For the fourth consecutive summer, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors will meet in the NBA Finals. Golden State won in 2015 and 2017, while the Cavaliers won in 2016 and are now looking to pull what oddsmakers would consider a mammoth upset in this year’s finals. Cleveland eliminated Indiana (in seven), Toronto (in four) and Boston (in seven), while Golden State knocked out San Antonio (in five), New Orleans (in five) and Houston (in seven). For the Warriors, the key injury is Andre Iguodala, who will miss at least the first game; for Cleveland, it’s Kevin Love, who at this writing is still in the concussion protocol but will start tonight if he is cleared during the day. Check out our NBA Finals Game 1 betting preview for the finals opener.
2018 NBA Finals Game 1 Preview: Cavaliers vs Warriors Pick & Prediction
When: Thursday, May 31, 2018, 9:00pm ETWhere: Oracle Arena, OaklandTV: ABCRadio: WTAM 1100 AM Cleveland / WGMZ 95.7 FM OaklandLive Stream: WatchESPNNBA Finals Game 1 Odds: Golden State -12 / O/U 215.5
Why should you bet on the Cavaliers?
Cleveland does benefit from an additional day of rest, as their series ended on Sunday, when they eliminated Boston in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference finals. LeBron James has put up at least 30 points in each Cleveland playoff win and will likely need to do so in each game that the Cavs would win in this series. They have one dominating feature in their lineup, and that is LeBron James. To be sure, the Cavaliers went through the postseason against a Pacers team with one scorer, in Victor Oladipo, a Raptors team that has a mental block when it comes to playing Cleveland, and a Boston team missing its two best players in Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, so their road has not been as difficult as that of Golden State, which means they should have fresher legs.
It’s also important to remember that you’re picking against the spread here, not straight up. The games that Houston and Golden State played down the stretch were grindfests, and if the Cavaliers can frustrate Draymond Green, who is not as solid this postseason as he has been in years past, and if Durant or Curry is having a cold night, then the Cavaliers could keep this closer than that 12-point spread, and possibly even win.
Why should you put your money on the Warriors?
The Warriors have three All-Stars in their starting lineup, in Curry, Durant and Green. The absence of Iguodala means that the fifth starter serves as a question mark, but this series basically pits three All-Stars against one, and that one (despite the fact that he basically handpicked the players who came in at the trade deadline) does not have the pieces around him that he needs to beat the Warriors in this series. Last year, the Warriors won by 22 points and then 19 points in Games One and Two at home — and that was when the Cavaliers had Kyrie Irving. George Hill is a good point guard, but he’s not nearly the scorer that Kyrie is.
One good question, though, is how hungry the Warriors are this season. They’ve shown signs of boredom and inconsistent play, leading to some public frustration from coach Steve Kerr. He even let the team coach a game this season to help change things up. The Cavaliers have followed LeBron’s lead to this point, and it will be interesting to see how far they can get against a team with a lot more talent on the roster.
Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction
I see the two teams feeling each other out — and Golden State pulling out a win. However, I see things taking a while to shake out and for the Warriors to pull away, so I’m predicting that the Cavs will cover, with a final score of Golden State 112, Cleveland 105.
