Meet your NBA Eastern Conference Champions: Cleveland Cavaliers

Stop if you’ve heard this before, but the best player on the planet is back in the Finals. Actually, don’t stop, because James continues to write an incredible chapter in the history books of American sports. This may be the most efficient ‘Bron we’ve ever seen as he’s averaging 32.5 points (best since 2009) on a playoff career-high 57 percent shooting. And he’s hitting from range, too, with a .421 percentage from three. Yeah, good luck defending this guy.

It was his shot towards the end of Game 7 of last year’s Finals that gave Cleveland its first major pro sports championship in nearly sixty years. Yet, it almost feels like we hadn’t seen the best Irving possible in the Finals. He’s started to truly heat up as the Eastern Finals against Boston progressed, which means we may finally get the epic point guard matchup between him and Stephen Curry that we’ve been begging for since 2015.

Playing his best basketball since joining Cleveland, the Cavaliers’ power forward is hoping to have a better go of these Finals than the last two. He missed the 2015 series and except for a shockingly great defensive sequence at the end of Game 7, was almost a non-factor in 2016 with just 51 total points in all seven games. He has been superb in this playoff run, so Cavs fans are hoping the Love train doesn’t slow down.

Rebound and hold your ground. That’s Thompson’s game in a nutshell. He’s never going to give you 20 points a night, but he may not be far from giving the Cavs a 15+ board game, especially with the amount of shots the Warriors take. He and Love can trigger fast breaks off of rebounds because of their dynamic teammates in James and Irving. Be mindful of how Golden State tries to hack him to send him to the free throw line, where he shot a career-worst 49.6 percent in the regular season.

Shumpert was seen as the team’s defensive specialist when he was traded from New York in 2015, but statistics have shown that hasn’t completely been the case. That said, the former Georgia Tech product has had the most durable season of his six-year career, playing in 88 of the Cavs’ 95 regular season and playoff games. Along with consistent defense, any scoring from him will be a bonus as part of the team’s second unit.

Smith has had a quiet season, mainly due to missing half of the regular season due to injury and the premature birth of his child that understandably took a toll on him. The former Sixth Man of the Year posted some of his lowest numbers since his early days in Denver, but the Finals feel like they can use a few big corner threes from the New Jersey native. Perhaps playing fewer minutes has compelled Smith to take fewer reckless shots – his .484 field goal percentage is his playoff career best.

It seems like it took a while for Korver to find his footing with this Cavs team, but in the playoffs, he has certainly found his rhythm. While not as much of a volume shooter as he became with Atlanta two years ago, he’s still a dangerous weapon against this Warriors defense. He’ll camp out around the three point line as James, Irving or Smith penetrate into the late. Golden State knows how powerful the drive-and-kick is, so they’ll have someone keep an eye on Korver at all times.

Frye has been the best player off the pine for Cleveland in this postseason. Frye came aboard via trade last season, but he has maximized his role as a stretch forward/center even more in these playoffs with 7.8 points per game. He’s not a rebounder in the vein of either Thompson or Love, but he has shown a willingness to mix in the paint on defense. That said, he’ll have to chase the Warriors’ JaVale McGee in arguably the most critical matchup of all reserves in the series.

This isn’t the D-Will that was briefly thought of being equal to Chris Paul nor is this even the D-Will that tried to bring life to the Brooklyn Nets. However, one of the glaring needs the Cavs had last season was the lack of point guard depth in case Kyrie Irving got hurt. In the playoffs, Williams has been efficient as the floor general of the second unit with 5.6 points and 2.5 assists per game on 15.5 minutes of play. He has better shots because of the personnel on the team and he’s mainly asked to keep the offense on autopilot while Irving rests.

The other D-Will was never going to live up to being the second overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, but after a revival of sorts as a sixth man in New York in 2016, he went to Miami before being traded to Cleveland before this year's trade deadline. He’s a high-motor player who attacks the rim, though he has limited playing time due to head coach Tyronn Lue looking for more favorable matchups. In his five or so minutes on the court, expect him to go full speed, even if it may not always work to his advantage.

The oldest player between both rosters, Jefferson could have rode off to the sunset after getting a championship ring last June. He returned to Cleveland to surprise unsuspecting defenders with a posterizing dunk as if he was 25 years old again. The former Arizona Wildcat will turn 37 after the end of the Finals, where questions about his retirement will begin anew.

There has been no more buzzed candidate for general manager openings than the man who makes the deals for the defending champions. While the perception remains that it’s really LeBron who runs the show, Griffin has been linked to several jobs around the league, including the opening that remains with division rival Milwaukee. Being the architect of the team that went to three straight Finals will command a lot of money and power, whether the Cavs successfully defend the title or not. 

Lue isn’t in consideration of the Coach of the Year award, but it’s not to say that he hasn’t done a good job in bringing the champions back to the Finals. He’s proven to be a much, much better fit for the Cavs than the man he replaced (David Blatt) as the players seem to respect him far more. He’s also been willing to make smart adjustments and brings a confidence than doesn’t approach unearned arrogance. His coaching was somewhat overlooked in the Cavaliers’ comeback a year ago, but with a familiar foe, there will be much more scrutiny this time around. 

It’s not that anyone has forgotten Gilbert’s role in how LeBron’s infamous 2010 ‘Decision’ played itself out, but there’s also very little to be said about the relationship between the team owner and the team’s superstar. That being said, the most important relationship in Cleveland right now may be that between Gilbert and David Griffin. During and after the Finals, we’ll find out how willing he is to shell out maximum dollars and extend some powers to retain the Cavs’ GM. 

It may be a bit unfair to call the R&B superstar a celebrity fan since he has been a part-owner of the Cavaliers since 2005. As one of a handful of musicians with ownership stakes in pro sports, the eight-time Grammy winner had the good fortune to buy in shortly after LeBron's arrival in the early 2000s, stuck through James' departure and enjoy all the perks of the franchise's four NBA Finals appearances (plus lone championship thus far).