By Dolan Enloe

Cavs vs Warriors could go down as the greatest NBA rivalry ever. As the conference finals ended in very quickly, as many fans expected, the NBA finals will pit the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Golden State Warriors for the third straight year.

This will be the first ever NBA finals “trilogy” of series. As we watched the regular season, we watched two team in awe as the Warriors and Cavs both bulldozed their way through the formality of 82 games. In my opinion, I do not think we have ever seen two teams more dominant in the same season than these two teams. Even though the Cavs were only the second seed in the east, it was obvious that whenever Lebron and Kyrie decided that it was winning time, they were unstoppable by any team in the east. The Cavs didn’t add any big name players, but rather strengthened their bench. The Warriors on the other hand have added an MVP in superstar Kevin Durant, but sacrificed some bench depth in doing so. When the playoffs started, it was obvious that these two teams were head and shoulders above every other team in the league, as they both demolished their opponents. The Warriors now enter the finals with a perfect playoff record, sweeping every single series. The Cavs would have done the same, if it weren’t for an Avery Bradley game winning three that nearly touched heaven off the bounce and somehow found it’s way into the bucket. As these two teams look to square off for the third time in three years, it is clear that this will go down as one of the greatest rivalries in sports history. The NBA has had many incredible rivalries over the years, but arguably the greatest rivalry of all time is the Boston Celtics vs the Los Angeles Lakers. These two teams have met 16 times in the NBA finals, and met three times during the 80’s. This rivalry was gritty, dramatic, and emotional, but I think that the Warriors and Cavs have a chance to live up to that rivalry. Yes, this is the third time these teams will meet, but that doesn’t mean these teams will never meet again in the finals. Odds are, the next 3 to 5 years of finals basketball will feature these teams. In their first meeting, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving were both injured, forcing Lebron James to try to single handedly put away the warriors, which didn’t work out so well. The next season, with a fully healthy Cavs team, the Warriors team leader and the seasons MVP Stephen Curry went down with an ankle injury, which he attempted to play through. Draymond Green, one of the top players on the Warriors roster, got suspended during this series. This is the third time that these teams will square off, and they will both be fully healthy for the first time. When this series is over, we will know who is the better team. It is time to settle it, once and for all.

The NBA finals begin June 1st on ABC.