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The Warriors face the Cavaliers for the first time since their epic June Finals, in which the Warriors blew a 3-1 series lead. Our experts weigh in on the this heavyweight Finals rematch between Cleveland and Golden State as well as the rest of the NBA Christmas Day slate.

1. OK, Warriors-Cavs. First off, tell me why, to whatever degree you think it might, this game matters for both teams.

Matt Moore: Both teams have outs here. If the Cavaliers lose, they say "Yeah, but 3-1, you know what happened last season." Plus, they're without J.R. Smith and could be without Kevin Love. For the Warriors, if they lose, it's frustrating, but they can point to last season and say "Winning that game didn't do us any good in the end." I think the balance has tipped a bit where Cleveland faces less pressure than Golden State to win this game. Really, when it comes down to it, the most pressure is on Kevin Durant. He has to be the difference, and if the Warriors run it up on the Cavs, no one is going to bury Cleveland's title chances, but they will say definitively that the Warriors are most likely winning the title. If Durant struggles ... well, let's go down that road in the unlikely event that we get there, eh?

Ananth Pandian: For Golden State, this game matters because it gave up a 3-1 lead in the Finals, which has turned into a seemingly never-ending joke. The Warriors have been constantly ridiculed (albeit humorously) for a past failure, so a win against the Cavs could help quiet down the jokers. But really, Golden State has been destroying teams as of late and a victory against Cleveland provides even more legitimacy to its stellar play this season. The same can be said of the Cavs, as they have been dominating Eastern Conference teams, and a win over the Dubs will give them even more confidence and bravado.

James Herbert: It matters because the whole world is watching. All the players know that, and they always look forward to playing against other great teams on national television. Let's not forget that Draymond Green said he wants to "destroy" and "annihilate" the Cavaliers if they meet again in the NBA Finals, and Iman Shumpert said his message to the Warriors was, "We gon' bust your ass. Period." Let's not get this twisted -- this is not the Finals, not even close, and the result won't necessarily mean anything in the context of these two teams pursuing the championship. Golden State, though, would love to get a little bit of revenge for June and Cleveland would love to show that it isn't afraid of Kevin Durant.

2. What's the one Warriors-Cavs matchup you're most interested in?

Moore: Tristan Thompson vs. Stephen Curry. LeBron will have his hands full with Draymond Green and Durant, for sure. But last season a huge differential was that Curry's injured knee didn't allow him to create space on bigs like Thompson and Steven Adams. Curry is back to his old self. The reality is that if Curry gets loose, the Cavaliers have little to no way to stop him, and that's before the Durant question. There are a lot of paths to a Golden State victory, but Curry cooking is the easiest.

Pandian: Draymond Green vs. LeBron James. Green's suspension for Game 5 still haunts the Warriors and their fans. Green has been using every little thing to motivate him this season and while it happened months ago, his costly suspension will likely fire him up to play against James.

Herbert: Kevin Durant vs. LeBron James. When both met in the Finals in 2012, it looked like this was the first of many of their battles with a trophy on the line. So much has changed since then, including the teams they represent, but they're still two of the best players in the world and it will be a treat to watch them go at each other. Let's hope for a brief duel where they go back and forth for a few possessions, preferably in the fourth quarter.

3. Which game outside of Warriors-Cavs are you most interested in and why?

Moore: Bulls-Spurs. The rest of the matchups -- Celtics-Knicks, Clippers-Lakers, Wolves-Thunder -- all feature at least one team you can't take seriously. But Bulls-Spurs features two serious teams. The Bulls have fallen back to Earth and are struggling to find themselves, but they also beat the Spurs two weeks ago, and they have the talent to make a real run in the East. The Spurs are the opposite. They look great on the surface, their record and stats are divine. But there are serious cracks in the foundation upon closer examination. How both teams respond in a game with this level of execution will actually provide a legitimate sign of their futures, which the other games do not.

(As a side note, the NBA really blew it by not letting the Rockets on Christmas. It makes sense after last year's debacle. But Harden vs. Spurs III would have made a great stocking stuffer.)

Pandian: Celtics-Knicks. Christmas in New York is always special and with the Knicks playing host, the game will take place in the great Madison Square Garden. Also, Kristaps Porzingis will be playing in this game and he has been sensational in just his second year in the league.

Herbert: Wolves-Thunder. Quietly, Minnesota has won three out of four games, with its only loss coming by two points in overtime against the Houston Rockets. I would like to see the young Wolves get some real momentum going, and I'm also interested in watching this Russell Westbrook character.

4. Which player can steal the show on Christmas?

Moore: We know what Russ is going to do. We know the Clippers are short-handed. I'm going to go with Isaiah Thomas. Still too few people seem to realize how much of a prime-time performer Thomas is. If this thing goes down to the wire with a close game, get your popcorn.

Pandian: Russell Westbrook. The triple-double machine will likely rack up yet another one against the Timberwolves. Since Westbrook has been sensational this season, it wouldn't be surprising to see him put up some crazy numbers.

Herbert: I don't think a monster performance from Westbrook would count as "stealing the show" because we all expect him to get a triple-double every game, so I'll go with Karl-Anthony Towns. He had 33 points in a blowout loss to the Thunder in November, and he has since shown he's capable of scoring more than 40 when he gets ultra-aggressive. With a huge Christmas Day game, Towns could remind the world why 48.3 percent of NBA general managers picked him as the player they would most like to start a franchise with at the beginning of the season.

5. Who is going to wind up feeling like they got coal in their stocking that day?


Moore: Fans of close games. Celtics-Knicks might go to the wire, but a surprise seems unlikely with how much better Boston is on both sides of the ball. The Warriors are a constant danger for mega-blowouts and at this point, that particular type of game has grown stale. No one is staying tuned into the Warriors to see them beat up a team in the regular season and show off all the time. The Wolves have been dreadful, so even with OKC's ability to play down there's a chance the Thunder just coast away. The Spurs are the Spurs and destroy drama better than any team in history, and the Lakers are definitely worse than the Clippers, even with no Blake Griffin. The NBA put a good five-game set together, but there might not be a close game among them. But hey, more time for that post-turkey or ham nap you had been planning. Happy Holidays!

Pandian: Tom Thibodeau. Even if the Timberwolves win, the always surly Thibs will likely still act like the Grinch.

Herbert: The Knicks. They are facing the rapidly improving Celtics at the wrong time, and Isaiah Thomas seems primed to go off against a team that struggles to defend point guards.