Cavs' Shumpert on Warriors: ‘We've been waiting for this'

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The 2015 NBA Finals came down to Stephen Curry and the Warriors taking on LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

In a series with no shortage of drama or storylines, Golden State edged out Cleveland in Game 6 to become world champions.

Now seven months removed from that confetti shower in Cleveland, the rematch has been long awaited.

"We've been waiting for this," Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert told the media on Wednesday. "Ya know, everybody's been working their a-- off to make sure they're healthy. We know what we're capable of. We're capable of throwing out a lot of different lineups. We can go small, we can go big, we can go quick. We got a lot that we can throw at teams. There's no breaks. Everyone that comes in is looking to produce. Everybody is going to produce. We're just looking to win."

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The lingering question, of course, is how much is the memory of the NBA Finals in the heads of the Cavaliers' lineup?

"Can't speak for everybody else, it plays a part in mine," Shumpert responded. "We're going to come out and approach the game like we approach all games. But I'm salty, I am."

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Shumpert wasn't the only one to comment, as LeBron James fielded questions from the locker room.

"The memories will come back as soon as we walk into the building," four-time MVP LeBron James said. "But also understand it as one of 82, and I'm not going to put everything into this game.

"It's a great opportunity for our fans to have five games on Christmas and our game continue to get so much exposure. But for us as a team, Friday will not be the end of our season like it was in June. We play Saturday. And then we play Monday and Tuesday. We want to play well going against a great caliber team, the best team in our league right now. But it's not like the season ends if we lose or win, or whatever the case may be."

The Warriors are 27-1 entering Friday's game, while the Cavaliers are 19-7. Stephen Curry ranks first in the NBA, averaging 21.2 points per game, while James ranks fourth with 26.4 per game. 

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