The highly anticipated 2015 NBA Finals are set to begin in a few hours, and millions of fans around the world are waiting anxiously for that first tip-off. The series will feature Eastern Conference champs the Cleveland Cavaliers against the champs from the West in the Golden State Warriors. That said, it just about goes without saying that the series will be decided by match-ups, but on the offensive and defensive end of the court, so here’s a look at our positional breakdown of the respective starters:

Point Guard – Stephen Curry vs Kyrie IrvingVerdict: CurryShooting Guard – Klay Thompson vs Iman ShumpertVerdict: ThompsonSmall Forward – LeBron James vs Draymond GreenVerdict: James, but a match-up to watchPower Forward – Harrison Barnes vs Tristan ThompsonVerdict: Tristan ThompsonCenter – Andrew Bogut vs Timofey MozgovVerdict: BogutFinal Verdict: 3 to 2 in favour of the Warriors. This probably means nothing in the grand scheme of things, but is a fun assessment of each team’s starting strengths. As we said in the preview, this series will depend heavily on role players and depth.

Steph Curry has been the best player in the NBA this year. You don’t get there by being only shooter, as he was rightfully dubbed in the past. That same accusation is thrown at Kyrie Irving. He may not yet have outgrown it. Curry is a sharpshooter of the highest quality who will punish any bit of space he receives. Irving has been known to be streaky, though he is similarly unstoppable when he gets going. For the regular season, Curry has averaged almost 30 points this post-season, along with decent assist and rebound numbers, with Irving at under 20 points, and just about three assists and three rebounds.

Both teams have height in this position. 6’7″ Thompson faces 6’5″ Iman Shumpert. Shumpert has really started to find himself with this Cavs team and has proven to be an excellent trade. Both contribute similarly with useful rebounds and the odd assists. However, Klay Thompson might be the best natural shooter we’ve ever seen and it shows in his 19.7 points average in the play-offs, to Shumpert’s 10.

The series could be won or lost with this match-up. Obviously LeBron James is a superstar, but if it wasn’t for Kawhi Leonard, Draymond Green could have quite easily won Defensive Player of the Year. He’ll likely have the task of trying to stop the King’s 27-point, 10-rebound and eight-assist production. Obviously James will be unstoppable at times, but he will also have to play a defensive role in stopping Green’s production in the post. But James will also need to stop Green as supplementing Golden State’s perimeter shooting.

Tristan Thompson has had arguably his best season in the NBA in 2014-15. His production is a lot more consistent than Barnes’ and he averaged a full 2.5 more rebounds. Steve Kerr may want to consider starting Andre Iguodala to milk his team’s advantage in athleticism. That said, as we saw in Game 5 versus the Rockets, Barnes is a very valuable role player.

Mozgov averages more points than the big Aussie, but Bogut has become one of the best centers in the NBA this year. He averages 8.7 rebounds to Mozgov’s 7.8, as well as more blocks. Bogut is also a useful passer and is the defensive anchor for the vastly-improved Warriors defence since Steve Kerr’s arrival.