The Cavs will be in some unfamiliar territory when they enter Game 1 of the NBA Finals as underdogs. Cleveland has been favored in each and every game in this postseason run, where they have gone 12-1 (7-4-2 ATS).
The Cavs have been especially deadly on the road. They are a perfect 7-0 (5-0-2 ATS), and are coming off a 32-point blowout win to close out the Boston Celtics in Game 5. LeBron James had another masterful performance as he went for 35 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists, and shot an absurd 13-of-18 from the field.
James has been close to unstoppable in these playoffs, but Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were similarly dominant in the Celtics series. Irving smoked the Celtics defense for 26 points per game on 62 percent shooting, while Love averaged 22-12 double-double and also shot lights out from 3.
With the Big 3 firing on all cylinders, the Cavs should enter Game 1 with a lot of confidence. The Cavs are the last team in a long time to take back-to-back games against them at Oracle when they won Games 5 and 7 in last year’s Finals.
The Warriors are still perfect in these playoffs after running through the West with a 12-0 record. The Dubs did go 5-1 ATS in their last six games, which included back-to-back double-digit wins over the Spurs at San Antonio.
Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant were simply unstoppable during the Spurs series. Curry put up 31.5 points per game, shot 56 percent from the field and 46 percent from 3. Durant was even more efficient, as he had 28 points on 16 shots, and shot 60 percent.
However, the Warriors have not quite been so dominant at home in these playoffs. The only four times they’ve failed to cover were at Oracle. The large double-digit spreads they faced as home favorites obviously played a factor. But perhaps the long layoffs in between Game 1s have also played a part.
The Dubs struggled in the first half of Game 1 prior to Kawhi’s season-ending injury. That game came after a five-day rest. They also didn’t completely dominate in Game 1 against the Jazz, which came after a week off. So with nine days of inactivity prior to Game 1 of the Finals, there’s a chance the Warriors will come out of the gates slowly once again.
Writer’s Prediction
The Cavs keep it close and cover (+7) in Game 1 at Golden State.
