Warriors hot favourites to win 2017 NBA Finals series over Cavs

IF you are not excited for the epic NBA Finals clash between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers, then you’re either a Boston fan, a San Antonio supporter or you just don’t like NBA basketball.

This is the third chapter to the trilogy every one has wanted to see.

LeBron James and his Cavs up against the super team from Oakland for the third straight year.

It’s a remarkable seven finals appearances in row for James, but the bookies aren’t giving the Cavaliers much chance of defending their title, rating them only a +220 outsider with Sportsbet.com.au to go back to back.

That leaves the Warriors at a very skinny $1.36 to take the advantage in what is about to become one of the greatest rivalries in professional sports history – if it wasn’t already.

On one hand, you have King James, chasing his idol Michael Jordan in the battle to be named the Greatest of All Time.

Some thought no one would ever surpass MJ, but there are just a few rumblings from people coming around to his greatness.

He’s already this year surpassed Jordan as the game’s greatest playoff scorer and a fourth NBA title would put him just two behind the Chicago great.

And he has some seriously powerful help behind him.

Kyrie Irving has been an unstoppable scorer and set up man these playoffs and he will surely be looking to cause more pain to the Warriors after his supreme performances last year.

Add in the outside marksmanship of big man Kevin Love and a veteran bench that knows how to win and you have a strong recipe for success at the Cavs.

Of course, that would be discounting this remarkable Warriors side that backed up a record breaking 73 win season with another 67, having added former Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant.

Durant has remained one of the most devastating scorers in the NBA and clearly gelled well with his fellow all stars Klay Thompson and Draymond Green and two time NBA MVP Stephen Curry.

He might be the man to put the cream on top of the cake for the Warriors, but this series starts and ends with Curry.

They can’t afford for him to be a passenger, which he was at times late in last year’s disastrous NBA Finals series that allowed the Cavaliers to come back from a 3-1 deficit.

An injury didn’t help him then, but he has been healthy and locked in so far in these playoffs, recapturing the form that has made him the MVP of the entire league in the past two seasons.

Of course, there will be a new MVP in 2017, but he won’t care, that MVP won’t be playing in the NBA Finals (James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Kawhi Leonard are the three finalists for the award).

The real MVPs are playing in this series with Curry, Kevin Durant and James all making it further than the finalists.

This feels like it is going to be epic… or it cold be an absolute whitewash.

It’s not s if either team has been troubled in the playoffs.

Between them they have played 25 games and they have lost just once.

Yes, you read that statistic correctly. And it took until the third game of the third round for Cavs to get beaten after both teams swept through the first two rounds.

The Dubs went 4-0 against the Spurs as well, while the Cavs took one extra game against the Celtics, winning losing game three, but taking out the Eastern Conference title in Game Five yesterday.

The Warriors are the deserved favourites. They just have so many weapons with Curry raining threes from all over the court, Durant’s unbelievable iso game – he’s a juicy +340 to score the most points in the series – and the sweet shooting talents of Thompson. All of that is orchestrated expertly by do it all forward Green – and you’ll get $3.60 if you like him for the most assists.

He might just be the best passer at his position in the NBA, but he is so much more than that, able to knock down the three, take his man off the dribble and play the defence that makes him the favourite to win the Defensive Player of the Year Award.

It’s rounded off with a veteran bench led by a bloke who has been here before – 2015 NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala – he’s $46 with sportsbet.com.au to do it again if you fancy an upset.

But you simply cannot underestimate a side while LeBron James is on the court.

James has been an absolute monster in the playoffs and, at $3.24 for the MVP, win or lose the series, he is great value behind Curry and Durant, who are $2.73 each of two.

Irving does the back court business and Love is a three point machine, but rebounding machine Tristan Thompson might be the one to give you value in the rebounding markets at $3.60.

Game One odds and line betting

Cleveland Cavaliers: $3.42

Golden State Warriors: $1.34

Cleveland Cavaliers (+7): -105.26 with Sportsbet.com.au

Golden State Warriors (+7): $1.95 with Sportsbet.com.au

Series odds

Cleveland Cavaliers: $3.20

Golden State Warriors: $1.36

NBA Finals Most Valuable Player

Kevin Durant (GSW) $2.73

Stephen Curry (GSW) $2.73

LeBron James (CLE) $3.24

Draymond Green (GSW) $7.40

Kyrie Irving (CLE) $12.25

Kevin Love (CLE) $23.00

Klay Thompson (GSW) $24

Andre Iguodala (GSW) $46

Series top points scorer

LeBron James $1.67

Kevin Durant $4.40

Stephen Curry $5.20

Kyrie Irving $8.80

Klay Thompson $23

Kevin Love $101

Series most assists

LeBron James $1.45

Draymond Green $3.60

Stephen Curry $6.50

Kyrie Irving $15

Kevin Durant $61

Series most rebounds

Kevin Love $2.80

Tristan Thompson +260

LeBron James $5

Draymond Green $5

Kevin Durant $6.50