After the end of the 2015-2016 NBA season, the Warriors and the Cavaliers were regarded as the best teams in the league. They played in the finals where the Cavaliers came back from a 3-1 lead to defeat the Warriors. LeBron James was the difference maker; he was impossible to guard and dominated the game on the offensive side as well. Stephen Curry  was not very effective when LeBron defended him and took many ill advised shots out of frustration. After almost ten games of the 2016-2017 season both teams are playing exceptionally well and are both favorites to return to the finals.

The Golden State Warriors made one of the biggest offseason moves in NBA history by signing Kevin Durant over the summer. Durant is widely known as one of the best players in the NBA and is especially known for his unselfish play and overall great offensive ability. With the addition of the Durant, the start was rocky and in the first game against the Spurs they looked lackluster. The Spurs were able to blow them out by nearly 30 points and overall looked like a much better team. The Warriors defense let the Spurs score 129 points and Kawhi Leonard scored 35 points himself. In their second game against the Pelicans they needed a victory badly. The game was extremely tight and Anthony Davis scored 45 points for the Pelicans. He dominated the whole game, but despite his spectacular performance the Warriors were able to secure the win. They won by eight points and were led by Kevin Durant securing 18 rebounds and also strong leadership from Stephen Curry. The next three games for the Warriors were against the Suns, the Trailblazers, and the Thunder. All of these teams were known as being very competitive so the games were supposed to be close. The Warriors were able to defeat all three of them because of their amazing offensive production. Kevin Durant dominated in all of the games and was virtually unguardable. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson also played exceptionally well and made very difficult shots when the team needed them most. After these three victories the Warriors were playing exceptionally well together and seemed to be just as dangerous as predicted. The Lakers were next up and it was expected to be a very easy victory. Instead the Lakers simply outplayed them and were able to defeat them by 20 points even though Curry had 11 assists. After the disappointing loss against Los Angeles, the Warriors were set to play the Pelicans again. The game was just as close than the previous one between these two teams as expected. However, Stephen Curry scored 46 points and led the Warriors to a 10 point margin of victory. The next two games for the Warriors against the Mavericks and the Nuggets were both extremely easy victories. After the first 9 games they finished with a 7-2 record and looked to be a formidable opponent.

The Cleveland Cavaliers this offseason did not make a lot of changes because they were the defending NBA champions. The team’s strength last year was its versatility and the ability of LeBron James to simply dominate games. The team had strong players in supporting roles that really complement the play style of their stars. The first game for the Cavaliers this season was against the New York Knicks and it was expected to be an extremely easy victory. The Cavaliers came out ready to play and made a statement in a blowout victory. LeBron James was able to get a triple double and boasted 15 assists. The Toronto Raptors were up next and were known as a very good team. The game was extremely close and was a huge defensive battle down the stretch. Cleveland won by only 3 points led by LeBron James who nearly got a triple double for the second straight game. The next four games for the Cavaliers were very similar to the one against the Raptors and instead of being blowouts like expected they were all within 10 points. Specifically the game against the 76er’s was a slim 1 point victory that the Cavaliers almost lost. The Cavaliers won all four of them and advanced their record to 6-0. After winning these games their next opponent was the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks were able to secure a win behind the strong play of Dwight Howard who had nearly 20 rebounds. Following their first loss of the season the Cavaliers were able to defeat the Wizards by 11 points. They were led by Kyrie Irving scoring 29 points and also setting up his teammates with great opportunities.

The Cavaliers and the Warriors have both started off the season by playing extremely well and have been meeting or even exceeding expectations. The Warriors are boasting a 7-2 record while the Cavaliers are 7-1. Both of the teams have been scoring a lot of points and relying on their star players for the majority of them. In order for the Warriors to remain successful this season the main thing that they need to improve is their defense. The main thing that the Cavaliers need is to improve their offense and spread the ball around more. As long as both teams continue to play as well as they have been so far and make slight modifications they will continue to be extremely successful.