After going down 3-1 in the 2016 NBA Finals, not many people gave the Cleveland Cavaliers a chance. But after their 115-101 win last night, the Cavs have won two straight games over the Golden State Warriors to force a seventh and deciding contest.
On a night where LeBron James scored 41 points for the second straight game to go along with 11 assists and 8 rebounds, the big story was Steph Curry?s meltdown with just over four minutes left in the game.
Curry went for a steal and was called for his sixth foul. The league MVP didn?t agree with the call, throwing his mouthpiece in disgust and yelling at official Jason Phillips. This wasn?t even the end of the matter since Curry?s wife, Ayesha, and head coach Steve Kerr jumped to his defenseafter the game.
The stage is set for an entertaining Game 7. Can Golden State close the series out on their home floor like many expect? Or will Cleveland become the first team ever to come back from a 3-1 Finals deficit? Find out below as we cover the game and offer some betting advice.
GTBets.eu Spread for Game 7 (June 19 at 9:00pm EST)
Cleveland +4.5
Golden State -4.5
GTBets.eu Moneyline for Game 7
Cleveland +165
Golden State -190
Why the Cavs will Cover the Spread
Out of 32 teams that have gone down 3-1 in NBA Finals history, only two have ever forced a Game 7. Cleveland joined this elite company thanks to a gritty defensive effort and big first quarter.
The Cavs flew out of the gates and opened a 31-11 lead by the end of the first. Golden State would threaten to come back at different points, even trimming the lead to 8 early in the fourth period. But LeBron had an answer again and again down the stretch, and he finished with a strong 16-for-27 shooting night.
One of Cleveland?s problems earlier in this series is that James had poor-to-mediocre shooting performances. This hasn?t been the case in the last two contests, though, as he?s shot over 50% both times.
Last game, LeBron had a big helping hand from Kyrie Irving, who scored 41 points in Game 6. Irving wasn?t able to replicate this feat again, but he did have 23 points. More importantly, Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith stepped up and filled in as extra scoring options. Thompson was 6-of-6 with 15 points and 16 rebounds, while Smith scored 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-10 from beyond the arc.
Golden State is still the odds-on favorite to win on their home floor. But if LeBron plays a third straight game like this, coupled with good shooting nights from 2-3 other players, it?s not hard to see Cleveland hoisting their first NBA Championship trophy in history.
Why the Warriors will Cover the Spread
The Warriors are beat up right now, with Andrew Bogut out for the series and Andre Igoudala suffering from back pain. They?ve also lost two straight games and haven?t gotten much production from anybody not named Curry or Thompson. But there?s still plenty of reason to believe in this team.
Despite all the drama and playing his worst game, Curry scored 30 points while hitting 6-of-13 from three-point territory. Klay Thompson didn?t shoot so well from beyond the arc (3-of-10), but he did score 25 points on 3-of-10 shooting overall.
The Warriors know that Curry and Thompson are going to score and have good shooting nights. But the other Warriors like Barnes, Igoudala, Draymond Green, and Shaun Livingston have to hit shots to take attention off Thompson/Curry.
These four combined for 6-for-28 shooting (21.8%) in a horrendous display of offense. Don?t count on the supporting cast being nearly this bad in Game 7, especially playing in front of their home crowd.
Cleveland will throw everything they have at Golden State, but the team from the Bay still has the edge.
Prediction on Cavs vs Warriors Game 7
The postseason hasn?t been as smooth a ride for Golden State since they?ve gone 15-8, as opposed to their record-setting 73-9 mark in the regular season. But this is the same team that was in major trouble against Oklahoma City, only to win three straight games to come back and advance to the NBA Finals.
However, it?s been the Cavs making the comeback this time, putting themselves in a position that few could foresee last week. They?re now within one win of the city?s first major championship. We think Cleveland will keep this game extremely close, but in the end, Golden State will pull out a narrow win.
Score Prediction: Golden State 106 ? Cleveland 103
Betting Advice: Bet on Cleveland to cover their +4.5 spread
--GTBets.eu
On a night where LeBron James scored 41 points for the second straight game to go along with 11 assists and 8 rebounds, the big story was Steph Curry?s meltdown with just over four minutes left in the game.
Curry went for a steal and was called for his sixth foul. The league MVP didn?t agree with the call, throwing his mouthpiece in disgust and yelling at official Jason Phillips. This wasn?t even the end of the matter since Curry?s wife, Ayesha, and head coach Steve Kerr jumped to his defenseafter the game.
The stage is set for an entertaining Game 7. Can Golden State close the series out on their home floor like many expect? Or will Cleveland become the first team ever to come back from a 3-1 Finals deficit? Find out below as we cover the game and offer some betting advice.
GTBets.eu Spread for Game 7 (June 19 at 9:00pm EST)
Cleveland +4.5
Golden State -4.5
GTBets.eu Moneyline for Game 7
Cleveland +165
Golden State -190
Why the Cavs will Cover the Spread
Out of 32 teams that have gone down 3-1 in NBA Finals history, only two have ever forced a Game 7. Cleveland joined this elite company thanks to a gritty defensive effort and big first quarter.
The Cavs flew out of the gates and opened a 31-11 lead by the end of the first. Golden State would threaten to come back at different points, even trimming the lead to 8 early in the fourth period. But LeBron had an answer again and again down the stretch, and he finished with a strong 16-for-27 shooting night.
One of Cleveland?s problems earlier in this series is that James had poor-to-mediocre shooting performances. This hasn?t been the case in the last two contests, though, as he?s shot over 50% both times.Last game, LeBron had a big helping hand from Kyrie Irving, who scored 41 points in Game 6. Irving wasn?t able to replicate this feat again, but he did have 23 points. More importantly, Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith stepped up and filled in as extra scoring options. Thompson was 6-of-6 with 15 points and 16 rebounds, while Smith scored 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-10 from beyond the arc.
Golden State is still the odds-on favorite to win on their home floor. But if LeBron plays a third straight game like this, coupled with good shooting nights from 2-3 other players, it?s not hard to see Cleveland hoisting their first NBA Championship trophy in history.
Why the Warriors will Cover the Spread
The Warriors are beat up right now, with Andrew Bogut out for the series and Andre Igoudala suffering from back pain. They?ve also lost two straight games and haven?t gotten much production from anybody not named Curry or Thompson. But there?s still plenty of reason to believe in this team.
Despite all the drama and playing his worst game, Curry scored 30 points while hitting 6-of-13 from three-point territory. Klay Thompson didn?t shoot so well from beyond the arc (3-of-10), but he did score 25 points on 3-of-10 shooting overall.
The Warriors know that Curry and Thompson are going to score and have good shooting nights. But the other Warriors like Barnes, Igoudala, Draymond Green, and Shaun Livingston have to hit shots to take attention off Thompson/Curry.These four combined for 6-for-28 shooting (21.8%) in a horrendous display of offense. Don?t count on the supporting cast being nearly this bad in Game 7, especially playing in front of their home crowd.
Cleveland will throw everything they have at Golden State, but the team from the Bay still has the edge.
Prediction on Cavs vs Warriors Game 7
The postseason hasn?t been as smooth a ride for Golden State since they?ve gone 15-8, as opposed to their record-setting 73-9 mark in the regular season. But this is the same team that was in major trouble against Oklahoma City, only to win three straight games to come back and advance to the NBA Finals.
However, it?s been the Cavs making the comeback this time, putting themselves in a position that few could foresee last week. They?re now within one win of the city?s first major championship. We think Cleveland will keep this game extremely close, but in the end, Golden State will pull out a narrow win.
Score Prediction: Golden State 106 ? Cleveland 103
Betting Advice: Bet on Cleveland to cover their +4.5 spread
--GTBets.eu
