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Rick Zamperin: Cavaliers could get swept by Warriors

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry meet for the fourth consecutive year in the NBA Finals. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

It’s like a broken record.

For the fourth consecutive year, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors will meet in the NBA Finals.

The best-of-7 series tips off Thursday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., and unless LeBron James is able to clone himself, the Cavs don’t stand a chance.

In fact, the Warriors should sweep this series.

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James is the best player in the game, and one could argue he is the best ever. I’ll leave that debate for another day, but in saying that, this is James’ ninth NBA Finals appearance in his 15-year career including the last eight years in a row. That’s insane.

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But he can’t carry the Cavs to another upset, can he?

No, not against Golden State.

Not with Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

The Warriors opened as 12-point favourites in Game 1, the biggest point spread in an NBA Finals opener since the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Philadelphia 76’ers in 1991, a series L.A. won in five games.

The Warriors dominated the Cavaliers to win last year’s final in five games. In 2016, Cleveland rallied past Golden State to become the first team in NBA history to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy after trailing 3-games-to-1. The Warriors took their first meeting in the Finals, in 2015, in six.

I guess I will give the Cavs one game, a win in Game 3, but that’s it. The Warriors are again set to be crowned NBA champions.

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