On Thursday, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder will meet for the second time in as many weeks for a heavyweight regular season matchup. Both teams remain the top seed in their respective conferences at a combined 67-11, head and shoulders ahead of the rest of the league. The teams’ early-season success has pundits calling this game a ‘Finals Preview’.
Thunder vs Cavs in The Finals?
“That’s what I know will happen for a fact” – @SHAQ pic.twitter.com/IMTF1emDdW
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 15, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Cavs-Thunder Matchup Called ‘Finals Preview’
Last week, the Cavs and Thunder met in Cleveland for one of the most anticipated regular season games in recent memory. The game lived up to the hype as the Cavs came out 129-122 victors. The matchup featured 30 lead changes and was a clear showcase of the two best teams in the association. The result has built up large support for both teams to make the NBA Finals in the spring after earlier skepticism.
Currently, both teams lead their conference by at least six games as we near the halfway point of the season. Regular-season success is important, specifically for teams trying to prove that they belong as contenders. However, since 2000, the number one overall seed has not been kind to teams. In the last 25 seasons, only nine number-one overall seeds have made the NBA Finals, with eight of them winning the championship.
Why They’re Different
It is almost inevitable that the Cavs or Thunder will be the number-one overall seed entering this year’s postseason. Under half of the last 25 teams to accomplish that feat went on to make the NBA Finals. But here’s why both teams are different:
Cavs
The Cavs currently boast the league’s number one offense and a top-eight defense. Additionally, Cleveland has the highest FG% in the league at 50.2% while shooting threes at a league-high 39.9%. On defense, the Cavs rank 11th in defensive FG%, holding their opponents to 45.7% from the floor. The Cavs also have wins against some of the league’s best teams. They beat the Celtics, Thunder, Knicks, Bucks (twice), and Nuggets (twice).
Finally, Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson has been massive for the team’s turnaround from last season. He revolutionized the Cavs from a mid-ranked offense to comfortably the league’s best.
Thunder
The Thunder are the defensive version of the Cavs. They have the league’s top defense and a top-six offense to pair with it. They are top-10 in FG% while ranking first in both defensive FG% and 3PT%. Oklahoma City also has an MVP frontrunner in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who is averaging 31.4 points, 6.0 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game on 52.8% from the field.
The Last Word
The Cavs and Thunder both have serious chances to make the NBA Finals this year. Despite their preseason expectations, both teams have been better than expected and are playing at a very high level. Both teams have immensely talented rosters and coaching staffs. Their first matchup was a sign of things to come. Expect Thursday’s matchup to be just as good as their matchup from last week. Hopefully, this is not the last game between these teams this season as a seven-game series would be a great showcase for the NBA.
The post Cavs-Thunder Matchup Called ‘Finals Preview’ appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.