Getty
Two title hungry franchises battle for the NBA championship and the common denominators between these two teams are just teeming. Perhaps the most absurd yet hottest topic was the fact that both teams` MVPs in LeBron James and Stephen Curry were born in the same hospital in Akron, Ohio. Outside of that, there are still lots of things that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors share with one another and Cavs Nation has hand picked nine of the most interesting connections between them.
9. Barbosa and Andy were teammates in the 2012 Brazilian team
Brazil fielded one of its stronger teams in the 2012 London Olympics. Apparently, it also featured Leandro Barbosa and Anderson Varejao. Over a span of six games, the Brazilian Blur averaged 16.2 points while the Wild Thing normed 7.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steal. The two also played together in the 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and also in the 2009 and 2005 FIBA Americas Championship.
The number eight commonality between the Cavs and Warriors is on the next page!
AP Photo
8. Klay and Steph`s bros donned the Cavs uni at one point
The Splash Brothers’ brothers, at one point, played for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Seth Curry signed a ten-day contract in 2014 and appeared in a single game where he went 1 for 1 from distance. Meanwhile, Mychel Thompson was a member of the Cavaliers in the 2011-2012 season where he played five games averaging 3.6 points in 19.0 minutes.
The number seven commonality between the Cavs and Warriors is on the next page!
7. Hannah Stocking
Hannah who? That’s right. Internet celebrity Hannah Stocking’s popularity rose when news went out in November last year that she’s dating Klay Thompson. But before that, she was rumored to be going out with Kyrie Irving. Quite interesting.
The number six commonality between the Cavs and Warriors is on the next page!
AP Photo
6. Speights, Walton, and Livingston played with each other in Cleveland
Now members of the Golden State Warriors, Marreese Speights, Shaun Livingston, and Luke Walton were together as Cavaliers in 2013. They arrived in Cleveland via different routes and all had their shining moments as a Cavalier. Speights averaged 10.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in 39 games, Walton normed 3.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 71 games, while Livingston’s stats were 7.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 49 games.
The number five commonality between the Cavs and Warriors is on the next page!
AP Photo
5. Kerr was a former Cav
While being more popular for his career in Chicago, San Antonio, and TNT, Steve Kerr was actually a reserve guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1989 to 1992. He averaged 6.0 points and 2.7 assists while shooting 47.2% from long distance in 18.4 minutes per game. Kerr was then traded to the Orlando Magic for a 1996 second round pick.
The number four commonality between the Cavs and Warriors is on the next page!
Jeramie McPeek | Suns.com
4. David Griffin was a former staff of Steve Kerr in Phoenix
When Steve Kerr was the Phoenix Suns` General Manager, David Griffin was the team`s Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations. The two seemed to have formed a mutual respect amongst each other which was emphasized when Kerr left the Suns. Phoenix had David Griffin in the shortlist for the GM vacancy but Griffin took his name out of contention by exiting the Suns organization himself. Warriors assistant coach Alvin Gentry was also in Phoenix during Kerr and Griffin’s time.
The number three commonality between the Cavs and Warriors is on the next page!
Stephen Dunn | Getty Images
3. Blatt was almost an assistant of Kerr
David Blatt finally realized his dream of coaching in the NBA when he made an agreement to join Steve Kerr`s staff in Golden State. However, the Cavaliers entered the picture offering him a head coaching gig to replace Mike Brown. Blatt requested permission from the Warriors to be interviewed by Cleveland and the Israeli-American coach could not thank Kerr enough for letting him take a crack at a rare opportunity.
The number two commonality between the Cavs and Warriors is on the next page!
Ray Chavez | Bay Area New Group
2. Love was almost a Dub
During the off season, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors were in deep talks in a trade that would send Kevin Love to the Bay Area. However, the Warriors backed down when the Wolves kept on insisting Klay Thompson to be included in the package. The deal, had it went down, would have likely been Kevin Love and Kevin Martin for Klay Thompson, David Lee, and Harrison Barnes. We all know how it ended and I don’t think Golden State is having one bit of regret.
The number one commonality between the Cavs and Warriors is on the next page!
Mike Stobe | Getty Images
1. Klay was almost a Cavalier draftee
In the 2011 draft, Cleveland had two picks in the top five and they used those to select Kyrie Irving at one and Tristan Thompson at four. The Cavs maintained interest in Klay Thompson and reportedly had a deal in place with Detroit so they can use their pick to select the sweet shooting guard. However, the Pistons backed out at the last minute preventing a massive haul for Cleveland in the draft.
