The Golden State Warriors enjoyed a meteoric rise to stardom over the last couple of seasons, but this year was particularly impressive. They finished the regular season with the best record and are virtually invincible in front of their fans. Somehow, Oklahoma got their number and cost them a lot of suffering, but the Warriors eventually emerged victorious. They are now trying to double down on that performance and win the finals at the expense of Cleveland.
Home-Court Advantage Could Make the Difference
Finishing with the best record in basketball is more than a morale booster, as Golden State will play four out of seven games in front of their fans. This can mean a great deal given the manner in which they played in Oakland throughout the season. The last thing they need is to travel to Cleveland at a disadvantage, since the Cavaliers have been extremely difficult to beat at home.
Steph Curry is once again playing at the level expected from him and on a good day he can single-handedly defeat pretty much any team. Cleveland is expected to try to prevent him from shooting too often, but this could leave other talented players free to make these attempts.
All Eyes on Lebron James
No other team in basketball depends so much on a single player as the Cavaliers do on Lebron James. So far, he met and frequently exceeded expectations, but this is the toughest opponent the Cavaliers are facing. He is dominant both at home and on the road, but Golden State’s has plenty of quality players capable of restricting his freedom of movement.
Golden State has survived a big scare in the previous series and the manager will try to make sure this doesn’t happen again. That’s why it is worth taking slightly higher chances in backing the home side to cover the -6.5 point spread at even odds offered by bet365 Sports.