LeBron James’ Cavs fell in five games to Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, and the Warriors. (AP)

LeBron James’ worst nightmare has become reality. When Kevin Durant joined the Golden State Warriors last summer, LeBron knew he’ll be facing a “worthy” opponent in the NBA Finals but he didn’t know just how worthy.

After five brutal games in The Finals, LeBron got his answer. The Warriors are a monster. A juggernaut. An unstoppable force. A team with a collection stars who are entering their primes and poised to rule the basketball world in the next four to five years. In winning their second NBA championship in three years, the Warriors put the rest of the league on notice. They raised the bar so high that they’re turning the NBA into FIBA. One Dream Team playing for gold, while the rest of the world are playing for silver.

Speaking of silver, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver hinted that a sweep by the Warriors over the Cleveland Cavaliers would be bad for the league. Well, it wasn’t quite a sweep but it took an NBA Finals record 24 3-pointers and 86 first-half points by the Cavs just to put a dent on the Warriors’ near-perfect playoff run. During their historic 16-1 blitz through the playoffs, the Warriors set all kinds of records, including the longest winning streak in one postseason (15), highest winning percentage in the playoffs (.941), fewest turnovers in a Finals game (4), and largest average margin of victory entering the Finals (16). Golden State also averaged 119 points per game, three points better than second-place Cleveland and 11 points better than third-place Indiana.

The Warriors’ dominance raises this question: Are the Warriors the best team of all-time?

Oddsmakers at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand favored the 2017 Warriors over Michael Jordan’s 1996 Chicago Bulls squad by 8 points in a hypothetical matchup on a neutral court. This is a Bulls team that won a then record 72 games and boasted three Hall of Famers on the court (Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman) and one Hall of Fame coach (Phil Jackson).

Jordan’s Bulls are the measuring stick whenever G.O.A.T. teams are brought up. MJ and Co. are the linear NBA champions based on this formula: Magic’s Lakers beat Bird’s Celtics, Magic’s Lakers lost to Isiah Thomas’ Pistons, Isiah’s Pistons lost to Jordan’s Bulls. The Shaq-Kobe Lakers are also worthy bringing up, but a two-man team can’t beat the 2017 Dubs. We’ve seen that already in this year’s playoffs. Just ask LeBron and Kyrie Irving.

The Bulls could definitely matchup with any team on the defensive end, especially against the 2017 Warriors. Jordan’s Bulls held teams to under 93 points and 44 percent from the field. Jordan, Pippen and Rodman are considered three of 10 best defenders of all-time, and guard Ron Harper and center Luc Longley are underrated defensively.

Can the Bulls stop the Warriors? Maybe not, but they can at least slow them enough to stay within striking distance. That’s IF we’re playing 1990s-style defense, in which hand checking and hard fouls are allowed. If today’s rules apply, the Bulls will struggle to slow down KD and the Splash Brothers.

The length of Jordan and Harper will present Steph Curry and Klay Thompson a difficult challenge, and Jordan can lock down either one at any point. Pippen will likely be assigned to guard Durant; Rodman and Draymond Green will wrestle at power forward and Luc Longley and Zaza Pachulia lock horns at center. Both teams like to go small, so Andre Iguodala and Toni Kukoc could play a pivotal role as 6th men off the bench. One problem the Bulls could have matching up is reserve guard Shaun Livingston. At 6-7, Livingston towers over Randy Brown and Steve Kerr (the player) and the Bulls may have to double Livingston in the post.

But here is where it gets dicey for Chicago.

Offensively, the Warriors average around 116 points per game. That is 11 points better than the Bulls, who have just three players average double figures (Jordan, Pippen, Kukoc). Jordan would have to hit his average (30) and then some. Jordan should be able to hit his average against Klay, but it won’t be easy. And if Klay gets in foul trouble, the Warriors could also throw Iguodala at MJ. Pippen averaged 19 points per during the 1995-96 season. But against 6-10 Durant, Pip could have a difficult time reaching that total. The only other offensive weapon the ’96 Bulls had was Kukoc. He averaged 13 points per game. Iguodala should get the assignment on Kukoc, with some help from Livingston.

This is why Vegas oddmakers favor the Warriors over Jordan’s Bulls. They anticipate that the Warriors cannot be stopped on offense and play enough defense to win the series. The other big factor is depth. The Warriors have two MVPs (Durant and Curry) at the height of their powers supported by two top-10 players in Green and Thompson. That’s four future Hall of Famers in their primes. No team in the history of the game has ever had that luxury.

We all may be prisoners of the moment elevating the 2017 Warriors to the top of the NBA all-time list and too quick to dismiss the great teams of the past. But given the impressive statistics and the unprecedented talent that these Warriors possess, they are definitely worthy of being No. 1.

All eyes will be on the forward matchup between LeBron James and Kevin Durant. (AP)

The NBA Finals are here, and it’s not surprising that the same two teams that played in June last year are back for round three. It’s the rubber match of the much-anticipated rematch between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Warriors are still hurting from last year’s defeat at the hands of the Cavs. They were up 3-1 in the series when Draymond Green decided to hit the Cavs below the belt. Draymond’s suspension and the injury to center Andrew Bogut flipped the series toward the Cavs. LeBron and Co. won three straight games to win the 2016 title in an epic Game 7 at Oracle Arena.

Draymond said the next time he sees the Cavs he wants to “annihilate” them. That’s exactly what’s going to happen in the 2017 Finals. The Warriors, who own a perfect 12-0 record in the postseason, are armed with the best offense the game of basketball has ever seen. They have arguably four of the 15 best players in the league in Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond, and Kevin Durant. They have two of the best defensive players in the league in Draymond and Klay, and they have without a doubt the three best shooters in the world in Steph, Klay, and KD.

Cleveland has some firepower of its own led by The King, LeBron James, and his band of Cavaliers. Kyrie Irving may be the best one-on-one player in the NBA. And Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson are beasts on the boards.

Heading into the 2017 NBA Finals, the question is do the Cavs have enough weapons to keep the Warriors from winning their second NBA title in three years? The answer is “no.” Put it this way. If LeBron can win two games against these Dubs, he should get a statue at every arena. These Warriors are just that good. Adding Kevin Durant to a team that went 73-9 the previous season is like Batman joining The Avengers.

The Warriors and the Cavaliers played against each other twice during the regular season, but both games are not good indicators for what will happen in The Finals. The Christmas Day game was won by the Cavaliers 109-108 at Quicken Loans Arena on an incredible fadeaway shot by Kyrie. The second matchup on MLK Day was a 126-91 blowout by the Warriors at Oracle. In the game Cleveland won, the Warriors were still figuring out how to play with Durant and the Cavs hadn’t remade their roster yet. In the game Golden State won, the Cavs were on the tail end of a long road trip and looked fatigued by the time they landed in Oakland.

Here’s a breakdown on how the 2017 NBA Finals will shape up offensively and defensively.

WHEN THE WARRIORS HAVE THE BALL

To start the game, Cavs coach Ty Lue will likely use Kyrie Irving on Klay Thompson, J.R. Smith on Steph Curry, Love on Zaza Pachulia, and Thompson on Draymond. That leaves the juicy matchup on the wing between the two best forwards in the world in LeBron and KD. But enjoy it while you can because LeBron won’t stick Durant the whole game, especially if he gets into early foul trouble. Look for Smith or Iman Shumpert to slide over and defend Durant to give LeBron a break. When the game gets to the fourth quarter, LeBron should stick Durant especially when the Warriors go to their “death lineup” with Draymond at center, KD and Iguodala at the forward spots, and Steph and Klay in the backcourt. The Cavs can hide Love on defense by sticking Iguodala, but they can’t hide both Kyrie and Love. Kyrie will need to defend either Steph or Klay down the stretch. Most likely, Kyrie will guard Steph but he’ll have plenty of help. Expect the Cavs to trap Curry and force him to give up the ball. This is where The Finals will either be won or lost for the Cavs. Once they double team Curry, the ball will start moving for Golden State. That means the Cavs’ rotation must be sharp and in-sync. They cannot afford to let go of the rope at any point because once they do it’ll be lights out. This is the defense they played last year and they usually leave one shooter open, which was Harrison Barnes. This year, the Cavs won’t have that luxury. There no more weak links on the Dubs, so the Cavs’ defensive rotations will need to be sharper and they can’t afford to leave any shooters open.

WHEN THE CAVS HAVE THE BALL

LeBron James and Kyrie Irving are the best isolation players in the league. In the weaker Eastern Conference, this worked to near perfection. The Cavs were able to find the matchups they wanted and exploited them using ball screens. But the Warriors are a completely different beast. They switch everything on defense and Draymond Green is the best quarterback on defense. Green covers up all the mistakes of his teammates, and he can also handle his own in the post or the wing. Green’s greatest strength is ability to spark his team with his intensity. He is the driving force behind the Warriors’ machine and he never backs down from a challenge. Add Kevin Durant’s length and quickness and it is almost impossible to mount any kind of a consistent attack against the Dubs. To start the game, Steph Curry will guard Kyrie, Klay Thompson will guard J.R. Smith, Draymond will stick Tristan Thompson, Zaza Pachulia will stick Kevin Love, and KD will be on LeBron. What to watch closely is when Cleveland goes to its second unit. Lue has been using Deron Williams, Shumpert, Kyle Korver and either Channing Frye or Richard Jefferson to run with LeBron. This is not a great defensive lineup for the Cavs, so expect the Dubs to try to expose the older and slower Williams and Korver. Williams looks like he’s got some gas left in the tank as long as you don’t have to stretch his minutes. Korver was brought in to open the floor with his 3-point shooting. If he struggles, Lue could have a short hook. And if the Dubs begin to pull away, Lue may be forced to shorten or abandon his rotation.

Prediction: Warriors in 5.

Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry form a formidable 1-2 punch in Golden State. (GETTY IMAGES)

Last year more than half of the NBA general managers got it right by picking the Cleveland Cavaliers to win the Larry O’Brien trophy. This year, an overwhelming number of general managers are predicting that the Golden State Warriors are winning it all in June.

The annual NBA GM survey shows 69 percent of pro basketball’s decision-makers are taking the Warriors over Cavs in the Finals. And why not.

With the acquisition of Kevin Durant during the offseason, the Warriors now boast four of the top 10 players in the league. This is a franchise that won a record 73 games last season and came within one groin of winning back-to-back NBA titles.

They have two former MVPs in Durant and Stephen Curry, arguably the best two-way player in the league in Klay Thompson, and a top-flight power forward in Draymond Green.

To say that the Warriors are the favorites to win the title this season would be like saying Drake has a shot at dating someone like Rihanna. It’s a lock!

Let’s be real here. Nobody can beat these Warriors. It would be a monumental upset if that were to happen. It would be equivalent to the men’s USA Basketball squad losing in the Olympics or FIBA World Cup. They’re that good and that loaded. They just added the third-best player in the world to their roster to play with the second-best player in the world. This doesn’t even happen in fantasy basketball.

You can review basketball history and won’t find a roster with two MVPs at the height of their powers playing alongside each other. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was at the tail end of his career when he hooked up with Magic Johnson. Wilt Chamberlain was no longer in his prime when he played with Jerry West. And Kobe Bryant was in his early 20s when he teamed up with Shaquille O’Neal.

The Warriors will cruise through the regular season and barely break a sweat securing the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. A lesson learned from a season ago is that regular-season records don’t matter if you don’t win the chip. Once the playoffs arrive, expect these Dubs to go into overdrive and obliterate the competition, including LeBron James’ Cavaliers.

In the words of Clubber Lang, prediction for teams playing the Warriors this season is … pain!

LeBron James and Andre Iguodala battle in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals. (REUTERS)

The story of Cleveland’s sports history has been well chronicled and often mocked. For five decades, Northeast Ohio has suffered through some of the worst moments. The Drive. The Fumble. The Shot Over Ehlo. The Blown Save. The Decision.

Well, Clevelanders. You can finally stop hoping and praying for the city’s 52-year professional sports team championship drought to end. The favorite son of Northeast Ohio, LeBron James, obliterated the curse with “The Block.”

With under five minutes to play in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, the game was tied at 89. The next three minutes became a war of attrition. Neither the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers could buy a basket. Both teams dead tired. The pressure of a Game 7 and a championship at stake weighed heavily on everyone.

At the two-minute mark, the Warriors thought they had a fastbreak layup to take the lead. Andre Iguodala rebounded a Kyrie Irving miss, dribbled up the court, passed to Stephen Curry, who gave it right back to Iguodala for what appeared to be layup over J.R. Smith. But LeBron somehow found the energy to get back on defense and timed his jump perfectly to pin Iguodala’s shot on the backboard.

“Oh my goodness. A superhuman defensive recovery by LeBron James,” ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy said.

Fifty-eight seconds later. Kyrie drained a 3-pointer over Curry from the right wing to give the Cavs a 92-89 lead. Ballgame! Cavs win. Wait over.

LeBron finished with a triple-double. Only the third time that’s been done in a Game 7 of the NBA Finals. But his three blocks may prove to be more important than his 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

“Knowing what our city has been through as far as our sports for the past 50-plus years,” James said. “You look back to the Earnest Byner fumble, [John] Elway going 99 yards, Jose Mesa not being to close in the bottom of the ninth to the Cavs going to The Finals in 2007 and getting swept, then last year [losing] 4-2 [to the Warriors]. Our fans, they ride or die. No matter what’s been going on. They continue to support us. For us to be able to end this drought, our fans deserve it. It was for them.

“For me, I’m true to the game. I know what I bring to the table,” James added. “I came back for a reason. To bring a championship to our city.”

LeBron’s chase-down block in the waning moments of Game 7 will go down not only as the signature moment of the 2016 playoffs but it’s the moment Cleveland sports fans can look back and say, “Enough! It’s our time now.”

With one monumental rejection, LeBron James turned the city known as the “mistake by the lake” into the basketball capital of the world.

The Chosen One delivered on his promise.

Steph Curry and Draymond Green (GETTY IMAGES)

The Oklahoma City Thunder had the Golden State Warriors on the ropes but couldn’t apply the knockout punch.

Facing elimination on the road in Game 6, the Warriors showed their championship mettle and stunned the Thunder with a performance for the ages. Klay Thompson lit up the Thunder for a playoff record 11 3-pointers, with nine of them not even touching the rim. Thompson scored 19 of his game-high 41 points in the fourth quarter that saw the Warriors rally from an eight-point deficit.

OKC led 99-96 with three minutes left in the game. That’s when it all fell apart. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook ran out of gas and went scoreless during that crucial stretch when the Thunder needed them the most, turning the ball over six times. Golden State went on to win Game 6 and finished off the reeling Thunder in Game 7 at Oracle Arena in Oakland to become the 10th team in history to rally from a 3-1 series deficit.

I can hear Rudy Tomjanovich now. Don’t ever underestimate the heart of a champion.

What stands in front of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals is a supremely confident 73-win team armed with the feeling of invincibility.

Golden State was pushed to the brink of elimination by the Thunder yet somehow found a way to pull itself out of a deep hole. It is extremely hard to defeat a team that is very comfortable walking through the ring of fire. They have two flamethrowers in Stephen Curry and Thompson who can get hot faster than a microwave oven. No lead is safe when the Splash Brothers are on the court. They coming out shooting as soon as they get off the team bus.

The Warriors have been the best team in the world the past two seasons, and now they are riding a wave of emotion. Those are insurmountable hurdles to overcome even for the great LeBron James.

LeBron’s Cavs don’t have the speed and length to bother the Warriors the way OKC was able to do. The Warriors have a significant advantage in the backcourt and their big men are more than capable of beating anything Cleveland will throw at them. Here are the keys to the series:

FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE 3-BALL

The Cavaliers have enjoyed a lot of success shooting threes in the playoffs, but now they’re facing a team armed with the best 3-point shooters on the planet — and arguably the greatest in the history of the game.

Curry and Thompson are changing the game. TNT’s Charles Barkley has repeatedly said jump-shooting teams don’t win championships. Well, throw that conventional wisdom out the window. Look no further than the telling stat from Game 6 against OKC. The Thunder enjoyed a 54-28 advantage from the paint, yet they lost because the Warriors were 21-for-44 from 3-point range while the Thunder shot 3-for-23. We are now seeing a league that used to play inside-out evolve into a perimeter-oriented game.

Cleveland enjoyed great success from behind the arc, especially at home at Quicken Loans Arena, during it’s 12-2 postseason run. But that was against the woeful Eastern Conference. Now the Cavs face the best snipers in the Association. The Warriors averaged a league-best 114 points per game and were the only team to shoot over 40 percent from 3-point land. If it comes down to 3-point shooting contest, the Warriors will win this contest every time.

Curry and Thompson are on a different level when it comes to shooting. They made nearly 700 threes during the regular season, and the Cavs do not have anyone on their roster athletic enough and long enough to bother the Splash Brothers. Kyrie Irving is a wonderful offensive player, but he’s a liability on defense. J.R. Smith will likely get the assignment on Klay, which means Kyrie has to defend Steph early on until Matthew Dellavedova comes off the bench to try to slow down the two-time league MVP. Delley had some success against Steph in last year’s NBA Finals, but Curry figured him out as the series got old. Iman Shumpert may be the Cavs’ best defensive option against Steph and Klay, but that would mean the Cavs will have to go against the best small-ball team in the league.

KEEPING UP WITH LEBRON

The first page of every scouting report on LeBron is to force him into shooting jumpers. James was one of the worst 3-point shooters during the regular season and that trend continues in the playoffs. LeBron wants to live in the paint, and Golden State is too long and too good to allow that to happen.

The Warriors can throw different defenders at LeBron James, including first-team All-NBA defender Draymond Green. (GETTY IMAGES)

Don’t buy into the popular notion that the Warriors are a “small” team. There is nothing small about these Warriors. In fact, they are one of the biggest teams in the league. They average 6-7 across the board, and they are one of three teams to average six blocks during the season (the Cavs averaged only 3.9 blocks per game).

Klay (6-7) is more than capable of keeping Kyrie out of the painted area (Hubie Brown voice). That means the rest of the Warriors can cheat off their man and offer help-side defense against LeBron.

Head coach Steve Kerr can throw different bodies at LeBron. Harrison Barnes (6-8) will likely get the first crack at the four-time NBA MVP, but Andre Iguodala (6-8) will get the bulk of the minutes defending LeBron. If Barnes and Iggy get into any sort of foul trouble, the Warriors can also call on first-team all-defender Draymond Green to cover LeBron.

The Warriors’ length allows them to switch pick-and-rolls. And if Kerr is forced to play big he has three capable 7-footers (Andrew Bogut, Festus Ezeli, Mo Speights) at his disposal.

Bogut was the key in the Thunder series. When the Warriors fell behind 3-1 in the series, Kerr extended Bogut’s minutes to prevent OKC from dominating the paint. Bogut’s presence blocks off any clear path to the basket.

SMALLER THE BETTER

If Cavs coach Ty Lue is even thinking about going small in this series, he should rethink that idea. Going “small” means the Cavs can’t have Kevin Love or Thompson on the court at the same time. LeBron slides into the 4 spot and the backcourt combination will likely be Kyrie, Smith and Shumpert or Kyrie, Delley and Smith. Advantage Golden State.

The Warriors’ speed lineup (or Lineup of Death) — Curry, Thompson, Iguodala, Barnes and Draymond or Curry, Thompson, Shaun Livingston, Iggy and Draymond — demolished the league all season en route to 73 wins. Only the lightning-quick Thunder lineup of Westbrook, Dion Waiters, Andre Roberson, Durant and Serge Ibaka were able to slow down the Dubs.

The Cavs do not possess the speed, athleticism and length of the Thunder. And they have two stars (Love and Kyrie) who can be liabilities on defense. Lue will have some interesting decisions to make in this series. Will he sit Love during the fourth quarter to avoid getting destroyed on defense? Or does he roll the dice and trust Love won’t have defensive lapses?

Cleveland averages around 104 points per game, which is 10 points less than what the Warriors average. Where are the Cavs getting those 10 extra points? Larry Nance ain’t walking through that door. Brad Daugherty ain’t walking through that door. Price ain’t walking through that door.

Don’t bother asking Hodor to hold the door. The Warriors are going to bust through that door open like a bunch of Whitewalkers and reclaim the title.

Stephen Curry and Harrison Barnes ended Golden State’s title drought in 2015. (GETTY IMAGES)

There are 30 teams in the NBA, but realistically speaking there are only a handful of teams capable of hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy.

If you’re a fan of the Sixers, Kings, Lakers, Nuggets, Nets and Hornets, it’s probably safe to book that reservation to Las Vegas or the Caribbean in June.

Sure there are plenty of contenders for the championship, such as the Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls. But these teams have major questions that’ll ultimately lead to their downfall during the knockout stages.

The Rockets are a wonderful offensive team, but can they make enough stops on the defensive end when it counts? The Grizzlies are a fantastic defensive team, but can they score enough points? The Hawks have a well-balanced team, but do they have that superstar to close out games? The Bulls have all the pieces to win in the playoffs, but can Rose stay injury free?

OneManFastbreak.net examines the five teams, in no particular order, with the best shot at winning the 2015-16 NBA championship.

Cleveland Cavaliers — LeBron James came within two games of ending Cleveland’s decades-long title drought. LeBron posted historic numbers during the NBA Finals, but even his superhuman effort wasn’t enough to beat the Golden State Warriors. LeBron is more than capable of lifting a team to the Finals, especially in the weak Eastern Conference, but he needs help to finish the job. The Cavaliers have the roster to compete for a title. The only roadblock at this point is health. Kevin Love missed nearly the entire playoffs because of shoulder injury, and the Finals might have had a different result had Kyrie Irving not gotten hurt on a freak knee-on-knee collision with Klay Thompson. Love appears to be healthy, while Irving is on schedule to return in January (or sooner). The Cavs have one goal in mind and that’s win a title, and Las Vegas oddsmakers love the Cavs this season. Anything less than The Chip would be a major disappointment.

Golden State Warriors — The Warriors had one of the greatest seasons in NBA history. They finished the 2014-15 regular season with the best record. Stephen Curry was named the league MVP. And the Dubs capped off their storybook season by capturing the franchise’s first NBA title since 1975. Steve Kerr made this coaching gig look real easy by expertly navigating his team through the playoffs without a hitch in his rookie season. His second season, however, if off to a rough beginning. Kerr has taken a leave of absence after undergoing back surgery during the summer.

Steve Kerr won a title in his first season as coach. (GETTY IMAGES)

Luke Walton takes over as the interim coach, and he’ll be tasked with the keeping the ship on course until Kerr returns. Walton shouldn’t have too much to worry about because the Warriors still have the best roster in basketball. Curry and Thompson are now walking around with championship swagger, and Draymond Green is $82 million rich after inking a five-year deal. Until someone knocks them out, the Warriors are wearing the championship belts and the road to the title goes through the Bay Area.

San Antonio Spurs — Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford pulled off the biggest stunner during the offseason when they acquired the top prize in the free-agent market. LaMarcus Aldridge’s arrival in San Antonio opens up two avenues. The Spurs hop back on the fast lane to the NBA Finals and it also sets them up nicely in the future when Tim Duncan decides to hang up the sneakers for good. Duncan turns 40 next April, but he doesn’t look like a guy who is ready to dip into his retirement savings. The Big Fundamental signed a two-year extension for a modest $10.4 million. That’s quite a major discount for a first-ballot Hall of Famer and arguably one of the 10 greatest players in the history of basketball. It just shows Duncan’s commitment to winning. He may not be the player he was 10 years ago, but he’s still a very effective player on both ends and remains the heart and soul of the Spurs.

Oklahoma City Thunder — If there is anyone who has something to prove this season it’s Kevin Durant. After playing in a career-low 27 games in 2014-15, the man with the Twitter handle @kdtrey5 is on a mission to show the world he’s back to reclaim his most valuable player status. Durant’s return only bolsters an already formidable Thunder lineup. KD and Russell Westbrook form the best 1-2 scoring punch in the league, two unstoppable scoring champs who can take over a game at any moment. The challenge for first-year coach Billy Donovan is to find a way to unload some of the burden off KD and Westbrook, something former coach Scott Brooks wasn’t able to do. Donovan, an accomplished college coach, made two smart moves after his hiring. He brought in Maurice Cheeks and Monty Williams as assistant coaches, and he’ll lean on those two as he adjusts to the rigors of an 82-game NBA schedule. The Thunder’s title hopes largely depend on how quickly Donovan can convince Durant and Westbrook to buy into his program.

Los Angeles Clippers — The Clips went from title contender to borderline playoff team then back to being title contenders in one bizarre week in early July. The DeAndre Jordan drama that unfolded during the free-agency period was something straight out of an episode of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.” Once the L.A. smog cleared up, Jordan remained a Clipper and the Dallas Mavericks must have felt like a jilted GF. With Jordan back in the fold, the Clippers have what it takes to compete for a championship. They also added big-game performer Paul Pierce to help fix some of the problems that has plagued the team the last two postseasons, such as blowing leads in the fourth quarter. The window of opportunity for Chris Paul is closing fast. It’s now or never for the All-Star point guard, who has never reached the conference finals in his career. CP3 and the Clips hope to put up a real banner at Staples Center instead of those ridiculous giant selfies.

Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving injured his left knee in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. (GETTY IMAGES)

The mood in Cleveland has gone from bad to worse in 24 hours after news broke that All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving is done for the rest of the NBA Finals after an MRI exam revealed a fracture in his left kneecap. The injury normally requires a three- to four-month recovery time, so don’t expect to see Irving in a Cavs uniform until October.

The Cavaliers are coming off a gut-wrenching overtime defeat to the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of The Finals, despite 44 points from LeBron James. It just proves that one man cannot win a game, yet alone win a championship — even if that MAN is the best basketball player on the planet.

You have to feel for LeBron. He’s never really had a completely healthy Robin to his Batman.

James took a Cleveland team to the NBA Finals in 2007 that had a roster filled with a bunch of journeymen. When LeBron took his talents to South Beach, he won two titles but could have had more if Dwyane Wade stayed upright. Wade was completely healthy in just one of the four championship runs in Miami, forcing LeBron to do most of the heavily lifting. Now, LeBron’s new star sidekick, Kyrie Irving, is done for the playoffs.

Cleveland sports fans must be reliving “The Drive” and “The Decision” all over again.

These last two days have to be the worst two-day stretch for the Cavaliers this season. It started with the overtime period in Game 1 at Oracle Arena in Oakland when the Cavs took one on the chin when Kyrie went down.

With under three minutes to play in OT and the Cavs down by four, Irving drove to his right and as he tried to shake off Klay Thompson his left knee buckled. Seconds after Kyrie went down, Harrison Barnes buried a 3-point shot from the corner to give the Warriors a seven-point cushion at the 2:02 mark.

Irving tried to walk the pain off but it became unbearable and he was forced to leave the game. Prior to getting hurt, Irving was having a sensational game, with 23 points on 10 of 22 shots in 43 minutes.

The Cavaliers went scoreless in OT until LeBron scored an uncontested layup just before the final buzzer went off. They went 1-for-10 and was outscored 10-2. But the toughest part of OT was the sight of watching their second-best player limp off the court. Kyrie left the arena in crutches.

“I’m in a little bit of pain,” Irving told reporters after the game. “I tried to decelerate, trying to go by Klay. I don’t know what I felt but obviously it didn’t feel right. This was a little bit different than what I had been experiencing [in the Chicago series]. It was a quick pinch. I could still feel what was going on in my knee. This time I was a little bit different than the other time.”

Irving has been bothered by knee and foot problems since the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, and his body has deteriorated with each round.

“Obviously you can tell from the tone of my voice I’m a little worried. It’s a natural reaction,” Irving said. “The body works in mysterious ways.”

Right now, Irving’s body must be telling him, “enough!”

What made this latest injury extra painful was the fact that Cleveland was in great position to steal Game 1 in a place where only three teams have won all season. Irving said he felt “amazing” coming into The Finals, and even though he wasn’t 100 percent he was impacting the game on both ends. With one bad move, he went from being the old Kyrie to Uncle Drew.

“It’s a little disappointing and frustrating,” Irving said. “This is just a setback that I gotta take it with a grain of salt.”

The Golden State Warriors will throw different defenders at LeBron James, including Draymond Green. (GETTY IMAGES)

LeBron James won’t guarantee an NBA championship in Cleveland this year, but he did make one proclamation. “I guarantee that we will play our asses off,” he said about the Cavaliers’ showdown with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

James and his Cavaliers have been playing their butts off this postseason, especially on the defensive end. The Cavs own the top-ranked defense in the playoffs, holding teams to 92.6 points and 28.1 percent from the 3-point line. But now comes the true test. the Cavs are facing the most explosive and efficient scoring machine in the NBA Finals. The Warriors led the NBA in points per game (110), 3-point field-goal percentage (39.8) and assists (27.4). They have the best shooting backcourt in the world in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who combined to make 525 threes; far and away the most by any duo in the league.

Curry and Thompson present a whole different animal for the Cavaliers. You may be able to slow down one but not both. The Cavaliers need to hold the line and keep the Splash Brothers from going trey crazy.

This series could boil down to how well the Cavs play on the defensive end. They need to disrupt the Warriors’ ball movement and make the game stagnant because they won’t be able to win in a shootout. This will require paying attention to detail: running shooters off the the 3-point line, making them drive to the basket, and putting a body on Steph and Klay at all times. Cleveland must turn this into a scrum and make Golden State uncomfortable.

The Warriors love to run floppy sets for Steph and Klay. They start on the block and run off screens from Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green. The Cavaliers must stay attached to Steph and Klay, and force them to drive instead of stopping and popping for threes. They will make their share of threes, but try to limit their attempts by making them put the ball on the deck.

When Curry has the ball at the top and calls for a ball screen from Bogut or Green, Cleveland has the option of blitzing Curry or switching the screen. The better option would be to switch on the screen even though it will likely expose Cleveland’s big men. Switching the ball screen forces Curry to keep the ball in his hands and stops the ball from moving. If Curry gets cooking, the Cavs can always switch LeBron on him to try to cool him down.

Here are other key matchups to watch in the NBA Finals:

LeBron vs. Barnes, Iguodala, and Draymond

The Warriors are a basketball anomaly. They are bucking the conventional thinking that you can’t win a title shooting jump shots. But these Warriors are a different breed. Sure, they win games by shooting lights out from behind the 3-point line and running teams out of the gym. But what made them a 67-win juggernaut during the regular season was defense.

GSW arguably has three of the 10 best defensive players in the league. Klay Thompson is an elite perimeter defender, Andrew Bogut is a beast in front of the rim, and Draymond Green finished second to Kawhi Leonard as the defensive player of the year. Add Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala into the mix and you can see why teams struggle to score against Golden State.

In The Finals, the Warriors will face their greatest test. They’ll be going up against the most powerful force in basketball. The last time Golden State and Cleveland met, LeBron dropped 42 points in a 110-99 Cavaliers rout on Feb. 26.

LeBron poses matchup problems on the perimeter and in the paint. He’s capable of ruining any defensive game plan Warriors coach Steve Kerr will draw up. The book on Bron is to deny him driving lanes and force him into shooting jumpers. That’s what the San Antonio Spurs did the last two seasons, so expect Kerr, who played under coach Gregg Popovich, to copy that plan. Kerr will likely start Barnes on LeBron first then rotate different bodies on him. Iguodala is physically strong enough and athletic enough to stay with LeBron, so he could spend the most time on him. Green should also see No. 23, but he may have his hands full with Tristan Thompson. We’ll get to the Draymond-Tristan matchup later.

Steph vs. Kyrie

It is unfortunate Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving is running only at 75 percent because this would have a delicious point guard matchup.

Curry and Irving are not only the two most complete point guards in the NBA but they also possess some of the best handles in the biz. Kyrie better stretch his sore knees because Curry will surely test them.

Despite being hobbled in the Eastern Conference finals against the Atlanta Hawks, Irving still managed to make an impact in Game 4. In The Finals, he’ll go up against the MVP. No disrespect to Hawks point guard Jeff Teague but he’s not even close to being in Curry’s league. Few players are in Curry’s league.

Steph and Kyrie know each other well. They were both on the U.S. men’s national squad coached by Mike Krzyzewski that took home the gold medal at the 2014 FIBA World Cup. Irving served as Team USA’s point guard, while Curry was the shooting guard. Even though they started in the backcourt, you know they went at each other in practice.

Irving doesn’t need to match Curry point for point, but if he can give the Cavs anything close to his regular-season numbers (21.7 points and 5.2 assists) then Cleveland has a great shot a winning the title.

Bogut and Draymond vs. Mozgov and Tristan

The Warriors have mainly stayed with a conventional center-power forward frontline for most of the playoffs, but if Kerr decides to go small he probably use a lineup of Curry and Klay Thompson in the backcourt and Iguodala, Barnes and Green in the frontcourt. If Golden State goes with that lineup, Cleveland coach David Blatt will likely counter with Irving and Iman Shumpert in the backcourt and LeBron, J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson in the frontcourt.

We already broke down the Curry-Irving matchup and the LeBron vs. the Warriors matchup. The Cavs will most likely stick Shumpert on Klay, and Iguodala or Barnes will take on Smith. That leaves us with the battle in the paint between two power forwards playing center, Draymond and Tristan.

The NBA championship may rest of the shoulders of two lunchpail guys who could command major dollars during the offseason when they become free agents.

Draymond is arguably the reason why the Warriors own the best record in the NBA, and the Cavs could argue that they wouldn’t be in The Finals without Tristan, who replaced the injured Kevin Love in the starting lineup. Golden State and Cleveland switch most pick-and-rolls because they both feel they have the players who can guard multiple positions. Another reason why both teams don’t like to switch on screens is because they are confident in the abilities of Draymond and Tristan to guard perimeter players. What could decide this matchup is the battle under the basket. Tristan has been a beast on the offensive boards, and he’ll have a height advantage over Draymond.

Kerr could throw a wrench into the mix by sticking with Bogut and Draymond in the frontcourt. That could force the Cavs to go with Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson in the frontcourt. However, if you’ve been paying attention to the Cavs throughout the playoffs they’ve been consistently going with LeBron at power forward and Tristan at center, and those two have been punishing teams on the boards.

Whichever team wins the rebounding battle could be the one hoisting the gold trophy at the end.

Kobe Bryant leads the NBA in scoring, averaging 27.5 points per game.

We’re a couple of weeks into the NBA season, and some fascinating storylines are already developing. Here are my picks for the top-10 developments and observations on the 2014-15 season so far.

1. The Rookies need time

Andrew Wiggins. Jabari Parker. Julius Randle. Marcus Smart. This was supposed to be the rookie class that made an instant impact and asserted itself as one of the best groups of all time. It’s still very early, but so far they look like, well, rookies. Randle unfortunately suffered a broken leg in his very first game, but the rest of the rookie class has been a little underwhelming. Parker still looks to be the favorite to round into form and win Rookie of the Year, but no one is a surefire future all-star just yet. Give them time.

2. Miami underrated

Don’t look now, but the Heat are pretty good without LeBron James. Endurance could be an issue, as two of their key players, Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng, are both injury prone and getting older. However, Miami has looked like a top-four seed in the East so far. Bosh has been spectacular, and Wade looks so rejuvenated that the Miami Herald even suggested that he’s all-around happier this season. We’ll see if it continues, but for now the Heat are overlooked and underrated.

3. Kobe Bryant leading league in scoring

Yes, he just set the all-time NBA mark for missed field goals, but there are some great players on that list. Great players shoot a lot. Meanwhile, a Kobe Bryant that many had written off as overpaid, selfish, injured, old, broken, etc. is playing like the Black Mamba of old. And through a few weeks, he’s leading the league in points per game.

4. Anthony Davis a top-3 player

The Anthony Davis hype train was at full steam all summer, and Davis is backing it up. Per ESPN statistics, Davis may actually be the best player in the league thus far this season. John Hollinger’s PER rankings — viewed by some as the best composite ranking of a player’s value and accomplishment — show Davis leading the NBA with a 35.79 PER. For reference, LeBron has never finished a season with a PER over 33.

5. Rajon Rondo giving Celtics options

Rajon Rondo’s comeback has been somewhat quiet, probably because his Boston Celtics just aren’t competitive. However, he is leading the league in assists, and his strong form is giving Celtics GM Danny Ainge options. Had Rondo come back and not been himself, the Celtics would have lost their most valuable trade asset and best player. Now, Ainge gets to make the decision everyone’s been waiting for: build around Rondo or trade him for a pile of assets.

6. We can’t predict the West

Here’s the thing about the West: the teams are so loaded with talent that the smallest changes can allow teams to seize opportunity—and big changes can shift the landscape dramatically. Because of the Spurs’ slow start, the Thunder’s injuries, and the Clippers’ inexplicable sluggishness, teams like the Kings and Suns appear to be playoff contenders, and the Grizzlies are leading the way as the most reliable team in the conference. Go figure.

7. Cleveland needs time

This is something we all knew deep down but wanted to overlook. It just seemed logical to crown the Cavaliers favorites. The Betfair preseason assessment did as much, giving Cleveland the top odds over the defending champion Spurs to win the Finals. But in doing so, they expressed caution. Analyst Nick Shiambouros noted that it would take time for the Cavs to get on the same page, and that more experienced teams might offer better value. Maybe we should have listened, because while Cleveland has shown dominant stretches of offense, they’re far from a polished product.

8. Philadelphia has more assets than we thought

Nerlens Noel has looked promising for Philly, but Tony Wroten has been a revelation. Wroten has always been a strong player, but these first few weeks starting for the Sixers while Michael Carter-Williams recovers from injury represent his biggest showcase yet. And he’s aced it. Wroten can and should be a starting point guard in the NBA, even earning a glowing write-up from Grantland that called him a “frenzied bundle of chaos” (in a good way) and a “raging dynamo.” He may also be turning Carter-Williams into a trade chip.

9. Klay Thompson might be NBA’s best shooting guard

James Harden is the popular choice for best shooting guard, which is a weak position in the league these days. Kobe Bryant’s resurgence is noteworthy, as is Wade’s, but Thompson is young, rapidly improving, and (unlike Harden) a great defender. He looks like he’s taking over the position.

10. Big men are back

Big men are making a bit of a comeback. Nikola Vucevic in Orlando suddenly looks like one of the best young players in the league; Jonas Valanciunas continues to improve in Toronto; Derrick Favors is finally living up to potential in Utah; Anthony Davis might be the MVP. And that’s just a few. It’s the year of the bigs, so far.

The Lakers gave up a first-round pick to obtain point guard Ramon Sessions from Cleveland. (GETTY IMAGES)

So, the trade deadline came and went.

The Lakers didn’t make the big move everyone thought they might do in shipping Pau Gasol out and tinkering with the lineup that won them two NBA titles. But, they made a very wise and shrewd move in picking up Ramon Sessions (along with Christian Eyenga) from the Cleveland Cavaliers for Luke Walton, Jason Kapono, a first-round pick in the 2012 NBA draft and a little less than $1 million in cash. In order to shed some light on this solid pickup, I am going to give a brief rundown on this underappreciated player.

Sessions played for Nevada for three years before declaring for the NBA draft in 2007 and was selected in the second round (No. 56 overall) by the Milwaukee Bucks. He was regarded as a solid passer, but he wasn’t thought to be very athletic and there were questions about his ability to score in the NBA (as proven by his 12.3 points per game his junior year with the Wolf Pack).

But the Bucks had Mo Williams and Charlie Bell to play point guard and they weren’t really in need of another PG at the time. So, the Bucks made him the first ever NBA D-League player when they assigned him to the Tulsa 66ers where he excelled. He was called up to the Bucks in January of 2008 and began to slowly get some playing time with Milwaukee. Sessions had a game where he demonstrated his excellent passing and court vision by dishing out 24 assists in a single game versus the Chicago Bulls.

Despite playing well and averaging 11.6 points per game and six assists per game in 1 1/4 seasons with Milwaukee, the Bucks drafted Brandon Jennings in 2009 with the 10th overall pick. Seeing the writing on the wall, Sessions signed a four-year $16-million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves a few months later. He came off the bench for the Wolves in 2009 because they drafted Jonny Flynn and wanted to start him ahead of Ramon, despite Sessions being the better shooter and being a ball-handler.

In July of 2010, he was traded along with Ryan Hollins for Sebastian Telfair and Delonte West. In 2011, he made 38 starts and played in all 82 games. Statistically speaking, he had a breakout season with 13.3 points per game and 5.2 assists per game while sinking 46.6% of his field goal attempts and 82.3% of his free throws in just 26.3 minutes per game.

However, Cleveland was in the unenviable position of reloading their team after the LeBron James “decision.” Cleveland decided to draft college phenom Kyrie Irving, who spent just one season at Duke where he played in just 11 games before sustaining a season ending injury.This season, Sessions played very well backing up Irving and filling in for him as a stater. He had 13 assists and another game where he had 16 assists, displaying a passing proficiency Irving has not. Trading for Sessions is a very solid one by Mitch Kupchak and will make the Lakers a very tough team to beat come playoff time.

Sessions made his Lakers debut on March 16 and looked pretty damn good in just 19 minutes of action off the bench. He made three of six field goal attempts for seven points, he handed out five assists, and grabbed four rebounds. Not great, but not too shabby for not knowing much of the offense. If Sessions can average 13 points and 7-8 assists he certainly gives the Lakers a much better option at PG than they had before the trade. And his first game in limited minutes show that is definitely a possibility. His per 36-minute stats this year average out to about 15 points and 7.6 assists. And Sessions is a huge upgrade defensively against the ultra-quick guards in the Western Conference.

Sessions is an unrestricted FA in the offseason, but winning will certainly play a factor in him picking up his player option and winning just got a whole lot more realistic for the Lakers.

Darren Jacks is a contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Send him an email to djroxalot@hotmail.com.