10 keys to winning a title

Stay level headed

The Warriors and the Cavaliers have the premier rivalry in all of North American sports. There’s nothing quite like it. No teams have met like this.

These two teams have split the last pair of championships. This is the tie-breaker. There are legacies and history at stake in these NBA Finals.

This is a true rivalry. There’s high level of play, high stakes, and there’s a genuine dislike for each other. While LeBron James and Stephen Curry may respect each other, they aren’t friends.

James is great at psychological games. He knows how to get under his opponent’s skin. He did it last year during the Finals.

The Cavs’ star knew he could push Draymond Green to the point of an implosion and he did. He nudged Green into putting himself in a position where the league would take action. That’s how he leveled the playing field.

Once again, the Warriors are the favorites. And they are seeking revenge. They can’t let their emotions consume them though.

It’s necessary that Golden State stay level headed. They can’t get too high after individual plays or victories and they can’t get too low when Kyrie Irving does something spectacular or they lose a game. They need balance.

The Warriors want revenge more than anything. They still have the bad taste of last year’s collapse in their mouth. They have to stay the course though.

Golden State needs emotion and energy. They also need to be in control and calm. They need to make sure they are just worrying about the game. Then they can let their emotions run wild or they could let another series get away from them.