The 2016 NBA Finals is all set. The Cleveland Cavaliers, spearheaded by LeBron James, will look to give the city its first-ever NBA title when they go up against the Golden State Warriors starting this Thursday. But before everything else, let’s take a look at which team the experts in ESPN, CBS Sports, and USA Today think will cop the 2016 NBA title.
Meanwhile, check out our complete preview of Game 1 here.
Check out these latest articles at Top Bet News
- Can Conor McGregor defy the odds and beat Floyd Mayweather?
- Best Mayweather-McGregor Press Conference Quotes
- 2017 ESPY Awards Predictions, Picks and Preview
Expert Picks for Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors
ESPN
| Experts | Pick | Games |
|---|---|---|
| J.A. Adande | Warriors | 7 |
| Kevin Arnovitz | Warriors | 7 |
| Ian Begley | Cavs | 7 |
| Chris Broussard | Warriors | 7 |
| Bradford Doolittle | Cavs | 6 |
| Amin Elhassan | Warriors | 6 |
| Chad Ford | Warriors | 7 |
| Chris Forsberg | Warriors | 7 |
| Nick Friedell | Warriors | 6 |
| Israel Gutierrez | Warriors | 7 |
| Tom Haberstroh | Warriors | 5 |
| Baxter Holmes | Warriors | 6 |
| Cassidy Hubbarth | Cavs | 6 |
| Zach Lowe | Warriors | 7 |
| Tim MacMahon | Warriors | 6 |
| Arash Markazi | Warriors | 6 |
| Mike Mazzeo | Warriors | 7 |
| Dave McMenamin | Cavs | 6 |
| Kevin Pelton | Warriors | 6 |
| Ramona Shelburne | Warriors | 7 |
| Marc Spears | Warriors | 7 |
| Marc Stein | Warriors | 6 |
| Ethan Sherwood Strauss | Warriors | 6 |
| David Thorpe | Warriors | 6 |
| Justin Verrier | Warriors | 6 |
| Michael Wallace | Cavs | 6 |
| Calvin Watkins | Warriors | 7 |
| Michael Wright | Cavs | 7 |
| Royce Young | Cavs | 6 |
After all, the Warriors are the defending champions, the best team throughout the regular season, and are being led by the reigning two-time MVP in Stephen Curry. Based on their predictions on how long the series would last, it appears that they’re expecting a hard-fought final, as only one (Tom Haberstroh) sees the series ending in five games or less.
LeBron will have the level of talent playing by his side this time around unlike last year when he had to share the floor most of the time with the likes of Timofey Mozgov and Matthew Dellavedova. With Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving completing the Big Three, the texture of this finals should be a whole lot different than last season’s.
CBS Sports
| Experts | Pick | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Ken Berger | Warriors | 7 |
| Bill Reiter | Warriors | 6 |
| Zach Harper | Warriors | 7 |
| James Herbert | Warriors | 6 |
| Matt Moore | Warriors | 6 |
| Ananth Pandian | Warriors | 7 |
There’s no one playing the devil’s advocate over at CBS Sports. All six of their experts predict Curry and company to reign supreme again.
Among them is Zach Harper, who, while acknowledging Cleveland’s offense that could match Golden State’s, opines that resorting to fire to fight the Warriors’ fiery offense would not suffice to beat Curry and company. Harper just doesn’t see the Cavs having the defense to consistently take the Warriors off their rhythm, thus his prediction of Golden State in seven games.
USA Today
| Experts | Pick | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Amick | Warriors | 7 |
| Sam Amick | Warriors | 7 |
Well, what’s new? USA Today experts Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt name the Warriors as their pick to win it all. Both of them also see the series going the distance.
In the article, USA Today tells that the Warriors would raise the Larry O’Brien Trophy if the core trio of Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green play the way they’ve always have. Green was particularly singled out, as he needs to avoid losing his composure and play with poise so as for the Warriors to avoid getting victimized just like in Games 3 and 4 of the western conference finals against OKC.
Create a betting account now and cash in from all the exciting NBA Playoffs action in an instant.
