Game 1 of the 2015 NBA Finals is in the books, and what a wild game it was. Golden State reeled off 10 unanswered points in overtime, as the Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-100.
Cleveland’s LeBron James was an absolute force on Thursday — scoring an NBA Finals career-high 44 points to go along with eight boards and six assists. But James’ superb effort went to waste, as the Warriors gave a better all-around team effort by having five players score in double-digits. Regular season MVP Steph Curry lead the way for the Warriors with 26 points and eight assists.
As we get set for the next game on Sunday at Oracle Arena, the pundits have already weighed in on what they expect in the second meeting between the two best teams in the NBA. Read on below for their Game 2 predictions and analysis.
Don’t forget to catch our own coverage of the NBA Finals. Head on over here for our predictions, picks and preview of the entire series between Cleveland and Golden State.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Experts Predictions for Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors Game 2
Series Scores and Schedule
Game 1 – June 4, 9:00 PM ET – Cleveland Cavaliers 100 at Golden State Warriors 108 (OT)
Game 2 – June 7, 8:00 PM ET – Cleveland Cavaliers (+6.5) at Golden State Warriors (-6.5); total: 202.0 – view all NBA lines
Game 3 – June 9, 9:00 PM ET – Golden State Warriors at Cleveland Cavaliers
Game 4 – June 11, 9:00 PM ET – Golden State Warriors at Cleveland Cavaliers
Game 5* – June 14, 9:00 PM ET – Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors
Game 6*– June 16, 9:00 PM ET – Golden State Warriors at Cleveland Cavaliers
Game 7* – June 19, 9:00 PM ET – Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors
*If necessary
RantSports
| Expert | Prediction |
|---|---|
| Gil Alcaraz IV | Golden State wins |
Over at RantSports, Gil Alcaraz predicted monster performances from LeBron James for Cleveland and Golden State’s Draymond Green, and with Golden State coming out on top with a blowout victory.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Alcaraz’s prediction that James will get a triple-double in Game 2 is not far-fetched at all. The King is very much capable of doing this night-in and night-out, as he is averaging 28 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists this postseason.
James’ numbers from Game 1 were on pace towards getting another triple-double, but had to carry most of the scoring load in Game 1 as evidenced by his whopping 44 points and just six assists.
The RantSports columnist also expects Draymond Green to score 25 or more points in Game 2. While that goal for Green isn’t impossible, Golden State’s well-spread offensive attack could very well be enough to take down the isolation-heavy Cavaliers. 10 Warriors managed to score in Game 1, while Cleveland played eight players in the game, but only six of them managed to put up points.
Sports Unbiased
| Expert | Prediction |
|---|---|
| Jr. Williams | Cleveland wins |
| Keith Rivas | Golden State wins |
| Steve Turner | Golden State wins |
| Sauping Arguello | Golden State 115-94 |
Three out of the four writers at Sports Unbiased predicted Golden State to go up 2-0 in the series. SU’s editor, Jr. Williams, stood as the only expert to predict a victory for Cleveland in Game 2.
Williams sees a better, much balanced offensive attack from the Cavaliers in Game 2, and more ball distribution coming from LeBron James. The Cavaliers only had three players score in double-digits in Game 1: James, Kyrie Irving and Timofey Mozgov. The trio combined for 73 percent of the Cavs’ total offense in Game1, and Cleveland should look to get more of their entire roster invovled in the next game.
The rest of the Sports Unbiased crew took careful note of Kyrie Irving’s injury in overtime, and that’s enough reason for them to believe that Golden State will win another game at Oracle Arena before the series shifts to Cleveland.
Irving was sensational in Game 1 as he finished with 23 points, seven boards and six dimes. Uncle Drew even looked like he was outplaying Steph Curry at times, especially when he blocked two key shots by the reigning MVP. But that was all before he fell on his own legs trying to make a drive on offense in the extra period. As of this writing, Irving’s injury status remains questionable, and his involvement for the rest of the series is ever so pivotal for the Cavaliers’ hopes of staying competitive in the series.
Fellow SU contributor Steve Turner also raised a good point about Golden State’s Andre Iguodala’s play on Thursday. Iggy had 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, and played tight one-on-one defense against The King.
Expect more reserves from the Warriors to step up in the next match. The return of Marreese Speights is a welcome addition to the already deep roster of Golden State. Speights scored eight points in just nine minutes of playing time, and was an integral part of Golden State’s run in the second quarter to climb out of Cleveland’s early 14-point lead.
Create a betting account now, and place more bets than the Warriors can make threes.
Top Bet
| Expert | Prediction |
|---|---|
| Top Bet | Golden State wins |
Lastly, we here at Top Bet also went with the popular consensus of a Golden State victory in Game 2.
For Cleveland to stay competitive in the series, a lot of their role players need to step up; most notably Matthew Dellavedova. While Delly with his unforgiving hustle was a key ingredient to Cleveland’s success in this year’s playoffs, he’s still no substitute for Kyrie Irving (if Irving will indeed sit-out Game 2). Dellavedova is only averaging seven points per game in the playoffs on 39 percent shooting.
As for the Warriors, Stephen Curry must connect more from downtown in Game 2. Game 1 saw the baby-faced assassin hit just two three-pointers on Thursday, but is really averaging close to five makes from beyond the arc this postseason.
If there is one statistic though that favors Curry and Golden State after their Game 1 victory, is that in the past seven times that the regular season MVP plays and wins Game 1 on his home court, he and his team would go on to win the NBA title.
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