OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Golden State Warriors will be heavy favorites to repeat as champions.

This is of course the fourth consecutive year the Warriors and Cavaliers meet in the NBA Finals -- that's never happened before in any major sport. The matchups, though, will be a little different than you're used to, and Kyrie Irving's absence from the series is only one reason.

Here's a look at this series, position by position, based on how the Cavs and Warriors filled out their lineups in the conference finals.

By Joe Vardon, cleveland.com

Don't Edit

Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

Point guards: Stephen Curry, George Hill

THE SKINNY: Stephen Curry averaged 25.0 ppg, 6.6 boards and 5.7 assists against the Rockets, and is shooting .385 from 3-point range this postseason. The former two-time MVP missed the Warriors' entire first-round series with the Spurs because of a knee injury. George Hill is Kyrie Irving's stand in for this series. Good luck. Hill was the Cavs' third-leading scorer against the Celtics at 9.6 ppg. He was great at home and horrible on the road in that series.

THE EDGE: Hill shot 22 percentage points better at The Q than he did in Boston. He can't be Jekyll and Hyde in this series for the Cavs to have even a remote chance.

Don't Edit

Thomas Ondrey, The Plain Dealer

Shooting guards: Klay Thompson, JR Smith

THE SKINNY: Klay Thompson averaged 19.4 points and shot a blistering .491 from 3-point range against the Rockets. He went off for 35 points and nine 3s in Game 6 -- not bad for a THIRD scoring option on one team. JR Smith had a bad series against the Celtics (6.1 points .294 shooting on 3s), and like Hill he was worse on the road than at home. He did just enough (12 points) to help the Cavs win Game 7.

THE EDGE: The shining moment of Smith's career was Game 7 against the Warriors in 2016, with those 12 points (eight in the third quarter). If he holds his own in this series, it would rank up there.

Don't Edit

Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

Small forwards: Kevin Durant, LeBron James

THE SKINNY: Kevin Durant was the 2017 Finals MVP after averaging 35.2 points, 8.2 boards and shooting .474 from 3-point range. He buried the game-winning, series stealing shot at the end of Game 3. He averaged 30.4 points last series against the Rockets. LeBron James leads the 2018 playoffs in total points (612) and points per game (34.0), in total assists (158), and game winners (two). The man played all 48 minutes in Game 7 against the Celtics, and has scored 40 or more points seven times already this postseason.

THE EDGE: LeBron is the better player. He's the best player. But Durant is really, really close, and the Warriors' other great players make life so much easier for him and create much more pressure on James.

Don't Edit

Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

Power forwards: Draymond Green, Tristan Thompson

THE SKINNY: Draymond Green averaged 8.3 points and 11.9 rebounds with 27 turnovers against the Rockets. He shot .118 from 3-point range -- which is something to consider if you're the Cavs. Even if Kevin Love ends up on Green, which is what they want, the Cavs should force him to make 3s. Tristan Thompson averaged 7.0 points and 8.4 rebounds against the Celtics. His job was to slow Al Horford down. He'll need to do that and probably switch onto Durant every now and then in this series.

THE EDGE: The Cavs were stubborn in leaving Thompson on Horford. They should reserve similar discipline for this series and this matchup, but the Warriors probably have too many options to counter.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

John Kuntz, cleveland.com

Centers: Kevon Looney, Kevin Love

THE SKINNY: This is the wild-card matchup, if there ever was one. Kevon Looney started the last four games against the Rockets for the injured Andre Iguodala and averaged 3.7 points and 5.0 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per game in that series. If Iguodala were healthy, he'd probably start, and it'd throw off everything. Kevin Love averaged 12.5 points and 9.8 rebounds against the Celtics, missing most of the last two games with a concussion. He is not yet cleared to play in Game 1. He posted 31 points and 18 rebounds against the Warriors on Christmas from the 5 spot, which is why it's imperative for Cleveland to have him avoid Green.

THE EDGE: If, somehow, this matchup stands -- it's all Love.

Don't Edit

Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

Bench stars: Shaun Livingston, Jeff Green

THE SKINNY: With Iguodala out, Shaun Livingston is their man. He averaged 5.3 points against the Rockets. Jeff Green had a good series against the Celtics (8.7 points, 3.4 rebounds) and his versatility on defense is imperative in this series.

THE EDGE: The Warriors' bench has owned the Cavs for three consecutive Finals. In the clinching Game 5 last year, GSW's bench outscored its counterpart, 35-7. Who on the 2018 Cavs can flip that script?