The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers will face off once again for the championship. The Cavs famously rallied from a 3-1 lead to pull out a huge upset a year ago and claim the title over Golden State. The Warriors are the favorites once again and have Kevin Durant this time around as they aim for revenge.
These are clearly the two best teams in the league and the expectation from the start of the year was that they would meet in the finals. Both squads come in playing extremely well and this could be a fantastic series showcasing some of the best players in the world.
This series will begin on Thursday, June 1, 2017, at 9 p.m. ET at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. The game will be televised live on ABC.
NBA Odds
The Warriors finished with the best record in the NBA during the regular season and have gone undefeated in the playoffs. Not surprisingly, Golden State is the favorite to win this series, with odds set at -285. While the Warriors are the clear favorites, the odds aren’t as stacked as in previous series.
The Cavaliers’ odds to pull the upset are set at +234, and the majority of the money is backing Cleveland since the payoff is lucrative. As it currently stands, 72 percent of the action has chosen Cleveland on the moneyline.
The Warriors are listed as seven-point favorites in Game 1, as they get it at home and have the home court advantage in this series based on their superior regular season record. The Cavs are getting 51 percent of the action to cover the spread.
The scoring total is listed at 226 points, with the “over” the more popular pick in a series which should showcase all sorts of offensive fireworks. The Warriors are -350 on the moneyline for Game 1 while the Cavs are +281 underdogs. More than 80 percent of the moneyline action is on Cleveland.
Series History
The Cavaliers and Warriors faced off two times in the regular season and split the contests. Their first matchup was on Christmas Day in Cleveland, and the Cavaliers secured the 109-108 victory. The Warriors led by seven points going into the final quarter and pushed it to 14 a few minutes later but Cleveland rallied.
Kyrie Irving had the game-winning shot, which was reminiscent of his critical hoop in Game 7 of last year’s NBA Finals. Durant played really well for the Warriors in this one, finishing with 36 points and 15 rebounds.
Golden State got its revenge in the second game of the regular season as it cruised to the 126-91 win. Klay Thompson led the way with 26 points as the Warriors led by 29 points at the half and cruised. The Cavaliers shot poorly, which isn’t going to work out well against Golden State.
Matchup To Watch
Kyrie Irving vs. Stephen Curry -- These are two of the pre-eminent point guards in the NBA. Curry is a former MVP who is the best shooter in the NBA, but Irving got the better of him statistically in last year’s NBA Finals.
Curry was battling an injury in last year’s postseason and is now healthy. He is averaging a team-high 28.6 points per game while adding 5.6 assists and 5.5 rebounds per contest. Curry is shooting 50.2 percent from the field and 43.1 percent from three-point range.
Irving is averaging 24.5 points and 5.6 assists per contest while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from three-point range. If Irving can outplay Curry again, it will give the Cavaliers a shot at pulling off the upset once again in this series.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Cavaliers have looked really good in the playoffs, but consider the competition. They knocked off the Pacers, Raptors and Celtics, three solid teams but not among the league’s elite. While both teams caught breaks in the conference finals because of injuries to Kawhi Leonard and Isaiah Thomas, Golden State has shown to be the better team.
The Cavaliers needed a huge comeback to knock off Golden State in last year’s NBA Finals. Golden State is even better now with Kevin Durant in the fold. While Cleveland is very good with LeBron James leading the way, the Warriors are one of the best teams in the history of the NBA and should claim this series.
NBA Odds: Warriors over the Cavaliers in six games
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