Each side has one recent championship and Golden State will enter as the favorite to pick up a second. The Cavs rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win last year’s title and would love to pull another upset. Golden State has the home court advantage in this series by virtue of its superior regular season record, and will aim to grab an early series lead.
The Warriors are decent favorites to win Game 1 but the Cavaliers are playing well and shouldn’t be counted out.
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 are listed as seven-point favorites in the first game of the series. The juice is currently at -105 for the Cavs and -115 for the Warriors to cover, and 52.4 percent of the action has come in on Cleveland.
The scoring total in the first game is listed at 226.5 points. The “over” is the more popular choice at 59 percent as both teams love to play at a quick pace and have a bevy of scorers. The Warriors are -335 to win Game 1 on the moneyline, while Cleveland is +271. The Cavs are getting the majority of the action there.
Golden State is now 79-15 straight up and 48-42-4 against the spread on the season. The Warriors are 23-21-3 against the spread at home on the season. Golden State is 46-41-4 against the spread as the favorite on the season. The Warriors have covered in three straight games.
The Cavaliers are 63-32 straight up and 43-48-4 against the spread. Cleveland is 22-24-2 against the spread on the road this season. The Cavs have only been the underdog in 15 games this year and haven’t performed too well in them, covering five times.
Series History
The Cavaliers and Warriors split their two games during the regular season, each side picking up a victory at home. The first game was in Cleveland on Christmas Day and Kyrie Irving hit a shot with under four seconds remaining to clinch the 109-108 win.
The Warriors led by 14 points in the fourth quarter but the Cavs rallied furiously to pull out the win. Kevin Durant starred for Golden State, finishing with 36 points and 15 rebounds in a losing effort.
The Warriors easily evened the score in the rematch, as Klay Thompson scored 26 points to lead the way in a 126-91 win. Golden State led by 29 points at intermission as the contest was never competitive.
Scheduling Situation
Both teams will be well-rested for this one by virtue of their quick work of the conference finals opponents. The Warriors swept the Spurs and finished up the series on May 22.
Golden State had an injury scare to Durant early in the postseason but he is fine, and the team is pretty healthy. The biggest absence is that of coach Steve Kerr, who has been sidelined by headaches and other pain. Mike Brown has done a fine job in his stead and will coach at least Game 1.
The Cavaliers did lose one game to the Boston Celtics but finished out the series back on May 25 and also have had plenty of time to rest.
Cleveland faced a Boston team that lost star Isaiah Thomas early in the series, while the Warriors played the Spurs without Kawhi Leonard for the majority of the series. In this one, both teams are healthy and will be rested and ready go to.
Free NBA ATS Pick
LeBron James, Irving and Kevin Love are playing at a high level, and the Cavs enter feeling good about their chances. However, the Warriors were favored last year despite the loss and now have added Durant to the excellent trio of Thompson, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
The Warriors should be able to take care of business unless James takes over. Golden State has the better shooters and is more efficient offensively, which should be the difference.
NBA Odds: Warriors 123, Cavaliers 114
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