How the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers build up to the NBA Finals on Twitter

June 1, 2018

June has finally made its way around in the calendar, and with it comes another NBA Finals series. After another 82-game season and a playoffs rife with pleasant surprises and agonizing defeats, we’ve reached a rather familiar end.

For the fourth straight year, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors have come face-to-face in the Finals. While their respective rosters have been tweaked over the past few years, it again comes down to LeBron James against a super team with four future Hall of Famers (Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green).

Many fans are simply bored of this matchup by now, craving the idea of fresh faces in the penultimate series. They have a point. But the social teams of the Cavs and Warriors are doing their part to keep fan engagement alive.

There is a distinct meaning behind the Finals for both teams. This year represents a chance for Cleveland to win just the second title in their franchise history. Moreover, winning a trophy would be the ultimate persuasion for James to stay in Ohio— he can test free agency this offseason, and many believe he will do so if the heavily-favored Warriors win.

A great deal is on the line for Oakland-based Golden State, too. After their second season with former-MVP Kevin Durant, the Warriors face an opportunity to win their second-straight Finals and their third out of the last four years. Beating Cleveland would establish a dynasty that would exist in NBA lore for years.

After a neck-and-neck four quarters and overtime, Golden State escaped Game 1 with a 124-114 win despite a Finals career-high 51 points from LeBron. Steph Curry was typically on fire from beyond the arc, draining 5-11 three-pointers with a team-high 29 points.

Professional sports Twitter accounts serve other tasks than hyping up their fans and celebrating big wins with fun videos, though.

They’re also there to disseminate information, which Cleveland had to do following a bitter loss despite leading 106-104 with 32 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Post-game press conferences are crucial for the media, and players bare the responsibilities of talking to the press even after losing.

The Warriors were one of the most heavily favored Finals team in history, so for the Cavaliers to make it a game in bring it to overtime will undoubtedly draw fans back in. It appears the series may be more competitive than many thought.

It’s not mystery how much of a function hashtags provide on Twitter, and Cleveland (#WhateverItTakes) and Golden State (#DubNation) have used their own branded hashtags to reach wider audiences. Game two will not be played until Sunday night, but fans have plenty of reason to keep engaged until then.

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Reed Koutelas
Reed Koutelas 21 posts

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