It is festive season all around the world, and Christmas cannot get any better for NBA fans as top two teams of the league, Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors will be involved in a tough battle on Sunday. Irrespective of the occasion, when such teams feature, the contest is always going to be electrifying.
Both teams have been stupendous this season, as Cavaliers stand on top of eastern conference while Warriors lie on number one position in the western conference. With 22 and 27 respective wins under their belt, both teams are aware that this is their biggest clash of the season so far, and a victory here could give them utter confidence to take any other team in the league.
The Warriors lost the NBA title to Cavaliers last season, and the visitors will eye revenge this time around. They have strengthened their team from last season, which lost in the final, with Kevin Durant as one of their key new stars. Durant has gelled brilliantly alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson as well, making them a formidable force.
With Durant, who averages 25.9 ppg, in sparkling form, coach Steve Kerr is confident going into this all-important clash.
"We feel a little more comfortable going into this matchup with Kevin Durant on our team. It's been a great rivalry the last couple of years. LeBron is so good, so big, so strong, so smart. He's a phenomenal player and it's nice to be able to go back there with Kevin. Obviously, they'll guard each other quite a bit but we've got a lot of other guys we have to worry about, just as they have to worry about a lot of our guys. It still comes down to how you play as a team at both ends," AP quoted Kerr as saying.
The contest between Cavaliers' James and Warriors' Durant is going to be epic, and their rivalry is going to be interesting on Sunday. James is aware that the task is not going to be easy against Durant, one of the best players in the league. The Cavaliers will have a huge task as they will also have to stop Curry and Thompson from firing on all cylinders.
"They're already the toughest team to guard that I've played against, along with the Spurs, in my career. So can you get more tougher to guard? I mean, I guess so when you add Kevin Durant, one of the greatest scorers this game has ever seen and one of the best players our game has seen in the last eight, nine, 10 years," James said.
James will not be able to do it all himself against the Warriors, and will need major support from Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, who been both brilliant offensively this season. Irving averages 23.8 ppg while Love's stands at 21.9.
One look at both the teams for the mammoth clash, there are some incredible players, and the contest is expected to be spectacular. Rest assured, neutral fans are in for a Christmas treat on Sunday.
Where to Watch Live
Cavaliers vs Warriors is set to begin at 2.30pm ET (1am IST next day, 7:30 pm GMT). Live Streaming and TV guide for the NBA opener is below.
India: TV: Sony Six and Sony Six HD. Live Streaming: Sonyliv.
USA: TV: ABC. Live Streaming: Watch ESPN
UK: TV: BT Sport. Live Streaming: Watch BT Sport.
Canada: TV: TSN1 and TSN4. Live Streaming: TSN TV.
Australia: TV: ESPN. Live Streaming: Watch ESPN
Philippines: TV: ABS-CBN Sports + Action
Global live Streaming: NBA League Pass
