As the Cleveland Cavaliers head in to another NBA Finals, it’s been pretty well established (by Las Vegas) they will be one of the biggest “Finals” underdogs in NBA history. Golden State is outscoring opponents by 10.3 net points per 100 possessions during the postseason, while Cleveland has a net rating of 1.2. Based on that, we would expect the Warriors to beat the Cavaliers 86 percent of the time at home and 66 percent of the time on the road. In a seven-game series, that translates to the Warriors winning the 2018 NBA title 96 percent of the time, with a one-in-three chance at a four-game sweep. The oddsmakers in Las Vegas agree. The Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas installed Golden State as a minus -1,000 favorite to win the best-of-seven series, which means bettors have to wager $1,000 on the Warriors to win $100, making them the largest Finals favorite in at least 16 years.
The internet has several definitions to the word Upset but the one I prefer is…
Upset (horse), the only thoroughbred horse to defeat the racehorse Man o’ War.
Man o’ War was one of the greatest Thoroughbred racing horses of all time winning a staggering 20 of 21 races. Hall of Fame horse that DID lose.
It could be argued that while the Cavaliers boast one of basketballs all time Greats & that the Golden State Warriors may in fact be one of the greatest basketball teams in NBA history. But, as in 2016 could they could lose the championship? Imagine the woes of teams like Houston or Boston. Combinations of being defended better than they were in the regular season plus poor offensive play by either, spelled their doom. Bottom line is GOLDEN STATE CAN BE BEAT!
Not going to list KEYS to a Cavaliers victory in the best of 7 series but let’s just see if a team led by Lebron James can indeed replicate the Herculean task that they accomplished in 2016.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN
Thursday Night at 9pm.