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Ranking the four potential NBA Finals matchups
With both teams healthy, are we destined to see an NBA Finals rematch between the Warriors and Cavaliers? Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Ranking the four potential NBA Finals matchups

Blown travel call aside, the Oklahoma City Thunder deserved to win Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals series against the mighty Golden State Warriors. OKC out-rebounded the Warriors, turned the ball over less and shot a better percentage from beyond the arc. Anytime a team is able to accomplish these three things against the Dubs and has little bit of luck along the way, a well-earned victory is in reach.

Now that Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant’s Thunder have a 1-0 series lead over Golden State, the once unthinkable notion of the Warriors being eliminated from the playoffs has become an intriguing possibility. So with that in mind, let's take a look at the four possible NBA Finals matchups we’ll see in the coming weeks, rank them in terms of desirability and preview them.

1) Warriors vs. Cavaliers

Although the Warriors would likely be heavy favorites, a 2015 NBA Finals rematch between Golden State and Cleveland Cavaliers is the final-round bout most casual basketball fans want to see. Pitting Stephen Curry against LeBron James, arguably the two best players in the NBA, for up to seven games is simply must-watch sports.

And unlike last year, the Cavs are healthy! Without the services of Kyrie Irving (for all but Game 1) and Kevin Love, LeBron pushed the series to six games in a superhuman effort. Unfortunately for Cleveland fans, lack of depth and some small ball from the Warriors proved to be just too much for them.

Flash-forward to 2016, and both of these teams are healthy and hungry for a championship. An NBA Finals matchup between the Warriors and Cavs, with both teams being at the top of their games, would be the most enticing contest possible.

2) Thunder vs. Cavaliers

If Steph vs. LeBron can’t happen, Durant/Westbrook vs. LeBron is a pretty decent consolation prize. A Thunder and Cavs Finals would also likely give us fans our best shot at seeing a seven-game series, as the two teams' regular-season records were nearly identical.

Most importantly, however, if the Thunder and Cavs were to face each other in the Finals, it would represent an opportunity for redemption for OKC. As a member of the Heat in 2012, King James and Miami dismantled Durant and Westbrook’s Thunder in five games. Now with LeBron back in his home state of Ohio looking to bring Cleveland its first ever NBA championship, a Finals victory for OKC would provide Durant and Westbrook the ultimate form of payback for their 2012 Finals loss. And oh, how it would ever torture LeBron — and the city of Cleveland.

3) Thunder vs. Raptors

Could a team from Canada actually make the NBA Finals? With the Toronto Raptors, there is an outside chance of that exact scenario coming to fruition. But in reality, the Raptors are going need some heavy fortune to be in their favor if they have any hope of defeating the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals.

But let’s say it happens. What then is the next most desirable Finals matchup? It would have to be the Raptors and Thunder. With two elite superstars, the Thunder would have a tremendous advantage on paper over Toronto, but this Raptors team is a feisty one. In all likelihood, the Thunder, led by the psychotic intensity of Russell Westbrook and superb half-court offense from Kevin Durant, would win the organization's first NBA title since moving to Oklahoma City from Seattle but not before the Raptors put up a strong fight.

It’s doubtful this a series that would go seven games, but through the sheer willpower of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, Toronto could certainly grab a couple of wins before Westbrook and Durant sent them back north of the border without the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

4) Warriors vs. Raptors

Of the four possible NBA Finals matchups, Warriors vs. Raptors would by far be the least desirable clash. To start, it’s not inconceivable that the Warriors would sweep the Raptors, and a sweep in the NBA Finals is something no one (Warriors fans excluded) wants to see.

Like all professional sports, we want the climax of a long season to be exactly that: climactic! A Finals matchup between the Warriors and Raptors would likely be entirely devoid of drama and represent an anticlimactic ending to a postseason that has been thoroughly entertaining thus far. The NBA doesn’t want it, casual fans don’t want it and Raptors fans surely don’t want to see their beloved team face the Warriors in the Finals over the Thunder.

Fortunately for the NBA and us fans without a dog left in the fight, this fourth possible Finals matchup is highly unlikely to occur.

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