After a long break between the conference finals and the championship round, we’ll finally see the two best teams in the NBA go at it on Thursday night. This might be the most star-studded NBA Finals we’ve ever seen. Seven players who made this year’s All-Star game are involved, including three former league MVP’s. It’s the first time in NBA history that the same two teams have squared off in the Finals three years in a row and many experts are expecting this to be the best Finals we’ve ever seen. We’ll see if it plays out that way. Here’s a preview of Game 1.
Why The Cleveland Cavaliers Can Cover The Spread…
Because has been a different team in the playoffs. For everyone that’s saying that this year’s version of the Cavaliers is worse than last year’s version, that only applies to the regular season. In the playoffs, the Cavaliers have won 12 of their 13 postseason contests and the one that they lost was a miraculous 21-point comeback by the Boston Celtics. Outside of that, the Cavaliers are averaging 116.8 points per game in the playoffs and allowing just 103.2. That’s right: they are winning by an average of 13.6 points per game.
There was talk throughout the season that LeBron James might be a little bit fatigued but he’s had an entire week off to rest up for this game. He’s averaging a healthy 32.5 points per game with 8.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists in the playoffs. More importantly, Kyrie Irving is scoring 24.5 per game and Kevin Love is averaging 17.2. Love, in particular, has raised his game in the playoffs. He only averaged 14.7 points last season while shooting 38.5% from the field. He’s shooting 45.7% from the field this year and 47.5% from three.
If the Cavs Big Three are averaging 74.2 points per game, they’ll be tough to beat.
Why The Golden State Warriors Can Cover The Spread…
Because they’re hungry. The Warriors blew a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals last season to the Cleveland Cavaliers and they’ve been itching for revenge. Now is their chance. Not only is last year’s team hungry for revenge, they’ve since added former league MVP Kevin Durant, which makes this team a group of All-Stars.
While the Cavaliers have been impressive this postseason, Golden State has been even better. They are a perfect 12-0 so far and have yet to lose a single playoff game. They have crushed their opponents – opponents that many would say are tougher than who Cleveland had to face – by an average combined score of 118.3 to 102.0. That’s impressive.
They’re rested, they’ve been waiting for this and they’re at home. Don’t expect them to slip up in Game 1.
Outlook
This figures to be a close contest as these are the two best teams in the NBA. However, it’s tough to go against Golden State in this spot. Not only did it look like last year’s team should have won the Finals, they have since added Durant and that’s a big x-factor.
It’s not often that we see Cleveland as an underdog but they don’t play well in that roll. They are just 5-10 against the spread and 3-12 straight up when posted as the underdog this season.
If you’re looking to bet on the NBA Finals, bookmaker Shangri La has all of the latest odds on NBA Finals Cavaliers-Warriors Game 1.
