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Post by Makers on May 31, 2016 5:19:50 GMT -5
NBA Finals
Golden State vs. Cleveland Warriors (-215) Cavaliers (+180)
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Post by Makers on May 31, 2016 5:21:01 GMT -5
Warriors, Cavs to meet in Finals rematch
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, looking far more formidable than the team Golden State defeated last year, are the opponent again for Stephen Curry and the Warriors beginning Thursday night.
The Warriors barely got back, becoming the 10th team to climb out of a 3-1 hole by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 96-88 on Monday night in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals. After winning a record 73 games in 2015-16, they could claim the greatest season in NBA history with four more victories.
They beat Cleveland 4-2 last June, but the Cavaliers will arrive in the Bay Area in much better shape than a year ago as they try to end Cleveland's 52-year title drought in pro sports.
''It'll be fun,'' Warriors All-Star Draymond Green said. ''You know they're rolling right now, they got a lot of guys going, but looking forward to the challenge.''
Kyrie Irving, who broke his kneecap in Game 1 last year, and Kevin Love, who had already been lost to shoulder surgery, are combining for more than 40 points per game in the postseason, poised to give James the help he didn't have during his furious but futile one-man show last year.
He averaged 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists, but the Warriors won the final three games after James had carried the Cavs to a 2-1 lead.
James played in the last NBA Finals rematch, when his Miami Heat outlasted San Antonio in seven games in 2013 but were beaten in five games a year later.
It's part of James' run that has now reached six straight NBA Finals. He is 2-4 in the championship round and 0-2 with the Cavs, who were swept in 2007 in his first appearance with a team, like last year's injury-depleted unit, that was severely undermanned.
This time, he is surrounded by shooters, with Irving, Love, J.R. Smith and Channing Frye all having hot hands for a team that stormed through the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 12-2 record.
''Feeling good right now,'' Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. ''Focusing on trying to get better, using each practice, all the time we have to get better.''
It's been a much tougher return trip for the Warriors, who had to endure Curry's knee injury earlier in the postseason before a huge challenge from the Thunder, who not only had the 3-1 lead, but also double-digit cushions in both Game 6 and 7.
''It took us until the last minute to get it done, but we're back,'' Curry said.
Cleveland would have had home-court advantage in the finals had the Thunder finished off the Warriors. Instead, the Cavaliers will be headed back to California on Tuesday.
Golden State won both meetings during the regular season, a home victory on Christmas and a dismantling in Cleveland a month later in one of the final games before the Cavs fired David Blatt and replaced him with Lue.
The tweaked finals format adds some extra break time and will make it a little longer if it goes the distance. Games 1 and 2 remain Thursday and Sunday, but Games 3 and 4 in Cleveland are on the following Wednesday and Friday. Game 7 wouldn't be until June 19.
AP NEWS
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Post by Makers on May 31, 2016 5:22:02 GMT -5
POINTS SPREADS TIME CLE GSW 05/31 12:02 AM +5½ -103 49% -5½ -107 51%
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Post by Gooba on May 31, 2016 6:57:36 GMT -5
NBA Finals schedule
Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Game 1 -- Thursday, June 2, Cleveland at Golden State, 9 p.m., ABC/TSN Game 2 -- Sunday, June 5, Cleveland at Golden State, 8 p.m., ABC/TSN Game 3 -- Wednesday, June 8, Golden State at Cleveland, 9 p.m., ABC/SN Game 4 -- Friday, June 10, Golden State at Cleveland, 9 p.m., ABC/SN Game 5* -- Monday, June 13, Cleveland at Golden State, 9 p.m., ABC/TSN Game 6* -- Thursday, June 16, Golden State at Cleveland, 9 p.m., ABC/SN Game 7* -- Sunday, June 19, Cleveland at Golden State, 8 p.m., ABC/TSN
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Post by Makers on Jun 1, 2016 5:57:02 GMT -5
Even Though the Cavaliers Are Playing Great, the Warriors Are Huge NBA Title Favorites
The 2016 NBA Finals matchup is set and it'll be a rematch between the defending champion Golden State Warriors and last year's runner-up, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Last year, the Warriors took down the Cavaliers in a hard-fought six games, despite the Cavs being without stars Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving (with the exception of the 44 minutes Irving played in Game 1 before fracturing his knee cap).
Reminder: LeBron James is damn good at basketball and pretty much willed last year's tilt into being a competitive series.
This year, however, both teams are at full strength. There will be no need for excuses nor an asterisk.
This is the top team in the Western Conference taking on the top team in the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers are coming in with a sterling playoff record of 12-2, while the Warriors just became the 10th team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games.
The Dubs led the league in average point differential this season at +10.8, but the Cavs have led the playoffs at +12.6. Both teams are draining threes at a record-setting pace (the Cavs are hitting 14.4 per game at a 43.4% clip, while the Warriors are hitting 12.5 at 40.3%) and scoring in bunches on bunches (110.9 points per game for Golden State, 106.9 for Cleveland).
Having to choose between the "Big Three" of James, Irving, and Love versus Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green would be a near impossible task. Heck, choosing the best player in the world right now would basically come down to LeBron or Steph.
Seems like a compelling, evenly-matched series, right?
Not even close.
Here's how our algorithms see this series playing out:
Cleveland Cavaliers win in 4: 2.57% Cleveland Cavaliers win in 5: 5.45% Cleveland Cavaliers win in 6: 10.76% Cleveland Cavaliers win in 7: 9.14% Cleveland Cavaliers win series: 27.92% Golden State Warriors win in 4: 11.27% Golden State Warriors win in 5: 22.51% Golden State Warriors win in 6: 18.53% Golden State Warriors win in 7: 19.77% Golden State Warriors win series: 72.08%
The Cavaliers' 27.92% chance at winning the NBA Finals this year is better than the 21.24% they held in 2015, but that's still a relative chasm between two teams playing peak basketball.
The truth of the matter is that the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors are on another level of existence right now. They set the NBA record for wins in a single season with 73 this year, while becoming one of only 10 teams in league history to have an average margin of victory north of 10 (10.76). The Cavaliers, while having a great season themselves, only won 57 games in a weaker Eastern Conference, while beating their opponents by more than four points fewer on average (6.00).
Golden State had a team nERD -- our proprietary team ranking, set on a scale from 0-100 with 50 as the league average, that is predictive of a team's ultimate winning percentage -- of 80.6 this season. The Cavaliers, on the other hand, came in a 65.8, a nearly 15% swing in projected winning percentage.
These teams just might not be as close as you think.
Then again, odds are made to be broken. We'll see if LeBron and co. have it in them when the Finals get under way on Thursday night.
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Post by Gooba on Jun 1, 2016 6:43:28 GMT -5
Is LeBron a good bet on the NBA's biggest stage? By ANDREW CALEY
We all know by now that this will be the sixth consecutive season featuring LeBron James in the NBA Finals and his seventh Finals appearance overall. We also know that he has won just two NBA titles in his six trips to the Finals.
But what does that mean for bettors? Is LeBron a good bet in the Finals? Or is the Finals the time to fade the "King"?
Well, lets take a look.
James has played in a total of 33 NBA Finals games during his career, posting just a 13-20 record in those games. That's a winning percentage of just 39.4 percent. So, not the best,
Looking deeper into that number you can see, when LeBron loses a Finals series, it never goes the distance and usually, they end rather quickly, averaging just 5.2 games per Finals. In the four Finals LeBron has lost his record is just 5-16 (23.8 percent).
Unfortunately when it comes to the spread, the numbers look very similar.
LeBron led teams are 13-19-1 against the spread in the Finals, cashing just 40.6 percent of the time. In fact, LeBron has had a winning ATS record just once in the NBA Finals. That was back in 2012, going 4-1 ATS on his way to leading the Miami Heat to the NBA Championship in five games over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Since winning the series versus the Thunder it has been even worse.
LeBron led teams are just 6-12 ATS (33.3 percent) in the three seasons since, including just 3-8 ATS (27.3 percent) in the last two seasons. LeBron lost both of those Finals.
So while many pundits believe LeBron's legacy will be shaped by this Finals appearance, bettors should know not to put too much trust in the "King" this time around against Golden State.
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Post by Gooba on Jun 1, 2016 6:46:20 GMT -5
NBA
Cleveland-Golden State Warriors won last five games with Cleveland, beating Cavaliers in six games in LY's Finals; once again they're facing a rookie NBA head coach in Finals. Golden State rallied back from down 3-1 to beat Thunder in semis, winning Game 7 Monday. Cleveland has not played since Friday. Cavaliers are 12-2 in playoffs, 7-2 on road going 1-2 at Toronto in Eastern finals- their guards aren't as good on defense as Thunder, a problem against Curry-Thompson.
Playoff tally: Favorites vs spread: 26-18, Over: 13-31 Second round: Favorites: 13-8, over: 12-9 Conference final: Favorites: 7-6, over: 5-7-1
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Post by Gooba on Jun 2, 2016 5:56:07 GMT -5
Game 1 Betting Trends
-- The home team has gone 15-3 straight up in Game 1 of the last 18 NBA Finals
-- Nine of the last 13 victories have come by double digits and 12 have come by eight points or more
-- The ‘under’ has gone 8-3-1 in the last 12 openers
-- Golden State has gone 2-1 SU in Game 1 matchups in this year’s playoffs while going 2-1 against the spread
-- The Warriors are 8-1 SU and 7-2 ATS at home in the playoffs
-- Cleveland is 3-0 SU and 2-1 ATS in Game 1’s this postseason but play their first series opener on the road
-- In the Cavs’ first road game in each of their first three series, they’ve gone 2-1 both SU and ATS
-- Overall, Cleveland is 5-2 SU and 3-4 ATS on the road in this year’s playoffs, while the Cavs are listed as an underdog for the first time this postseason
Listed below are the past 18 openers in the NBA Finals, with total results
Game 1 of the NBA Finals (1998-2015)
Year Matchup Total
2015 Golden State 108 vs. Cleveland 100 (OT) OVER (203.5) 2014 San Antonio 110 vs. Miami 95 OVER (198.5) 2013 Miami 88 vs. San Antonio 92 UNDER (190) 2012 Oklahoma City 105 vs. Miami 94 OVER (195.5) 2011 Miami 92 vs. Dallas 84 UNDER (188) 2010 L.A. Lakers 102 vs. Boston 89 PUSH (191) 2009 L.A. Lakers 100 vs. Orlando 75 UNDER (205.5) 2008 Boston 98 vs. L.A. Lakers 88 UNDER (191.5) 2007 San Antonio 85 vs. Cleveland 76 UNDER (179.5) 2006 Dallas 90 vs. Miami 80 UNDER (194) 2005 San Antonio 84 vs. Detroit 69 UNDER (176) 2004 L.A. Lakers 75 vs. Detroit 87 UNDER (171) 2003 San Antonio 101 vs. New Jersey 89 OVER (187) 2002 L.A. Lakers 99 vs. New Jersey 94 OVER (191) 2001 L.A. Lakers 101 vs. Philadelphia 107 (OT) OVER (191) 2000 L.A. Lakers 104 vs. Indiana 87 UNDER (194) 1999 San Antonio 89 vs. New York 77 UNDER (172) 1998 Utah 88 vs. Chicago 85 (OT) UNDER (186)
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Post by Gooba on Jun 2, 2016 5:57:03 GMT -5
NBA Basketball Betting Preview
Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors June 2, 9:00 EST
After a month and a half of playoff action, we are finally down to the final two teams who will compete for the NBA Championship, and it’s a match-up that isn’t really a surprise to anyone. The Golden State Warriors are the reigning champions, and are coming off a record breaking regular season that was one for the ages. The Cleveland Cavaliers limped to the Finals last season, and always looked as though they would get back there again once the postseason got underway. This is a rematch of the Finals from last year, but with one major difference; the Cavaliers are healthy this time around. The Warriors are deservedly favorites, but we will all remember that it took them 6 games to dispose of a Cavaliers team that was missing Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving last season. This has all the makings of an instant classic, and it all gets started on Thursday night in Oakland.
Why bet on the Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers should be well rested coming into this series, as they only had to play 14 games to get to the Final. The only losses they have encountered so far came in the Eastern Conference Final when they lost both games on the road to the Toronto Raptors. Even with those losses, you never really felt that the series was in any doubt, as the trio of James, Love, and Irving have quite simply been lights out. What the Cavs are going to have to overcome now is a little trickier, as this is a Warriors team that they lost both games to in the regular season. They can take solace in the fact that Golden State only lost 9 games all season long, and that this Cavs team is much better than the one that struggled at times in the regular season.
Why bet on the Golden State Warriors
It looked for a while as though the repeat was going to become the impossible dream for the Warriors. Down 3-1 in the Western Conference Final, and still facing a trip to Oklahoma City, the Warriors looked dead in the water. They delivered an amazing comeback, though, including a Game 6 4th quarter rally that gave them the opportunity to go home and win the series in 7. MVP Steph Curry struggled through the first few games of that series, but he looked like his old self in the final 2 games, which suggests that his injury concerns may now be a thing of the past. Golden State will know that they have another tough task on their hands, as this is a stronger Cavs team than the one they beat last year to win the Championship.
Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction
The Warriors are sure to still be on a high after their big Game 7 win against OKC, and I think they will carry that momentum over to the opening game against a Cavs team that has been inactive for a little while. A fast start should help the Warriors live up to their betting odds as they hold on for a close win.
Cleveland Cavaliers 103 Golden State Warriors 106
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Post by Gooba on Jun 2, 2016 5:57:58 GMT -5
NBA Finals Game 1 betting preview and odds: Cavaliers at Warriors
Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors (-5.5, 210)
The Golden State Warriors don't think their record 73-win season will feel complete unless they win the NBA title and the Cleveland Cavaliers are once again standing in their way. The Warriors attempt to knock off Cleveland in the NBA Finals for the second straight campaign when the best-of-seven series gets underway Thursday in Oakland, Calif.
Two-time MVP Stephen Curry is no longer bothered by the knee injury that interrupted his playoff experience and is purely focused on making sure the Warriors win the rematch of the series decided in six games last season. "I know we're a better team than we were last year, just off experience and what we've been through in this postseason," Curry told reporters on Wednesday. "(We're) better equipped to kind of handle the scene of The Finals and all that's kind of thrown at you when you get here." Cleveland forward LeBron James says his team is better positioned to win the rematch and he was definitely testy when told the Warriors are heavy favorites. "Not my concern," James told reporters. "I don't get involved in all of that -- underdog, overdog, whatever the case may be. It's stupidity."
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ABC
LINE HISTORY: The Warriors opened as 5.5-point home favorites over the Cavs for Game 1 and have yet to move off that number. The total has also yet to move of its opening number of 210.
WHAT CAPPERS SAY: "This series will be won by whichever team shoots better from three-point range. It's a volatile statistic, but these are the two best teams in the league from behind the arc." - Power Sports.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS: James is playing in his seventh NBA Finals and has only emerged as a winner twice -- both times with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh as teammates on the Miami Heat. Cleveland was without power forward Kevin Love (shoulder) for all of last season's championship series, lost point guard Kyrie Irving (kneecap) in the opener and has Tryonn Lue as head coach after the midseason firing of David Blatt. "It's a big thing, and I just think that we have a different team than we had last year," Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue said at his Wednesday press conference. "Organization-wise, it's the same two teams, but playing-wise and players-wise, we're a different team. Kevin and Kyrie are both healthy, the addition of (backup forward) Channing Frye, we're a completely different team than we were last year."
ABOUT THE WARRIORS: Curry scored 36 points in Game 7 as Golden State finished off its comeback from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals and he and shooting guard Klay Thompson combined for 62 3-point baskets in the series - 32 by Curry; 30 by Thompson. Coach Steve Kerr expects Curry's competitive nature to be in high form as former NBA players and James - who questioned how valuable Curry is after the MVP tally - continue to hurl slights in his direction. "He doesn't have to say anything," Kerr said at his Wednesday press conference. "He does his talking through his play, basically, but he definitely is motivated by things that people say about him or things that he reads or anything like that. The guy is as gifted and skilled as he is, and I think one of his greatest attributes is his competitive fire."
TRENDS:
* Warriors are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 home games. * Cavaliers are 6-1 ATS in their last seven versus Pacific Division opponents. * Cavaliers are 1-4 ATS in the last five meetings. * Under is 4-1-1 in the last six meetings in Golden State. * Under is 4-0 in Warriors last 4 versus Eastern Conference opponents.
CONSENSUS: Early on the public is giving the slight edge to Golden State, with 54 percent of wagers on the defending champs. When it comes to the total, 62 percent of wagers are on the over
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Post by Gooba on Jun 2, 2016 5:58:32 GMT -5
StatFox Super Situations
NBA | CLEVELAND at GOLDEN STATE Play On - Road underdogs (CLEVELAND) revenging a home blowout loss vs opponent of 20 points or more against opponent off a home win 45-18 over the last 5 seasons. ( 71.4% | 25.2 units ) 4-5 this year. ( 44.4% | -1.5 units )
NBA | CLEVELAND at GOLDEN STATE Play On - Any team vs the money line (CLEVELAND) in a game involving two good three point shooting teams (>=36.5%) after 42+ games, hot shooting team - 2 straight games making >=50% of their shots 29-12 over the last 5 seasons. ( 70.7% | 21.1 units ) 3-1 this year. ( 75.0% | 2.0 units )
NBA | CLEVELAND at GOLDEN STATE Play Under - Road teams where the first half total is greater than 100 average defensive team (92-98 PPG) against a horrible defensive team (>=102 PPG), after scoring 105 points or more 53-23 over the last 5 seasons. ( 69.7% | 27.7 units ) 12-9 this year. ( 57.1% | 2.1 units
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Post by Gooba on Jun 4, 2016 6:32:38 GMT -5
Streak, Tips, Notes
Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors June 5, 8:00 EST
Cavaliers strategy was pretty clear in game-one, let anyone but Steph Curry (11 pts), Klay Thompson (9 pts) beat you. However, it backfired as Golden State’s supporting cast lead by Shaun Livingston scoring a personal postseason best 20 points off the bench took the opener 104-89. Warriors have now beaten Caves six straight times (5-1 ATS) since last June and have improved to 10-1 at Oracle Arena in these playoffs with a 9-2 mark against the betting line. The Warriors are currently 6.5 point favorites.
A Cleveland backer ? Here’s one reason to feel confident about Cavaliers chances. James' teams are a perfect 4-0 SU/ATS in NBA Finals after losing game-one including a 95-93 overtime win as 7.5 point underdogs in Oakland last year.
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Post by Gooba on Jun 4, 2016 6:33:13 GMT -5
NBA
Cleveland-Golden State (GSt 1-0) Warriors won last six games with Cleveland, beating Cavaliers in six games in LY's Finals; Curry/Thompson combined to score 20 points in Game 1, their lowest total of season, and they still won easily. Golden State has had time to rest now; they're 10-1, 9-2 vs spread at home in playoffs. Cleveland is 12-3 in playoffs, losing three of last four road games. Guards on Cleveland aren't as long, athletic as Thunder's, a problem against Curry-Thompson, when they get warmed up again. Warriors' bench was +55 in Game 1. JR Smith played 18:00 before he took his first shot in last game- they obviously need a lot more from him
Playoff tally: Favorites vs spread: 26-18, Over: 13-31 Second round: Favorites: 13-8, over: 12-9 Conference final: Favorites: 7-6, over: 5-7-1 Final: Favorites: 1-0, Over: 0-1
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Post by Gooba on Jun 6, 2016 5:17:51 GMT -5
NBA
Game 3 of Golden State's four-game sweep is Wednesday
Playoff tally: Favorites vs spread: 26-18, Over: 13-31 Second round: Favorites: 13-8, over: 12-9 Conference final: Favorites: 7-6, over: 5-7-1 Final: Favorites: 2-0, Over: 0-2
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brymel2
Premium Member
Posts: 2,527
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Post by brymel2 on Jun 6, 2016 11:25:25 GMT -5
Aside from the fact that I have Cleveland to win the series, just a bad TV watch.
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