It’s Going To Be Another Warriors Coronation
The Golden State Warriors have advanced to their fourth consecutive NBA Finals against the same team they defeated in two of those previous three series: LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers. Let’s talk about the Warriors’ chances to retain their title and reward Dub Nation yet again.
An Era of Excellence
The Golden State Warriors are so good that the only real opponent left is themselves. No, they didn’t own the best regular-season record, as that distinction belonged to the Houston Rockets, but when the rubber hit the road the Warriors rose up and vanquished “the best team in the league” with a 101-92 win in hostile territory in Game 7 to claim another Western Conference crown. The Warriors are now determined to add their third NBA title in the last four years, all against the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, this edition of the Cavaliers is not nearly as menacing as the previous incarnations. Kyrie Irving is no longer acting as LeBron James’ sidekick and even Kevin Love is sidelined with concussion-like symptoms (likely out at least Game 1) after a head-bangers ball with the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum in Game 6 of their series vs. Boston.
As good as LeBron has been, and he has been immense, this is a Warriors team that boasts at least two LeBrons in Steph Curry and Kevin Durant. OK, let’s allow that King James is playing at an otherworldly plane, but over the long haul Curry and Durant will level the playing field all by themselves but when one considers Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, the balance of power shifts markedly. And therein lies the rub: Cleveland consists of one legendary performer surrounded by the proverbial ham n’ eggers. Golden State is too talented, too deep, and too experienced to allow a solo artist to outclass their elite quartet.
It’s unfortunate that Cleveland sated Irving’s trade demands and dealt him away to Boston for what amounted to a one-hit wonder in Isaiah Thomas, whose tune never quite clicked with LeBron and was summarily sent packing to the Los Angeles Lakers. He failed to get the memo that it’s LeBron’s world and he was just living in it. Starting Thursday night, Cleveland will reap what they sowed in that ignominious trade and understand that while their grueling stretch on one leg through the postseason was admirable, it is not nearly enough to contend with the NBA superpower from Golden State.
Backing Warriors Will Cost You
That headline may be a bit misleading in that it implies that betting on the Warriors will ultimately cost you money, but what it really means is that the initial investment will be expensive, however, the endgame will make you money. A quick glance over at Sportsbook Review, the first and only choice to discover what the best online sportsbooks are hanging on all the major sports, tells us that the bookmakers are not going to allow any peashooters to make bank on their dime. If you want to send it in on the Warriors then you better be prepared to bet a whole lot in return for just a little back.
The line opened at Golden State -1000 the moment the Western Conference Game 7 was decided but within minutes plummeted to -850 as Monday night became Tuesday morning. Fast forward to Tuesday afternoon and apparently the public has opened their sleepy eyes to a brand new day of wagering and are prepared to bet GSW no matter the price as premier sportsbooks like 5Dimes are offering Golden State at -1100 and delivering a return of +700 on Cleveland. Game 1 of the NBA Finals, being held at Golden State, is illustrative of the prohibitive favorite as the Warriors are 12-point home chalk. LeBron is all by himself in this one and the Warriors have already conquered their most prodigious foe in the Houston Rockets. The competition is over, let the coronation begin.