2017 NBA Finals: Ranking most the 5 most important players on the Cavs and Warriors

1 of 5

May 14, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) dunks the basketball against San Antonio Spurs guard Kyle Anderson (1) during the second half in game one of the Western conference finals of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Spurs 113-111. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Ranking the 5 most important players in the 2017 NBA Finals as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors meet for the third straight season.

Cavs-Warriors III. NBA fans have been waiting 11th months for the third installment of Golden State and Cleveland in the Finals, and we should be treated to some excellent basketball.

There will be no dearth of superstars in the Finals, as both teams are loaded with names that even the most casual of fan would recognize.

Here’s five players that will dominate the headlines of this series and how they rank in terms of importance to the outcome.

1. Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant is the most important player in this series. Golden State won 73 games, reached the seventh game of the NBA Finals and then let core players such as Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes go to make room for Durant.

More from Factory of Sadness

The Warriors subtracted their fifth and sixth best players, but added one of the top three talents in the NBA.

Now it’s on Durant to show the Warriors they made the right decision.

With KD in the fold, the Warriors have cruised through the postseason.

But this Warriors squad, and I’m really talking about Durant, have yet to face any adversity.

What makes Durant so interesting is that he tends to tighten up when stakes get high. Remember, before the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead to the Cavs in last season’s Finals, Durant and the Thunder blew a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals to the Warriors.

During the Thunder’s Game 6 close-out opportunity, Durant had 29 points, but was 10-of-31 from the field. In Game 7 of that series, Durant had 27 points on 10-of-19 shooting, but he took just nine shots in the first 33 minutes. He needed to dod more, and didn’t.

Durant is carrying the same weight LeBron James carried with the heat back in 2011. He’s viewed as having taken the easy way out. KD couldn’t be Golden State, so he joined them, and his run to the Finals has been relatively easy.

Will the moment become too big for Durant? It’s a storyline worth watching.

Home/Cleveland Cavaliers