How Do The Golden State Warriors Match Up With the Cavaliers?

The busy NBA offseason has slowed down considerably now, and most teams have their rosters pretty much complete.

With the NBA schedule recently released, it is now time to look ahead to next season, specifically with an eye towards the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Warriors just defeated the Cavs in the NBA Finals in a series that went six games, with each game being a hard-fought battle between the teams. The regular season series was split 1-1, so obviously the two teams were pretty even.

How will they fare against each other in 2015-16?

During the regular season last year, each team won on its home floor, and heading into the NBA Finals, no one could really show with any solid evidence why one team was better than the other. Of course, the Dubs won, but the Cavs were undermanned for most of the series. So if both teams are fully healthy next year, what can we expect?

So if both teams are fully healthy next year, what can we expect?

At the point guard position, the two starting point guards are some of the best in the game, but Stephen Curry still holds an advantage over Kyrie Irving, as Steph is more well-rounded on offense, and can defend slightly better than Kyrie.

At shooting guard, Klay Thompson has an obvious edge over whomever the Cavs play at shooting guard, whether it be Iman Shumpert or anyone else. Klay is able to shut down almost all other shooting guards he guards, and is simply one of the best shooting guards in the game, while the Cavs lack an elite backcourt mate for Kyrie. The Warriors backup guards, led by Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa, are far superior than the Cavs’ backcourt reserves, but Matthew Delladova deserves some credit.

At small forward, however, the Warriors have a distinct disadvantage. The Warriors start Harrison Barnes, with Andre Iguodala coming off the bench, which is better than almost every other team in the NBA.

Jun 16, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) brings the ball up court against Golden State Warriors guard Andre Iguodala (9) during the first quarter in game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

But the Cavs have the best player in the world — LeBron James — at small forward for them. While Iguodala was able to slow down LeBron in the Finals, LeBron still dominated the series, and had the Warriors’ small forwards number for the most part (people often look at Iguodala starting and say it was because he could shut down LeBron, but that is not the case. He started because he could slow down LeBron; thus the Warriors could play small ball and outrun the Cavs).

Power forward and center are the real positions of contention for how these teams match up. Who holds the advantage at either of these positions could be argued for days on end, for both sides.

At power forward, the Cavs start Kevin Love, the best stretch 4 in the league. Love shoots better than most guards, which, at the power forward position, is simply unfair. His shooting ability requires teams to send their power forward out to the perimeter to contest Love’s shots, which then leaves the paint open for opposing guards to penetrate.

However, the Warriors start Draymond Green at power forward, one of the best defensive players in the world, so contesting Love’s shots on the perimeter and then recovering back to the paint is not a problem. Additionally, the style of defense that the Dubs play allow players to switch off of their assignments onto other players, so if Love were to venture out beyond the arc, a small forward could switch onto him, allowing Draymond to hover closer to the paint while keeping an eye on the small forward’s assignment.

Feb 26, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) loses the ball while defended by Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) in the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

This is why the Warriors were one of the best teams in regards to help defense in the league last year. Power forward is a bit of a toss-up, and as individual players, Love is one of the best offensive players in the league, while Draymond is one of the best defensive players in the league.

This matchup is very even, but Draymond has the added benefit of playing in the Warriors’ system, which is greater than the sum of its parts. Meanwhile, Love sometimes seems to not know what to do when he is on the floor with Cleveland, so I give the edge to Dray.

At center, the Dubs start Andrew Bogut, while the Cavs feature Timofey Mozgov. I am inclined to give the edge to Bogut because of his defensive and passing skills, but Mosgov simply outplayed Bogut during the Finals when they were both on the floor.

To recap: The Warriors have a far superior backcourt and have a slight edge at power forward, but the Cavs boast the best player in the world and a huge advantage at small forward, in addition to a center that seems to thwart the Warriors’ big man when they play against each other.

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In regards to the bench, the Warriors have a large advantage. That is no fault of the Cavs’, however, because the Warriors simply have the best bench in the league. But the Cavs do have to make some upgrades on the bench in order to keep their stars fresh and healthy, something they were not able to do last year.

So who will win the two regular season games between the teams? I see the series going 1-1 once again. The Warriors will win on Christmas day at Oracle in front of a crowd that has had to endure Cavs fans telling them their championship “didn’t count” all offseason, but I also anticipate that Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland will want some revenge and the Cavs will deliver in front of their home crowd.

If the teams meet in the Finals again, however, I would expect that the Warriors would once again win, solely based on the fact that they have far superior coaching, and will be able to make adjustments that the Cavs will not be to counter (see: Iguodala, Andre).

What do you all think will happen between the teams? Agree with me? Disagree? Comment your thoughts below.