Western Conference champions the Golden State Warriors will be hoping to clinch their first championship in 40 years when they face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2015 NBA finals, which tip-off Friday morning (11am AEST).

Eastern Conference champion Cleveland, meanwhile, is in a position to not only win the franchise's first-ever championship, but also end the city's nightmare drought of 51 years without a major sporting national title (which dates back to the Cleveland Browns’ gridiron victory in 1964).

The Warriors, led by 2015 MVP Stephen Curry, have been the hottest team all season. Curry, alongside Klay Thompson - the duo otherwise known as the Splash Brothers - have drowned opponents' sorrows with constant threes. But it's not just them who are out to make life hard for the Warriors. Draymond Green has been spectacular all season with or without the ball, as has The Great Wall Of Australia, Andrew Bogut, who has been an imposing figure for the men from California.

The Cleveland Cavaliers welcomed back their prodigal son LeBron James after his time in South Beach with the Miami Heat. "The King" has been his dominant self all season, leading his hometown to its first finals appearance since 2010. Alongside him is superstar Kyrie Irving, one of the best guards in the NBA, but whose injury dramas may yet be an issue for the Cavs. Filling his void during the post-season has been Aussie Matthew Dellavedova. The American press has labelled Delly a dirty player after various incidents during the playoffs, but his hard work and dedication have won many admirers, especially among the Cavs’ faithful.

The two outcasts from New York, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, have been huge successes since their mid-season move from the Big Apple to the mid-west. If China has its great wall, and Australia our own in Bogut, Russia has its version too in Timofey Mozgov. The 216cm-tall big man has been a huge presence for the Cavs since moving from the Denver Nuggets.

Both teams boast quality all-round; even their benches are filled with a tremendous amount of depth and experience.

The Cavs strolled into the finals even after Kevin Love succumbed to a shoulder injury against the Boston Celtics in the first round, but will they be able to compete with Steph Curry through their injury-plagued star point guard Irving? The Melbourne-born American international has had his injury issues throughout the post-season, with Cavs fans continually sweating on his fitness.

Check out our NBA Finals gallery above for a visual wrap of the post-season so far. There's plenty of action still to come!

ROAD TO THE FINALS

Golden State Warriors

First Round vs New Orleans Pelicans 4-0

Conference Semis vs Memphis Grizzlies 4-2

Conference Finals vs Houston Rockets 4-1

Cleveland Cavaliers

First Round vs Boston Celtics 4-0

Conference Semis vs Chicago Bulls 4-2

Conference Finals vs Atlanta Hawks 4-0