Tip-off: Monday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Line: San Antonio -4.5, Total: 211.5

The Cavaliers meet the Spurs in what could be a Monday preview of the NBA Finals.

Cleveland has not been playing its best basketball as of late, but the team really isn’t worried about how it finishes the regular season. Many people point to the fact that the Celtics can take over as the top seed in the Eastern Conference, but the Cavaliers are confident in their ability to beat Boston in the postseason. Losing home court would definitely make that a bit tougher, but Cleveland is still the class of the Eastern Conference. The team is also going to continue to prioritize rest as the season comes close to a close. The Spurs are in a similar boat. They have a chance to steal the Warriors’ top seed in the Western Conference, but they are also trying to get healthy at the right time. Still, this is a game that should feature some emotion on Monday. In the only other meeting between the teams this season, the Spurs won 118-115 on the road. That game went to overtime, and San Antonio was able to prevail without both PG Tony Parker (10.3 PPG, 4.7 APG) and C Pau Gasol (12.3 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.1 BPG). Both of those guys are healthy coming into this one, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see either of these teams sit guys out on Monday. Both Gregg Popovich and Tyronn Lue have been cautious all season, and it’s too late for them to abandon those ideals now.

The Cavaliers are trying to repeat as NBA champions, and they will definitely want to send a message with a win over the Spurs on Monday. If they are going to come away with a win in this one then SF LeBron James (26.1 PPG, 8.8 APG, 8.4 RPG, 1.3 SPG) is going to need to take care of the ball. He shot insanely well the last time he faced San Antonio, scoring 29 points on 11-for-16 shooting from the floor. He did, however, have seven turnovers in that game. He’ll need to bring that number down on Monday. PG Kyrie Irving (25.5 PPG, 5.8 APG, 1.2 SPG) also had 29 points against the Cavaliers in that contest, and he should have no trouble scoring like that again here. He is a tough cover for the point guards the Spurs are currently trotting out, and Irving will need to be aggressive in this one. The guy that actually killed Cleveland in the last contest was PF Kevin Love (19.5 PPG, 11.0 RPG). Love was just 4-for-15 from the floor and 3-for-11 from three the last time he faced the Spurs, and the Cavaliers need him to be a lot more efficient this time around.

The Spurs will be looking forward to this meeting with the Cavaliers, and SF Kawhi Leonard (26.0 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.8 SPG) is the guy to watch in this one. Leonard has a very good chance to win MVP this season, and he’ll need to play like the league’s best player in order to help his team win on Monday. Leonard is going to be matched up with LeBron James often in this one, and he’ll need to play well on both ends of the floor here. Fortunately for San Antonio, Leonard did just that against the Cavaliers last time. He had 41 points in that victory and will need to be just as aggressive this time around. PF LaMarcus Aldridge (17.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.1 BPG) was also solid in that game, scoring 16 points and also adding 12 boards and six assists. It’d be nice if he can impact the game in that many ways once again.