22, 2017; San Antonio, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors small forward Kevin Durant (35) dribbles the ball as San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Jonathon Simmons (17) defends during the first half in game four of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Golden State Warriors have advanced to the NBA Finals after sweeping the San Antonio Spurs. They will take on either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Boston Celtics next.

Warriors’ fans in the Bay Area must be getting used to this by now. Every June for the past three years in Oakland has ended with a trip to the NBA Finals. They came away with a championship in 2015 and a heart-breaking defeat in 2016. What does 2017 have in store for them?

Golden State has been a wrecking ball this postseason. 12 games up, 12 games down. The Warriors have knocked down every team in front of them, while barely breaking a sweat. Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry have been playing at MVP-levels, while Draymond Green has been a jack-of-all-trades. The Warriors have been without their head coach Steve Kerr, but look like a team rallying around him.

The series against San Antonio was no different than the first two. Although the Spurs were the No. 2 seed and the only possible team who could challenge the Warriors’ throne in the West, they were still no match for the 67-win squad. The Warriors swept the Spurs in four games, three of them without the Spurs’ best player, Kawhi Leonard.

Golden State will represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. Here are the possible teams that they can play in this best-of-seven series for the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Warriors-Cavaliers trifecta is the matchup that is most likely. Golden State has been competing with LeBron James and Cleveland for the NBA crown the last two seasons. The Warriors took the first one in 2015, winning the series 4-2. The Cavaliers came down from 3-1 last year to win a Game 7 on the road in Oracle Arena. This would be the three-match for the ages. In the first go-around, the Cavaliers were down Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. In the rematch, the Warriors had a hobbled Stephen Curry and missed Draymond Green in a closeout Game 5.

Golden State’s added Kevin Durant this offseason and the two teams are healthy and peaking at the right time. This could be an NBA Finals’ series that determines who the NBA dynasty in the 2010’s are. The Cavs and Warriors played two games this season, with each winning on their home floor. The Cavaliers won back on Christmas day in Cleveland on a Kyrie Irving game-winning shot over Klay Thompson. At Oracle Arena three weeks later, the Warriors gave the Cavs the business, winning by 35 points.

This is a matchup that most have foregone and have been debating for months. The Cavaliers are the defending champions, but the Warriors added Kevin Durant and are coming guns blazing for the title. Will LeBron and the Cavs repeat to cement their legacy or will the Warriors start a new era of championships behind Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry? It’s surely the more intriguing of the potential matchups.

Boston Celtics

This would be the more shocking opponent for the Golden State Warriors. The Celtics find themselves down 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals without their best player in Isaiah Thomas.

Boston faced Golden State in two separate occasions this year, with each team winning on their opponents’ floor once. The first matchup in Boston was back in early November when the Warriors won by 16. The Celtics won the second game in Oracle in March, but Kevin Durant wasn’t there with his injury.

The Celtics are missing Thomas for the rest of the postseason and he was bearing the brunt of their scoring load on the season. Boston has a lot of young, up and coming players, but none have Finals’ experience. They also don’t necessarily match up well with the Warriors. They have good defensive players in Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart and Jae Crowder, but may not necessarily be able to score enough.

Could the Celtics upset the Cavaliers and reach the NBA Finals and upset the Warriors? Boston fans sure hope so.

Next: What each NBA coach would be doing if he wasn’t an NBA coach

Fans in the Bay Area should be excited for the Warriors’ Finals run. They’ll be favored against either opponent and know that Game 1 will be in their backyard at Oracle Arena. Dub Nation, get ready for the NBA Finals again!

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