Warriors vs. Cavaliers 2016 live stream: Start time, TV schedule and how to watch online

Christmas day NBA is headlined by a Finals rematch between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. It will be the second year in a row the Cavaliers and Warriors, who have split back-to-back Finals appearances, will see each other on Christmas.

The game will be nationally televised on ABC at 2:30 p.m. and is available for live stream on WatchESPN.

The Cavs are looking to repeat as champions after overcoming a 3-1 series deficit to the Warriors in last year’s NBA Finals. They are without starting shooting guard J.R. Smith, who broke his thumb in a December game against the Bucks and is out for at least three months.

The Warriors made the biggest splash of the summer, adding onto an already star-studded starting lineup by signing former league MVP Kevin Durant. Golden State is firmly atop the Western Conference and has won nine of its last 10 games. (Note: The Warriors could be without their point forward Draymond Green, who celebrated the birth of his child on Thursday and did not travel with the team.)

Tip-Off: 2:30 p.m. EST
Channel: ABC
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
Live Stream: WatchESPN

3 Things to Know

Durant’s scoring (25.7 points per game) is just short of his 10-year average (27.3 PPG), but he’s boosted in nearly every other statistical category and is enjoying the best season of his career. KD is flirting with 50-40-90 club numbers — shooting .535 from the field (up from .486), .393 from downtown (up from .381), and .865 from the line (down from .882) — and is averaging a career high in rebounds (8.4) and blocked shots (1.6).

Love missed Cleveland’s first finals appearance after he dislocated his shoulder in a tangle-up with Boston’s Kelly Olynyk. In the Cavaliers’ second finals appearance, coach Tyronn Lue opted to go smaller and faster with Richard Jefferson at the four down the stretch in several games (though, notably, not in Game 7).

This season, Cleveland is enjoying a Love renaissance. The Cavs’ stretch shooter is averaging a Cleveland career-best 22.3 points per game on 42 percent shooting from three. The Cavaliers now have three players, Kyrie Irving and LeBron James included, averaging 20 or more points.

The Warriors’ path to the finals is riddled with tough opponents (Spurs, Clippers, Rockets), but it would be nothing short of utter disappointment if their power-packed starting five falls short of a shot at the trophy. Cleveland is thriving in an increasingly competitive Eastern Conference, and its only true competition is a Toronto Raptors team still several notches below the Cavs’ level.

The NBA could see the same two teams make three consecutive Finals appearances, something that has never happened in league history.