All postseason long, NBA bettors have been looking forward to seeing the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors go into battle with one another.
Their wish will be granted after an eight-day layoff without any hoops action starting on Thursday night.
SERIES SCHEDULE
Game 1: Cleveland at Golden State (6/4, 9:00 p.m. ET, ABC)
Game 2: Cleveland at Golden State (6/7, 8:00 p.m. ET, ABC)
Game 3: Golden State at Cleveland (6/9, 9:00 p.m. ET, ABC)
Game 4: Golden State at Cleveland (6/11, 9:00 p.m. ET, ABC)
Game 5: Cleveland at Golden State (6/14, 8:00 p.m. ET, ABC, If Necessary)
Game 6: Golden State at Cleveland (6/16, 9:00 p.m. ET, ABC, If Necessary)
Game 7: Cleveland at Golden State (6/19, 9:00 p.m. ET, ABC, If Necessary)
ODDS ANALYSIS
Early betting returns have been on the Cavaliers for the most part in this series. You could have gotten Cleveland as high as +260 at the outset of this series being set, but now, the price is down to just +185.
The Warriors, who opened up as 6-point favorites in Game 1, are -225 to claim the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
KEY PLAYERS
Klay Thompson, Golden State – The Dubs really need Thompson healthy in this series. The second half of the Splash Brothers suffered a concussion and a lacerated ear in Game 5 against Houston last week. Steve Kerr expects that Thompson will be on the court in Game 1, but until we know that he passes concussion protocol, he won't be allowed back on the court. Stephen Curry can beat anyone by himself, but if this becomes a series between just Curry and LeBron James, the Warriors could be in for a huge fight.
LeBron James, Cleveland – Duh. James averaged nearly a triple-double against Atlanta in the Eastern Conference Finals, and he has literally put the whole city of Cleveland on his back here in these playoffs. At times, it looks like LeBron and the idiots on the court together, yet the best player on the planet is making things work like only he can, both as a scorer, a distributor and a defender.
KEY STATS
1.1: The number of defensive win shares Draymond Green has been worth here in the playoffs, second to only James in the entire NBA. Green is going to be the first man who we can trust to play straight up with LeBron in these playoffs. He's a junkyard dog of a defensive player, and he'll make James think twice before going for another isolation play for sure.
15.9 percent: The total rebounding percentage for Tristan Thompson thus far in the playoffs. That's a notable mark because it's the top percentage on the Cavaliers, and it isn't even close. Counting stats suggest that Thompson has been an elite rebounder ever since he has been inserted into the starting lineup for the injured Kevin Love, but in truth, he hasn't been the most efficient rebounder in this series by a country mile. Festus Ezeli (18.3 percent) and Andrew Bogut (19.3 percent) both have better rebound percentage rates overall, and that doesn't even include Marreese Speights (16.9 percent), who has been injured but could be back for this series.
ANALYSIS & PREDICTION
For as much as we would love to see Cleveland stick around in this series, we don't see it happening. The Cavaliers are toast.
Golden State is going to pull a Gregg Popovich in this series, letting James get his share but locking down on everyone else. That might have worked for Cleveland against Atlanta, Boston and Chicago, but it isn't going to work against Golden State. We think this series is screaming for a sweep.
Golden State Warriors in 4 games
The NBA lines for every game in this series will be first released by BookMaker. Now you can wager in-game while the action unfolds with BookMaker's live betting option.
Need to fund your account before the big game but don’t have your computer? No problem! BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone. Don’t miss out on getting paid because you couldn’t bet. Click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors will start on Thursday, June 4, 2015. Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 will be played at Oracle Arena in Oakland, CA, while Games 3, 4 and 6 will take place at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH.
