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Live Stream Game 1 Cleveland Cavaliers Vs. Golden State Warriors: NBA Finals 2016 Opener, Free Streaming Link, Preview

By Jonathan Vankin
Published on: 05:34 PST, Jun 2, 2016

The NBA Finals are here — and the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors rematch that basketball fans were hoping for becomes a reality Thursday when Game One will stream live from Oakland — with the two best teams in the NBA led by the league’s two best players begin their battle for the 2015-2016 NBA title.

For the back-to-back NBA MVP Stephen Curry, his Warriors will be going for back-to-back NBA championships as well, which would make Golden State the third franchise to repeat as NBA champs in just the past eight seasons.

The last team to manage the feat was the Miami Heat, then led by Lebron James, who won NBA Championships in 2012 and 2013.

But now James is back in the Finals for the sixth straight year, with only two trophies to show for it. After he returned to Cleveland last season, he took the Cavaliers to just the second NBA Finals in their 46-season history, only to lose to Curry and Golden State in six games.

This year, however, the Cavaliers feature not only Lebron James, but a new coach in Tyronn Lue and, more importantly, a healthy Kevin Love after Love missed the whole NBA Finals series last year — and a healthy Kyrie Irving. The 24-year-old former No. 1 overall draft pick out of Duke University played in only one game of last season’s Finals.

To watch a preview of the NBA Finals Game One from the panel of experts at NBA TV, click on the video below.

Another preview of the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors NBA Finals, this one from ABC News, can be viewed in the following video.

To find out how to watch a free and legal live stream of the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors 2016 NBA Finals Game One, see the streaming link in the final paragraph of this article.

Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. Pacific Time — 9 p.m. Eastern — at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, on Thursday, June 2.

While the matchup of Stephen Curry vs. Lebron James is drawing the focus of media attention, both stars shrug off the story of a growing rivalry between the two top stars in the NBA.

“It’s really annoying for me. That’s not what I’m playing for, to be the face of the NBA or to be this or that or to take LeBron’s throne or whatever… I’m trying to chase rings, and that’s what I’m all about. So that’s where the conversation stops for me.”

”You guys make rivals,” James added, referring to the media. ”I think it’s great for the sport. It’s great for all sports. I don’t think me and Steph, when you talk about rivalries, you talk about Carolina-Duke, you talk about Ohio State-Michigan. It’s hard to say LeBron and Steph. If there’s a smaller scale or another word for a rival.”

PREVIOUS NBA COVERAGE FROM THE INQUISITR:

ESPN3, the online-only network of sports giant ESPN, will carry a free live stream of the NBA Finals Game One, the Cleveland Cavaliers Vs. Golden State Warriors from Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. Click on this link to watch the second straight NBA Finals matchup between the Cavaliers and Warriors — legally and for free — on a computer. The game may also be streamed on mobile and set-top devices with ESPN3 by downloading the WatchESPN app. ESPN3 is free to subscribers of almost any major internet service provider and dozens of smaller ISPs. For a complete list, check this link, or try the instructions at this link if you do not have an account with an ISP that carries ESPN3. A Spanish-language broadcast of the Cavaliers vs. Warriors NBA Finals Game One is also available via ESPN3 at the link above.

[Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images]

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