5 reasons the 2017 NBA Finals could be the best ever

January 16, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) dunks the basketball against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) during the first half at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers 126-91. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

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Feb 19, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; Western Conference forward Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors (35), Eastern Conference forward Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers (2) and Western Conference guard Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors (30) talk in the 2017 NBA All-Star Game at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

4. The talent level in this Finals is likely higher than any other in history

Many fans have tried to counter the talent level of this Cavaliers-Warriors matchup by comparing it to other Finals in the past between some star-studded Celtics and Lakers rosters, or the great Bulls teams with Jordan, Pippen, Rodman and company. However, this year’s Finals is absolutely packed with some of the best talent the NBA has ever seen.

This year provides just the third time in league history that seven players from the year’s All-Star team will compete in the NBA Finals. You have huge names like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Steph Curry, Kevin Love, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green all competing on the same floor, and all healthy (for now).

Last year, fans had to watch Curry go down with a leg injury that he battled throughout the playoffs, the year before you had Irving go down with a knee injury, and Love forced out with a shoulder injury for the entire postseason. At the moment, there aren’t any major, lingering injuries, so we will get to see all of this talent at its best form for what will likely be a seven-game series.

The 1962 NBA Finals between the Celtics and Lakers remains the only series with eight All-Stars, and that’s tough to beat nowadays. The Celtics-Lakers rivalry has tons of history to it, but this series between the Cavaliers and Warriors provides a true best-of-three with a ton of depth that the 1962 series could not match, and some of the biggest names in this century battling it out on the court.

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