Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
The Golden State Warriors will host the Cleveland Cavaliers for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET.
That's a line that could have been written word for word for the 2015, 2016 and 2017 editions, as the two teams are facing off in the NBA Finals for the fourth consecutive year.
Per NBA.com, the same two teams have never met in the championship round four consecutive times in MLB, the NHL or the NFL. Further research indicates that such a feat would be a first in MLS and the WNBA as well, although the Minnesota Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks have met in the championship for two years and counting in the latter league.
Although the Warriors are heavy favorites in this year's championship, per OddsShark, it wouldn't be the biggest shock to see Cavs forward LeBron James drop 40-point triple doubles en route to a massive upset.
Of course, beating the Warriors four times will be a Herculean task, but as the old New York lottery slogan goes, "hey, you never know."
ABC will broadcast the series, and fans can also view the contests via WatchESPN or the ESPN app.
A few key players may miss some NBA Finals action, as detailed below.
Kevin Love's Status
The latest report on Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love, who entered the concussion protocol after banging heads with Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final series, does not sound too encouraging.
ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin grabbed a quote from Cavs head coach Ty Lue, who said the following:
At this point, it looks like Love is closer to inactive than active for Game 1. The Cavs fared well without Love to close the East final, winning Games 6 and 7 by a combined 18 points. However, that was largely due to the game of the year from LeBron James (46 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists) for the former contest and a 34.1 percent shooting performance from the C's in the latter one.
The Cavs can't depend on James registering 46-point near-triple-doubles every night (or maybe they can?), and they certainly can't rely on the Warriors missing nearly two of every three shots as the C's did. In other words, the Cavs need Love just to have a puncher's chance in this series.
Love averaged 17.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per game during the regular season, in addition to shooting marks of 45.8 percent overall and 41.5 percent from the three-point line. Those percentages were his best since the 2010-11 season.
The former UCLA star has struggled from the field during the playoffs, making just 38.8 percent of his field-goal attempts, but those marks are largely due to a rough first-round series against the Indiana Pacers. Since Game 2 of the second-round matchup with the Toronto Raptors, Love has averaged 18.8 points (on 45.3 percent shooting) and 11.0 rebounds per night (these stats do not count his injury-shortened Game 6).
Realistically, the Cavs would have been heavy underdogs against the Warriors in Oakland, California even with him on the court. But Cleveland really needs him back for a home matchup in Game 3, which the Cavs have a much more realistic chance of taking down. That matchup won't take place until Wednesday, June 6, giving Love a week to clear concussion protocol and play in that contest.
Andre Iguodala's Status
Much like Kevin Love, Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala's status for Game 1 is in serious doubt.
However, the veteran's NBA Finals future may even be murkier, as evidenced by this note from Chris Haynes of ESPN:
"Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala recently got a second opinion on his injured left knee and is still trying to figure out what's wrong, league sources told ESPN. The Warriors are officially labeling the injury a left lateral leg contusion. The 6-foot-7 swingman plans to search for a remedy in the coming days, sources said, and his status for Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers is unknown."
Iguodala missed Games 4 through 7 of the Western Conference Final series against the Houston Rockets. The Dubs lost two close, low-scoring games in Games 4 and 5, overcame a 17-point first-quarter deficit to win Game 6 by 29 and bounced back from an 11-point halftime gap to take Game 7 by nine.
While the 65-win Rockets are in a higher class than the Cavaliers, it is a bit concerning that the Warriors haven't put together a complete game without Iguodala on the floor. His presence is a huge boost to Golden State's chances given his versatility on both ends.
He's capable of running the point (as he did against the San Antonio Spurs with Stephen Curry out) and playing on the wing on offense, and he can defend guards and forwards on the other end.
While the Warriors may not need Iguodala to take down Cleveland, especially if Love is out for the series as well, it would certainly help to have the two-time champion (and 2015 NBA Finals MVP) on the floor.
For the playoffs, he has averaged 7.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Those numbers don't pop out at first glance, but the fact that he can do a little bit of everything while contributing in ways that a box score can't catch makes him an important member of the team.