The criticism has been getting louder for the past six weeks as the Cavaliers and Warriors have steamrolled opponents on their way to confronting each other.

Boring. Predictable. Inevitable.

As Kevin Durant mockingly said during the Utah series, “Zzzzzzz.”

“The NBA playoffs usually are predictable,” said former coach turned broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy. “Greatness is always good for the NBA. But I wish it would be in a little bit of doubt, because it tells you about a team when they find themselves in a hole.”

“It has been a little boring,” he added. “You don’t see two teams simultaneously mowing their way through opponents.”

No more snoozing now. We might have predicted this, but that doesn’t change the reality that this Finals matchup is epic. For the first time in league history, the same teams will meet for a third consecutive Finals. It’s the rubber series, with story lines everywhere. Bad blood, grudges and pride.

Both the league and ESPN/ABC hope this erases all that talk about boredom.

The network “wants a seven-game series — that’s not news,” said Van Gundy. “It wants star power.”

However, the network’s lead analyst doesn’t think his employer will get what it wants.

“I don’t think the Warriors will be challenged,” Van Gundy said. “I think they’ll be in the same situation as last year, up 3-1 coming home. In my time in the NBA, this is the biggest talent differential between the best team and the second best team. No disrespect to Cleveland, but I just think the Warriors are at a different level.”

His boss sure hopes Van Gundy is wrong. The Western Conference finals produced some of the lowest-rated conference finals games in the past four years. In the Eastern Conference finals, ratings were slightly up over last year. A lot of people were apparently taking Durant’s advice: During the Spurs series, he said, “If you don’t like it, don’t watch.” Van Gundy was among them. He turned off Game 5 (on a different network) when Boston was trailing by 30.

On the road to the Finals, the league’s two marquee teams have played only one game over the minimum, going 24-1. Fewer games mean fewer eyeballs, fewer advertising dollars, less buzz, less momentum headed into the summer.

But that should change now.

Each of the past two Finals between Cleveland and the Warriors has produced the highest ratings for an NBA Finals that ESPN/ABC has ever recorded, dating back to ’03. According to an ESPN spokesperson, last year’s Finals series was the highest rated since the Bulls-Jazz in 1998.

With the addition of Durant, and last season’s seven-game extravaganza as the backdrop, this series should draw even bigger ratings.

“I think this is a great thing for the league,” Draymond Green said. “Contrary to popular belief where everyone says it’s boring, I think what people fail to realize is you have two great teams.

“You usually don’t appreciate something until you don’t have it anymore. I think there’s a lack of appreciation of greatness. Maybe people don’t appreciate it because of a blowout or a sweep. But people may want to be careful because I think right now you’re witnessing greatness. It probably won’t be appreciated until it’s over ... until we don’t meet again and you realize what you had.

“I appreciate that we’ve been able to steamroll people. I love that they’ve been able to steamroll people. I just love great things. And I think we’ve found two great things.”

To Green’s point, fans pine for Michael Jordan’s Bulls dynasty, but many years he rendered the opposition meaningless. One year, the Bulls dropped just two games on the way to a title, another year they dropped three, and in two title years they lost just four games before hoisting the trophy. Boring? Maybe. Great? Definitely.

But Van Gundy sees a difference.

“The Bulls’ iconic moments came because they were pushed,” he said. “A 4-1 series can still be competitive. But these games have been blowouts.”

The Warriors are a little tired of the narrative that they and Cleveland are the beneficiaries of a watered-down league. Stephen Curry called it “almost disrespectful, like it was easy for us to get here.”

“Us and Cleveland, we’ve worked our butts off all year to put ourselves in position to be playing for a championship,” Curry said.

And now it’s here.

“I hope it goes four,” Green said with a laugh. “That would be great.”

A second later, he added, “I expect it to be a competitive series.”

The NBA and ESPN/ABC are certainly hoping that Green is right and that Van Gundy is wrong.

Ann Killion is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: akillion@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @annkillion

Schedule

All games on Channel: 7 Channel: 10 / 95.7

Thurs.: at Oracle Arena, 6 p.m.

June 4: at Oracle Arena, 5 p.m.

June 7: at Cleveland, 6 p.m.

June 9: at Cleveland, 6 p.m.

June 12: at Oracle Arena*, 6 p.m.

June 15: at Cleveland*, 6 p.m.

June 18: at Oracle Arena*, 5 p.m.