The Golden State Warriors (82-20 SU, 57-44-1 ATS) have been waiting to take advantage of LeBron James not being on the court or being completely worn out over the course of the entire NBA Finals. They used James' bench time in the third quarter and his marginal and completely inefficient fourth quarter of Game 5 to go on a 13-4 run, and that's why they’re now one step from beating the Cleveland Cavaliers (67-34 SU, 49-52 ATS) to capture the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Warriors have now won consecutive games in this series by double digits, and the point spread reflects just that. The Dubs are -4 on the road to close out this series, and they’re -800 favorites to win the NBA championship, insane numbers for a series that, without one or two individual spurts, could be over in the other direction.
The total looks like it has settled in the sweet spot at 195. Game 5 pushed that exact total, a difficult trick to pull off in an NBA game.
INJURY REPORT
James has been knocked around over the course of this entire series, but he continues to show no signs of problems over the long run. He put in 45 minutes once again on Sunday night, showing that the minor head injury suffered in Game 4 was no big deal.
Matthew Dellavedova also played 42 minutes in Game 5 after he spent some time in the hospital due to exhaustion following Game 3.
These two teams haven't picked up any new injury problems.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"They've been trapping a lot of pick and rolls. When I have an opportunity to go one-on-one, I've got to be aggressive… I've got to make those shots." – Golden State guard Stephen Curry on what he did to put together a mammoth fourth quarter where he scored 17 points
BETTING TRENDS
- Even though the Warriors are only 2-3 ATS in the five games of this series, they’re 11-6 ATS in the last 16 games played against Cleveland overall.
- The Cavaliers are only 4-5 ATS in the postseason at home.
- After Game 5's push, the UNDER is now 6-1-1 in the last eight games played between these two teams, and the only reason for that one over is overtime in Game 1.
KEY STATS
3: The number of points which the Cavaliers scored in the fourth quarter of Game 5 that weren't either directly scored or assisted by LeBron James. When he is long retired, we'll all be telling stories to our kids and grandkids of how LeBron Freaking James dominated the 2015 NBA Finals, whether this series is ultimately won or lost.
James, who is nearly averaging a triple-double for the entire postseason, is averaging 36.6 points, 12.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game in the NBA Finals.
11.2: The number of offensive rebounds per game which the Warriors are averaging in the NBA Finals. The Dubs have averaged 13.1 second chance points per game in the playoffs, second to only Cleveland. If Golden State can win the offensive rebounding battle, it is going to be in great shape in Game 6 because there is always an opportunity for three second chance points off those long rebounds.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Cavaliers have absolutely proven to us that they are game for this series, as the only time they have really gotten overwhelmed was in Game 4 when they were beaten badly late by Golden State.
Even though we’re the first ones to admit that we never believed that Cleveland had a shot in this series, there is nothing here that makes us think that Game 6 is going to be any different than any of the other games in this series.
This is a series which deserves a seventh game, and we suspect that LeBron has one more bit of magic in him. He'll go off for yet another triple-double and lead the Cavaliers to victory.
Cleveland 99, Golden State 94
BookMaker opened the spread for this Tuesday game the night before the tip. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone or tablet with BookMaker's new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here, and start wagering today! Game 6 between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers will tip off Tuesday, June 16, 2015 at 9:00 p.m. ET at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH. The contest will be broadcast nationally on ABC.
