2018 NBA Finals: Updated Odds, Game Times, TV Schedule

For the fourth postseason in a row, we are left with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. Cleveland advanced after needing seven games to beat Indiana, sweeping Toronto, and then needing seven games to eliminate a Boston team missing its two best players. Golden State eliminated San Antonio in five games and then did the same thing to a plucky New Orleans crew, and then knocked out Houston in seven games, thanks in part to Rockets guard Chris Paul missing Games Six and Seven due to a hamstring injury. Can the Cavaliers post an epic upset and beat the loaded Warriors? Or will the Warriors overcome their ennui and hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy? Check out our 2018 NBA Finals betting overview for the championship series.

2018 NBA Finals: Updated Odds, Game Times, TV Schedule

2018 NBA Finals Game Schedule

• Thursday, May 31: Game 1: Cleveland at Golden State, 9:00pm ET, ABC (WatchESPN)
• Sunday, June 3: Game 2: Cleveland at Golden State, 8:00pm ET, ABC (WatchESPN)
• Wednesday, June 6: Game 3: Golden State at Cleveland, 9:00pm ET, ABC (WatchESPN)
• Friday, June 8: Game 4: Golden State at Cleveland, 9:00pm ET, ABC (WatchESPN)
• Monday, June 11: Game 5*: Cleveland at Golden State, 9:00pm ET, ABC (WatchESPN)
• Thursday, June 14: Game 6*: Golden State at Cleveland, 9:00pm ET, ABC (WatchESPN)
• Sunday, June 17: Game 7*: Cleveland at Golden State, 8:00pm ET, ABC (WatchESPN)

* — if necessary

2018 NBA Finals Series Odds

• Game 1: Golden State -12.5
• Series: Golden State -900, Cleveland +675

Why should you bet on Golden State to win the Finals?

Let’s start with rosters. Golden State has three of the best four players on the court in Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green. Cleveland has the other, and perhaps the best of them all, in LeBron James, but the team around LeBron would have a hard time making the postseason, even in the Eastern Conference. If Golden State had been headed for an upset, it would have happened in the Houston series (and Paul’s injury may have been the escape they needed). However, the Rockets are better on defense than Cleveland, and they have more offensive options. Over the last four years, Golden State has won 17 of 26 meetings against the Cavaliers. The Draymond Green suspension and the Andrew Bogut injury in the 2016 Finals torpedoed the Warriors that year, which is what elevated Cleveland to the title that season, as they came back from a 3-1 series deficit. Cleveland’s defense was fairly awful throughout the regular season, despite the team going out and getting LeBron’s handpicked players at the trade deadline, but they did shore up the defense a bit in the postseason. However, Golden State doesn’t feature players like Jayson Tatum as their offensive options — they are a team of All-Stars, instead of having one or two All-Stars on the floor. If Andre Iguodala can return from injury, the Warriors’ biggest question mark will be removed from the equation.

Why should you bet on Cleveland to win the Finals?

There is just one word here: LeBron. It is true that he is playing at a considerably high level. Cleveland has diminished in terms of roster quality from a year ago, when they had Kyrie Irving on the point, but Cleveland has won two Game 7s already in these playoffs, and they still own the Toronto Raptors mentally. Their strategy in this series will be to keep things close enough so that LeBron can drop some bombs late. Then there’s Tristan Thompson, who hasn’t done much all season, but he is playing old school defense once again and grabbing rebounds. Kevin Love could be cleared from the concussion protocol, and he would join J.R. Smith, George Hill and Kyle Korver as outside shooting options. Is Golden State bored enough to let Cleveland grab this title away? Cleveland (well, at least LeBron) looks hungry enough. 2018 NBA Finals Betting Prediction: Golden State in six