The Golden State Warriors are back in the NBA Finals for the sixth time in eight years. The last team to pull off that feat was Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.

The Warriors dynasty is definitely not over, and one of their main guys is making sure everyone knows it.

“After being counted out, dynasty being over, and all those things. To get back [in the NBA Finals] is fantastic. It’s a testament on hard work and dedication. This one feels great,” Warriors forward Draymond Green told the media after Golden State eliminated the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the 2022 Western Conference finals.

“I’ve always said all along, no one has proven they can beat us yet when we’re whole,” Green continued. “That is still the case.”

The Warriors have arguably the best trio in the NBA in 2022 conference finals MVP Steph Curry, comeback player of the year Klay Thompson, and first-team all-defensive player Green. The triumvirate has been powering Golden State’s machine for a decade, winning three NBA championships in a five-year span. The Golden Trio have an opportunity to add to their Hall of Fame credentials by winning a fourth title and adding the Boston Celtics to their hit list.

The Dubs being back in the Finals stage is one of the best stories of the NBA’s diamond anniversary season. Most basketball pundits thought the Dubs’ dynasty was done in 2019. Kevin Durant left for Brooklyn and Thompson was dealt with two devastating injuries. The last time the Warriors’ Big 3 were in the NBA Finals together, Thompson had to be helped off the floor after suffering an ACL tear. Thompson’s comeback was derailed the following year after he tore his Achilles’ tendon during the offseason. It took almost three NBA calendar years before Curry, Green, and Thompson were finally reunited on the court, but once they were whole again the Warriors became the Warriors again. Just like Bruce Wayne became the Dark Knight again after climbing out of the pit.

Golden State finished with a 53-29 regular-season record and earned a No. 3 seed in the West. Even though the Warriors didn’t finish ahead of Phoenix or Memphis, they were clearly championship contenders and used the regular season as a warm-up act for a big playoff push.

“I can’t say coming into this season that we’ll be in the NBA Finals, but we always believe with us three we have a chance,” Green said.

Green and the rest of the Warriors understood the bigger picture. They know what it takes to win a championship, and their mindset has always been that they’re still one of the best teams, if not the best, as long as they avoid the pitfalls of an 82-game grind.

“Most teams in the NBA just aren’t that good,” Green said. “You can win games in the regular season, that means nothing. We understand that. We don’t chase wins during the regular season, we chase improvement during the regular season.”

The Warriors posted a 42-17 record prior to the All-Star break, but faded down the stretch and went 11-12 without Green and Curry. Green suffered a lower back injury in January, while Curry sprained his ankle in March that forced him to miss the last month of the regular season.

Green told Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill that the last two years have been “miserable.” Despite being cast aside like an aging rock band, Green and the Warriors never wavered and stuck with the plan. The plan was to lean on Curry’s offense and Green’s defense while Thompson worked his way back into the rotation, and prepare Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole for bigger roles.

The constant figure in the Warriors’ rehabilitation was Curry. The NBA’s all-time leader in 3-pointers — who has put together back-to-back MVP-worthy seasons — said the team never lost faith despite a mountain of injuries and an overhauled roster, understanding the difficulty of the climb to the top after falling off it.

“I think internally we are all extremely proud of what it took to get back here. Yeah, it’s definitely sweet based on what we went through,” Curry said.

Curry believes the Dubs started climbing out of their two-year dark hole late in the 2021 season, winning 15 of 20 games and making the play-in game. Even though the Warriors lost both play-in games, the foundation was established for the next season.

Thompson returned to the lineup in January after two arduous rehab seasons from ACL and Achilles surgeries. In 32 games this season, Thompson averaged 20.4 points per game and shot 42% from the field. Those numbers are just a shade under what he averaged (21.5 PPG and 46.7% FG) in 2018-19 when he played 78 games.

Thompson is still not completely back to All-Star level, but the old Klay is starting to return as we get deeper into the 2022 playoffs. He punctuated the Warriors’ domination of the Mavericks in the conference finals with 32 points in the series-clinching Game 5, including eight 3-pointers. After the game, Thompson was just grateful to be back on the big stage after missing two full seasons.

“I’ve dreamt about this every day,” Thompson said about being back in the NBA Finals.

“I got really in touch with music [during rehab],” he added. “It would help me through a lot of those sessions. Just the appreciation of moving my body again. I thought about those days I couldn’t run or jump, how lucky we are to do what we do.”

Green, Curry, Thompson and Andre Iguodala are in rarified air in NBA lore. Advancing to six NBA Finals in eight years has only been done by legendary teams. Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics teams won eight straight titles from 1959-66. Jerry West’s L.A. Lakers teams made seven appearances in The Finals in nine years. Magic Johnson’s Lakers in the 1980s reached The Finals eight times during the decade. Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls teams won six championships in eight seasons in the 1990s.

As Curry previously stated, this year’s trip to The Finals is sweet because of it it took to get to this point. Only four players remain from their first championship roster in 2015. Key pieces on their title teams like Shaun Livingston, Leandro Barbosa, Harrison Barnes, and Andrew Bogut are no longer around. And Kevin Durant’s heart is no longer in San Francisco. It’s in Brooklyn.

The faces may have changed but the core players and the standard they set for themselves remain the same. And a fourth championship for the remaining members of Golden State’s “Death Lineup” will surely put them on a different stratosphere in the NBA pecking order.

“We’re happy to be [in the NBA Finals], but it would help our legacy a lot if we completed the mission and won the whole thing,” Thompson said.

Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant are poised to repeat as NBA champs. (AP)

The 2017-18 NBA season can’t arrive soon enough, especially after a super-busy offseason that saw Kyrie Irving traded to Boston, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony joining forces with Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City, and Chris Paul teaming up with James Harden in Houston.

All the wheeling and dealing and activity by many teams are meant to accomplish one goal: beat the Golden State Warriors.

Check that. Try to keep up with the Warriors.

The Dubs are coming off a 67-win season and a second NBA title in three seasons. Golden State has compiled a mind-boggling 207-39 record in that span, including a record 16-1 run during the 2017 playoffs.

The Warriors barely did anything this summer, and why would they. They return every significant player from their championship run, and they get head coach Steve Kerr back for a full season (hopefully). Barring a major injury, the Dubs should be the clear favorite in the Western Conference and sweep their way to a  fourth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals. About the only drama left is, can anyone win a playoff game against the Warriors? It’s the Warriors’ world and everyone else is playing for second.

OneManFastBreak.net projects which eight teams will make the Western Conference playoffs:

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1-GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: The fearsome foursome of Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green are poised for another historic season. Based on the team’s preseason trip to China, Curry and Thompson look to be in midseason form. In a league that has become 3-point happy, Curry, who signed a five-year, $201 million contract in July, remains the undisputed king of the 3-ball. And his backcourt mate, Klay, is not too far behind. NBA defenses have yet to figure out how to stop the Splash Brothers, who combined for 592 threes last season. Steph (29) and Klay (27) are in the prime of their careers, and neither one appears to be slowing down. Draymond is poised to win a second Defensive Player of the Year award and KD, well, the season can’t start soon enough for one of basketball’s biggest stars. Durant had an interesting offseason to say the least. Maybe he was bored. Maybe he needs extra motivation. Whatever the case may be, Durant is ready for another MVP season and shut down all the haters. Prediction: 69-13

2-HOUSTON ROCKETS: The Rockets made the deal with the L.A. Clippers to acquire point guard Chris Paul to try to leapfrog over the San Antonio Spurs and close the gap with the Warriors. The trade may be enough to overtake the Spurs, but it didn’t quite close the gap with the Warriors. In that case, the team went 1-for-2. CP3 is a definite upgrade over Patrick Beverley, and he can keep the chains moving when James Harden takes a breather. When the two are on the court together, Mike D’Antoni will split the court in half. CP3 will run pick-and-rolls on the right side of the court, while Harden will run pick-and-rolls on the left side of the court. Prediction: 59-23

3-SAN ANTONIO SPURS: The Spurs won 61 games in the first year of the post-Tim Duncan era. Kawhi Leonard is now firmly entrenched as the leader of the team, while soon-to-be Hall-of-Famers Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are winding down their careers. Finding replacements for Parker and Ginobili are on top of Gregg Popovich’s to-do list. As the Spurs continue to transition to Kawhi’s team, LaMarcus Aldridge must become more of a factor if San Antonio wants to stay relevant in the West. The addition of Rudy Gay should help the Spurs’ small ball offense, while super sub Patty Mills will keep the seat warm until Parker returns from his leg injury. The Spurs remain a powerhouse in the West, but the Rockets and Thunder are catching up. Prediction: 58-24

4-OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER: With the additions of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, reining league MVP Russell Westbrook now has two studs on the wings. There is no reason for Russ to wing it on his own. George gives OKC a tremendous two-way player who can take pressure off Westbrook running the offense and guarding the other team’s best guard. Melo looks refreshed and could be an important player in late-game situations, where OKC struggled mightily last season when teams loaded up on Westbrook. OKC should be significantly better defensively with George and Andre Roberson defending the wings and Steven Adams guarding the paint. If OKC can knock down enough 3-point shots (another phase of the game it struggled last season) it should challenge the Spurs and Rockets for the second-best record in the West. Prediction: 57-25

5-LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS: Now that CP3 is gone, the Clippers look to Blake Griffin to lead the franchise. Griffin was awarded with a five-year, $173 million contract to be the face of the team, and this season will be a litmus test of his leadership skills. Behind Griffin and center DeAndre Jordan, L.A. should overpower teams with its big frontline. The Clips are one of the few teams in the league who have not embraced small ball. Their power game should be good enough to reach the playoffs, but far from challenging for a title.  Prediction: 48-34

6-UTAH JAZZ: The Jazz had one dreadful offseason. On top of losing leading scorer Gordon Hayward to free agency, the Jazz could potentially lose up-and-comer Dante Exum for the season because of a shoulder injury. Head coach Quin Snyder will have his work cut out for him as he tries to patch together a lineup to navigate through a very difficult conference schedule. Snyder will lean on his top-rated defense led by 7-1 center Rudy Gobert. The Stifle Tower had a league-best 4.1 blocks per game and anchored a defense that gave up just 96 points a game. Newly acquired point guard Ricky Rubio is an upgrade from George Hill, and watch out for rookie shooting guard Donovan Mitchell. Prediction: 45-37

7-PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS: The Blazers have one of the best backcourt tandems in the league. But it’s a gift and a curse. Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum as so good they mask the Blazers’ weaknesses. If the Blazers are going to make a playoff push they need another player to step forward to help Lillard and McCollum. That player could be 23-year-old, 6-11 center Jusuf Nurkic. When the big man from Bosnia is healthy, he looks like a young Arvydas Sabonis. When he’s hurt, he looks like a young Sam Bowie. The Blazers are hoping the young Sabonis shows up. Prediction 43-39

8-MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: Defensive guru Tom Thibodeau won just 31 games in his first season in Minnesota. He knew he needed to bring in more defensive-minded players to run his ultra-aggressive style. Mission accomplished. Thibs brought in his former pupils from Chicago, Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson, to bring a little bit of nasty to Minnesota. Butler joins Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins in a starting lineup that’s about as good as any in the West (except the Warriors, of course). A better defensive approach should be enough to push the Wolves to their first playoff appearance in 13 years. Prediction: 42-40

Last three teams out: Denver Nuggets, L.A. Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies.

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.

Steph Curry and the Warriors are lapping — and laughing at — the field. (AP)

Let’s cut to the chase. The Golden State Warriors are going to win the 2016-17 NBA title. About the only drama left in this year’s postseason is whether or not these Super Warriors will drop a game on their way to their second championship in three years.

Sorry, LeBron. Your reign as King of The Land is over. Time to hand over the crown to the boys from Bay.

The Warriors flashed their greatness in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the San Antonio Spurs. After a long layoff and missing their head coach, Steve Kerr, the Warriors got out of the games slow. They were sloppy. They were rusty. And they fell behind by 25 points. Yet, they won thanks to 40 points from Steph Curry and 34 from Kevin Durant. After being held to 42 points in the first half, the Warriors exploded like a ballistic missile in the second half and finished with 113 points. A truly remarkable turnaround that should scare and discourage the remaining playoff teams. The Warriors played their C game and still won, remaining perfect in the postseason. They clearly have their sights set on the 2001 L.A. Lakers’ 15-1 playoff record.

“They [the Spurs] came out and challenged us heavy, put a nice little run together,” Curry said after the game. “It took us a minute to figure it out to get up to that game speed after this little break.”

Notice Curry kept saying “little.” The Spurs made a “nice little run” to take advantage of the Dubs, who were coming off their “little break.” San Antonio, despite a near-perfect half, never had a chance. Curry and Co. are a confident bunch. And they should be. Once they found their groove it was lights out.

With a healthy Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs have “little” chance to win beat the Dubs. With Kawhi hobbled by a bum ankle, the Spurs have no shot.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise, though. The Warriors should have started getting fitted with their championship rings last summer when Kevin Durant decided to leave his Thunder buddy, Russell Westbrook, and join the team that won a record 73 games. It’s like Batman joining the Avengers. You’re talking about an MVP in KD joining a squad that already boasts a two-time MVP in Curry. Both at the height of their powers. Then you add two more studs in Klay Thompson and Draymond Green — both arguably among the top 15 players in the NBA — and you basically have the greatest collection of talent in the basketball universe. It is almost unfair. A competitive advantage no team has enjoyed throughout history.

With Curry and Thompson, the Warriors have the two best shooters in basketball history. Add Durant — a multiple scoring champ — to the mix and you have an unguardable unit. You won’t find a better offensive unit. Oh, by the way. The Warriors are also armed with two elite defenders in Draymond and Andre Iguodala. Yikes!

Game. Set. Match.

If LeBron James can win two games against these Dubs, he should get a statue at every NBA arena. These Warriors are insanely good. When the final confetti drops at Oracle Arena after the Dubs are crowned NBA champs, we’ll be comparing them to the all-time great teams. These Warriors are no longer just chasing down a championship. They’re chasing down history.

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 Draymond Green get into an altercation during the second half of Game 4 of the NBA Finals. (GETTY IMAGES)

President George W. Bush famously said, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me, can’t get fooled again.”

When Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green “accidentally” kicked Oklahoma City Thunder Steven Adams in the groin during Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, most of us gave Draymond a pass. So did the NBA.

Green claimed he didn’t mean to drop a front kick to Adam’s crotch. He said he was trying to draw a foul, and as he flailed to sell the call he hit Adams.

The league upgraded Green’s foul from a flagrant 1 to a flagrant foul 2, with a $25,000 fine attached, but no suspension.

Fine. Dirty deed was brushed aside to allow the Warriors to advance to the NBA Finals.

Fast forward to Game 4 of the The Finals in Cleveland. Green finds himself in the middle of another groin-related controversy. Green, while setting a moving screen for Stephen Curry, got tangled up with LeBron James near halfcourt. It sparked an altercation that led to Draymond going Kung Fu Panda on Bron, as he threw a right hammer fist to the Cavs star’s private parts.

LeBron obviously didn’t like the fact that Draymond went down that road. The two exchanged words and things got a little physical from there.

Green later claimed he felt disrespected after LeBron tried to step over him during their dustup near the end of the third quarter. “I don’t disrespect you on the court. Don’t disrespect me. There’s no love lost. It is what it is. It’s a battle out there. I’m going to battle with whoever it is,” Green wrote in his playoff diary.

Funny how Green is calling out LeBron for disrespecting him. This is coming from a guy who admits he purposely pokes, prods and agitates opponents to get them off their game. He does primal screams just about as often as Tarzan. And he flexes both his arms almost every time he makes a good play. Disrespect? Draymond should know. It’s OK for him to do it, but when someone does it to him he feels wronged.

The league wasn’t fooled by Draymond’s latest actions. It slapped the Dubs’ defensive stalwart a flagrant 1 foul, which means a one-game suspension because it was his fourth flagrant foul point of the postseason. Had the league upgraded the foul to a flagrant 2 then Draymond would have missed two games.

Green is the classic basketball bully. When he’s getting his butt kicked and outplayed — like what Adams was doing to him during the entire Golden State-OKC series — he resorts to kicking or punching a guy while he has his back turned.

Whether LeBron stepped over Green intentionally or not, it doesn’t and shouldn’t give Draymond the green light to punch him in the groin. That is beneath someone like Green. He made the All-NBA second team and got the second-most votes for Defensive Player of the Year. A true NBA star does not punch people in the groin. You leave that up to the role players.

If Draymond wants to be treated like a basketball superstar then he should start acting like one.

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.”