The Golden State Warriors continued their postseason dominance in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, rolling past the Cleveland Cavaliers to take an early series lead in their quest for another championship. Kevin Durant was fantastic in the contest and he is a big reason why the Warriors are heavy favorites to claim back the title after Cleveland won it last year.
The Cavaliers have some adjustments to make heading into Game 2 if they want to even up this series. Golden State didn’t play perfect but it was plenty enough to seize control and will be favored to go ahead 2-0 in this series next time out.
This series will begin on Sunday, June 4, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. The game will be televised live on ABC.
NBA Odds
The Warriors started as seven-point favorites heading into Game 1 and that line eventually moved to -8, and they easily covered both in the 113-90 victory. Golden State is now listed as an 8.5-point favorite for Game 2 and almost all of the early money is backing the Warriors, so expect that line to go up.
The scoring total is listed at 221.5 points, which is down a few from Game 1 as the “under” was easily the correct call last time out. The Warriors are -420 on the moneyline, and while the Cavs were the more popular choice in Game 1, Golden State has gotten the majority of the action following its blowout victory.
Cleveland is +330 and will pay off pretty nicely if it can pull off the upset in Game 2.
Last Time Out
Durant led the way in the first game, scoring 38 points while adding eight rebounds and eight assists. He has been widely criticized for joining a team as good as the Warriors in free agency over the offseason, but Durant was great in this one and seems poised to win his first championship.
Stephen Curry was also fantastic, finishing with 28 points while shooting 50 percent from the field and hitting 6-of-11 from three-point range. LeBron James did what he could for the Cavs, finishing with 28 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists.
Kyrie Irving added 24 points but none of the role players stepped up very well as Golden State was much more balanced. Cleveland shot only 34.9 percent from the floor, which is hard to stomach against a team as dynamic offensively as the Warriors. Credit the Golden State defense for stifling Cleveland throughout the contest.
Key Stat
20. That’s the number of turnovers the Cavaliers had in the first game, which ended any real chance they had with sticking close in this contest. James was the main culprit, giving the ball away eight times.
There is very little margin for error playing on the road against a dominant team like the Warriors, and Cleveland must be better taking care of its possessions. Golden State, meanwhile, only had four turnovers on the day.
While the Warriors didn’t shoot it spectacularly, the dominance in the turnover battle led them to the easy win.
Free NBA ATS Pick
Some wondered whether the Warriors would be rusty in this game but they clearly weren’t. The Cavs are the best team Golden State has faced but once again it wasn’t a contest. Cleveland has to play much better in Game 2 in order to have a chance on the road.
While many will naturally think this next game will be close, the talent gap is pretty big. The Warriors are an all-time great team, and while Cleveland has the best player on the court in James, Golden State is just too deep and balanced.
Choose Golden State to win this one by double digits, as its ball movement on offense and lockdown defense is an unbeatable combination. The “under” is the correct call as Golden State should be able to limit the Cavs once again in this one.
NBA Odds: Warriors 117, Cavaliers 103
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