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The Cavs and Warriors are squaring off again: Here's how they became the NBA's fiercest rivalry over 2 years by Scott Davis on May 26, 2017, 1:20 PM Advertisement
 The NBA Finals are set, and for the third year in a row, it's the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. the Golden State Warriors. This has been the expected result all season, but it's exciting nonetheless — the league's two most dominant teams squaring off for a third straight year, something the NBA has never seen. In addition to the star power of the series, both teams have built a fierce rivalry over the past two years thanks to their Finals matchups. After the Warriors took the 2015 Finals in six games, with the Cavs missing Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, the Cavs got revenge in 2016. Along the way, there was a confrontation between LeBron James and Draymond Green, a critical suspension for Green, trash talk between both sides, and of course, a riveting Game 7 that came to down to the final moments. Here's a look back at how the two teams built one of the most exciting rivalries in sports. When LeBron James returned to Cleveland in the summer of 2014, the Cavaliers looked to be the most dominant team in the NBA. Nobody saw the Warriors coming.  Instead, fueled by the hire of Steve Kerr, the breakout of Draymond Green, and Stephen Curry's first MVP season, the Warriors took the league by storm, going 67-15. Both teams cruised to the Finals that year.
Almost immediately, the 2015 Finals were delivered a blow when Kyrie Irving broke his knee in Game 1, leaving LeBron James to carry an undermanned group of role players.  He nearly pulled it off. James averaged 35 points, 13 rebounds, and nearly nine assists per game, winning Games 2 and 3 for the Cavaliers.
However, Stephen Curry, troubled by the feisty defense of Matthew Dellavedova early in the series, eventually broke out and helped the Warriors win their first title in 30 years. 
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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