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**TheGame** · 06-05-2016, 08:14 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 6/5

The three golden rules for betting totals during the NBA Finals
By JOE FORTENBAUGH

The 2016 NBA Finals featuring the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers commences Thursday night in Oakland at Oracle Arena under the assumption that this matchup will produce some of the most outrageous television and radio ratings the sport has ever enjoyed.

That’s all fine and dandy for the networks and frequencies set to rake in massive profits from this star-studded affair, but our concern lies with how we can generate some additional revenue from the Steph Curry-LeBron James showdown.

As it pertains to the over/under, there are three rules you need to understand before attacking the 2016 NBA Finals.

RULE 1: Know your NBA officials

This rule applies to each of the four major professional sports leagues in North America, but today we’re focusing solely on the Association. I can’t express enough how imperative it is to identify both the officials working each respective game as well as the tendencies demonstrated by those officials throughout the course of the 2015-2016 NBA season.

Here’s a rundown of the 12 officials scheduled to work the 2016 NBA Finals, with their O/U records for the 2015-2016 NBA season:

Tony Brothers: 33-37
Mike Callahan: 35-40
James Capers: 35-31
Danny Crawford: 31-40
Marc Davis: 40-37
Scott Foster: 38-34
Ed Malloy: 28-35
Ken Mauer: 45-27
Monty McCutchen: 35-41
Jason Phillips: 32-40
Derrick Stafford: 30-37
Zach Zarba: 45-30

You’ll notice that the NBA is trotting out a pretty balanced group here in terms of 2015-2016 NBA totals, with seven of the 12 officials generally siding toward the under while the other five lean to the over.

RULE 2: Know your teams

What good is an understanding of the tendencies of each NBA official if we don’t additionally study the tendencies of each NBA team playing for the title?

*Note: The OVER is listed first in each of the below records.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

Regular season: 45-36-1 overall, 22-18-1 at home, 23-18 on the road
Playoffs: 7-10 overall, 4-6 at home, 3-4 on the road
Trends: The UNDER is 3-1 in Golden State’s last four playoff games and 5-2 in Golden State’s last seven playoff games. In addition, the UNDER is 4-0 in Golden State’s last four games when playing on two days of rest.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Regular season: 41-41 overall, 22-19 at home, 19-22 on the road
Playoffs: 7-7 overall, 3-4 at home, 4-3 on the road
Trends: The UNDER has hit in three of Cleveland’s last five playoff games. In addition, the UNDER is 6-2 in Cleveland’s last eight games when playing on three or more days of rest.

HEAD TO HEAD THIS SEASON

12/25/15: Golden State 89 vs. Cleveland 83 (UNDER 207)
1/18/16: Golden State 132 at Cleveland 98 (OVER 210)

PACE

*Pace is defined as the number of possessions a team uses per game. More possessions lead to more shots, more shots lead to more points. It’s as simple as that.

Golden State: 101.6 (second in NBA)
Cleveland: 95.5 (28th in NBA)

RULE 3: Know your history

As the old adage goes, “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

Yes, the game of professional basketball has changed over the last ten years and yes, there’s probably very little the 2009 NBA Finals between the Lakers and the Magic can teach us as it pertains to this year’s showdown between the Warriors and the Cavaliers. But a detailed and thorough historical analysis sometimes has a way of unearthing trends and patterns that can be useful in our efforts to gain an edge over the Bookmakers.

You’ll notice below that we’ve compiled a detailed analysis of the last ten NBA Finals in regards to overs and unders. Here’s a quick breakdown of how to interpret the following data:

Record: O/U record for the Finals, with the over listed first
AT: The average O/U for the Finals
AS: The average total score for the Finals
HT: The highest O/U for the Finals
LT: The lowest O/U for the Finals

Warriors/Cavaliers (2015): 2-3-1, 197 AT vs. 194.2 AS, HT: 203.5, LT: 193.5
Spurs/Heat (2014): 2-3, 197 AT vs. 197.2 AS, HT: 198.5, LT: 195
Heat/Spurs (2013): 4-3, 189 AT vs. 194.7 AS, HT: 192, LT: 186
Heat/Thunder (2012): 3-1-1, 194 AT vs. 200.0 AS, HT: 196, LT: 195
Mavericks/Heat (2011): 2-3-1, 187 AT vs. 187.0 AS, HT: 188.5, LT: 184.5
Lakers/Celtics (2010): 1-5-1, 190 AT vs. 177.7 AS, HT: 192.5, LT: 186
Lakers/Magic (2009): 1-4, 201 AT vs. 191.8 AS, HT: 205.5, LT: 198
Celtics/Lakers (2008): 3-3, 192 AT vs. 196.0 AS, HT: 195.5, LT: 191.5
Spurs/Cavaliers (2007): 1-3, 178 AT vs. 167.0 AS, HT: 179.5, LT: 175.5
Heat/Mavericks (2006): 2-4, 189 AT vs. 184.6 AS, HT: 194, LT: 187

The first item worth noting here is that over the 57 total games played during the last ten NBA Finals, the under has gone 32-21-4, which is good for a winning percentage of 60.3 percent. Additionally, take note that if you would have blindly bet the under in every single NBA Finals matchup over the last ten years, you would have turned a profit in seven of those ten seasons. Not a bad way to close out a professional basketball season, right?

Notice anything else? Here’s a hint: This Golden State-Cleveland matchup has us in unchartered waters. Of the 57 NBA Finals games played over the last ten seasons, not one has featured a total higher than 205.5. Why is that significant? Well, Thursday night’s Game 1 at Oracle Arena opened with a total of 209 and is currently sitting at 209.5. Additionally, you’ll have to go back to March 30 in Utah (25 games) to find the last time the Warriors took the court with a closing total of less than 205.5 points.

Know your officials, know your teams, know your history. And with that, you are now properly equipped to attack the 2016 NBA Finals from a totals perspective.

Good luck and enjoy the action.

**TheGame** · 06-05-2016, 08:14 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 6/5

NBA notebook: Cavs plan faster tempo vs. Warriors
By The Sports Xchange

Coach Tyronn Lue of the Cleveland Cavaliers wants LeBron James and the offense to pick up the pace and play at a faster tempo in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night against the defending champion Golden State Warriors.
Lue hopes to speed it up by pushing the ball in transition and getting into offensive sets more quickly.
"I just told LeBron I need him to play faster," Lue said Friday at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. "I need him to pick up the pace for us offensively, getting the ball out and just beginning to play faster."
James and the Cavaliers are ready to get back on the court after a disheartening loss in Game 1.
The Warriors won the opener 104-89 Thursday night despite getting only 20 combined points from guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
James put up 23 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in Game 1, but the Cavs' offense lacked the flow that saw them rip through the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 12-2 record.
The Cavaliers shot only 38.1 percent from the field and made 15 turnovers that led to 25 points for the Warriors.
"I don't think we're that far off," James said. "Coach has given us a game plan, and we need to execute it. If Coach feels like we need to play faster, then we do. We've got to push the tempo a little bit more offensively, see if we can get down, get some easy baskets and get to the flow of our game. It's been a good thing for us throughout the whole season once Coach Lue took over, so we need to do that."
Warriors coach Steve Kerr knows he has skilled players beyond Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green, as proven by the dominating performance from his bench in Game 1. The Warriors outscored the Cavs 45-10 in bench points.
Seven Warriors, including reserves Shaun Livingston (20 points, Andrew Iguodala (12) and Leandro Barbosa (11), scored in double figures on a night when Curry was held to 11 points on 4-for-15 shooting and Thompson to nine on 4-for-12.
"As a rule, you have a regular rotation you like to stick with, but you don't stick with it 100 percent," Kerr said Friday. "You mix and match a little bit. That's kind of my thinking. I definitely got that from Phil (Jackson), and from watching (Gregg Popovich's) teams over the last six to eight years."

--Gordon Gund is selling his 15 percent stake in the Cavaliers, according to Bloomberg.
Gund's portion of the team is reported to be worth about $160 million.
Gund and his brother, George, bought the team in 1983 for about $20 million and sold their controlling interest to Dan Gilbert in 2005 for around $375 million. Gilbert is the founder of Quicken Loans Inc. The team is now reportedly worth $1.1 billion.
Gordon Gund is 76 years old. George Gund died in 2013.

--Guard John Wall of the Washington Wizards, who underwent surgery on both knees recently although the left was worse, said he might not be ready for the start of training camp.
However, Wall said he expects to be injury-free for the first time in three years.
Wall had loose particles removed from his right knee and calcium deposits from his left patella tendon. The left knee surgery will require several months of recovery.
Despite being in pain, Wall averaged 18.9 points and 9.7 assists per game the last three seasons.

**TheGame** · 06-05-2016, 08:14 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 6/5

NBA Finals Game 2 betting preview and odds: Cavaliers at Warriors

Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors (-6.5, 208.5)

Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry combined for 20 points on 27 shots and the Golden State Warriors still took Game 1 of the NBA Finals by 15 points. The Cleveland Cavaliers, who visit the Warriors for Game 2 on Sunday, are searching for answers after being outscored on the bench and outworked on the offensive end in the setback.

Cleveland is down one game to Golden State in the Finals for the second straight season but came away from Game 1 pleased with how it played on the defensive end and confident going forward. “Game 2 will be different,” Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue told reporters. “Gotta make a couple of adjustments and do a few things better, but overall if you have a chance to hold Steph and Klay to 20 points combined and outrebound this team also, get to the free-throw line double the amount of times they get to the free-throw line. Those are some good things that we did so we’ve just got to build off of that.” The Warriors’ motto for the playoffs is “strength in numbers,” and the team showed off their depth with big games from reserves Shaun Livingston, Leandro Barbosa and Andre Iguodala. “Those guys have an ability to elevate their game to the situation, which is hard for many players on the bench,” general manager Bob Myers told the San Francisco Chronicle. “It’s harder to rise up in the bigger moments. That’s usually left to the stars. But they’re pros, they’ve been in the league a long time and they’ve been through a lot, so they’re aware of the situation.”

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ABC

LINE HISTORY: The Warriors opened as 6.5-point home favorites over the Cavs for Game 1 and have yet to move off that number at publication time of this preview. The total hit the board at 207 and has been bet all of the way up to 208.5.

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (69-28, 46-48-3 ATS, 48-49 O/U): LeBron James went for 23 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in Game 1 but committed four turnovers and was honest in his assessment the team’s performance. "When you're outscored 45-10 in bench points and give up 25 points off turnovers, you're not winning that game," James told reporters. The Cavaliers are averaging 13.9 made 3-pointers in the playoffs – tops in the NBA – but went 7-of-21 from beyond the arc in Game 1 as Channing Frye (0-of-1 in seven minutes off the bench) and J.R. Smith (1-of-3 in 36 minutes) struggled to get into the flow on offense.

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (86-14, 57-41-2 ATS, 52-47-1 O/U): Golden State held the Cavaliers to 38.1 percent from the field and only turned the ball over nine times in Game 1, with just one of those turnovers coming from the reserves. Iguodala, Livingston and Barbosa combined to shoot 18-of-24 from the field to pick up the slack for their star teammates, who appreciated the effort. “Regardless of how the night’s going shooting for me or Klay, we definitely get a boost when our bench guys come in and change the game,” Curry told reporters. “We rely on that pretty much every night, whether it’s 45 points off the bench or just playing aggressive and continuing what we start.”

TRENDS:

* Cavaliers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 NBA Championship games.
* Warriors are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 NBA Championship games.
* Under is 5-1 in Cavaliers last 6 vs. Western Conference.
* Under is 5-0 in Warriors last 5 vs. Eastern Conference.
* Cavaliers are 1-5 ATS in the last 6 meetings.

CONSENSUS: The Warriors are picking up 59 percent of the Consensus wagering as of Saturday night. In totals picks, Over is grabbing 58 percent of the action.

**TheGame** · 06-05-2016, 08:15 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 6/5

NBA Finals Game 2 Preview
By Tony Mejia

NBA Finals - Game 2 - Warriors lead 1-0
Cleveland at Golden State (-6.5/208.5), 8:00 p.m. ET - ABC

Every playoff series is about adjustments. Thursday night’s Game 1 reaffirmed the superiority of Golden State’s depth, a huge reason it won the 2015 NBA Finals over the depleted Cavaliers.

Losing a game where they limited Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to 20 combined points could be viewed as disconcerting by the Cavs behind closed doors, but there is actually plenty for the to build on in spite of a 104-89 loss that saw them outscored 30-21 in the fourth quarter.

With an extra day to prepare for Game 2, head coach Tyronn Lue and his staff can now devise some new strategies to try and ensure that Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa, who combined for 31 points on 13-for-15 shooting, don’t go off again. Cleveland coaches have examined what worked lineup-wise and what didn’t, so we’ll likely see a far different substitution pattern out of Lue.

Channing Frye, who had played a major role in the sweep of Atlanta and conference finals win over Toronto, got just seven minutes and took one shot. He averaged 13.8 points in 19.3 minutes per game against the Hawks in the series where the Cavs looked their best, firing up 3-pointers and opening things up with a faster pace. Against the Raptors, he shot 63 percent and averaged 9.0 points per game, so Lue lamented being unable to get him more minutes to allow him to impact the game more. The first-year head coach has already divulged that Frye will be out there more often on Sunday, hoping his ability to space the floor will punish double-teams the Warriors consistently sent at LeBron James.

James will have to make adjustments himself. Despite 23 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, there were instances where he could’ve been more aggressive. He looked to put the ball on the ground and get to the rim at times, but also had instances where he was isolated against the much smaller Curry and failed to get a bucket. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love combined for 43 points on 39 field goal attempts in part because James made an effort to get both going, but since the Cavs didn’t get their desired result, it remains to be seen whether their approach changes.

J.R. Smith attempted just three shots, all 3-pointers, despite playing 36 minutes. Only Matthew Dellavedova (-19) and Iman Shumpert (-15) had a worse plus/minus than Smith (-13), as none of James wing partners were able to get it going. Richard Jefferson, who is expected to play a large role in this series due to his versatility, was also just 1-for-3. Better ball movement must lead to one of those guys breaking out to help field a more balanced offense.

NBA expert Kevin Rogers expects to see changes yield results for Cleveland given recent history in Game 2.

“A split through the first two games of the NBA Finals has been the norm recently as each of the past seven years we haven’t seen a team go up 2-0 in this round. In four of those instances, the team that won Game 2 actually lost the series opener by double-digits, so there is value in Cleveland on the money-line at +230,” Rogers said.

“LeBron James-led teams have done a solid job of rebounding from a loss in playoff series openers. As a member of the Heat and Cavaliers, James has won nine straight Game 2’s of a playoff series after dropping Game 1, including three straight victories in this situation in the NBA Finals. In fact, all three wins came in the role of a road underdog, winning at Golden State (2015), San Antonio (2014), and Oklahoma City (2012).”

Although this is not a must-win considering the series shifts to Cleveland for games on Wednesday and Friday, James wants this Game 2 in Oakland badly and was able to steal it in OT last year in spite of the absence of Irving and Love. Since Game 1 got away from the Cavs late in the third quarter and early in the fourth with James on the bench, perhaps we’ll see him tell Lue that he wants to play closer to all 48 minutes here.

LeBron played a season-high 46 minutes in the Game 4 loss in Toronto during the Eastern Conference finals, but averaged 45.8 minutes against the Warriors in the 2015 Finals, which included playing 50 minutes in last year’s Game 2. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him sit just a few minutes here, so keep that in mind when handicapping any James-related props.

Steve Kerr is looking to become only the second head coach in NBA history to win titles in his first two tries, a feat that dates back to 1948-49 when John Kundla won with the Minneapolis Lakers. Despite Thursday’s victory, he saw plenty that can be tweaked and improved upon, starting with the Splash Brothers shooting a combined 8-for-27, including 4-for-13 from 3-point range. Sure, both Curry and Thompson had off nights, but Kerr always feels he can do more to make their job easier, ensuring cleaner looks.

NBA expert Chris David is counting on the Warriors being more efficient as they look to end LeBron's Game 2 reign.

“The NBA Finals haven’t seen a team go up 2-0 since the 2008 postseason when the Boston Celtics captured the first two games at home against the L.A. Lakers. While that angle is hard to ignore, it’s tough to dismiss the fact that the Warriors are 10-1 at home in the playoffs. More importantly, they’ve covered nine of those games,” said David. “Golden State opened as a higher favorite in this game and based on the respect from the oddsmakers, I’d go against the split (1-1) trend and look for the Warriors to go up 2-0 on Sunday.”

It’s impossible to envision Golden State will have a 45-10 edge in bench points against the Cavs again, so the defending champs must get a better effort out of all their starters. One positive from Game 1 was that Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut each got easy looks that they were able to turn into points as a result of excellent ball movement. Barnes got off to a fast start and ended up 6-for-10 from the field, while Bogut shot 5-for-7, getting his buckets right at the rim in matching his second-highest scoring output of the postseason despite playing only 15 minutes.

Bigs Bogut, Festus Ezeli, Anderson Varejao and Marreese Speights played just 30 combined minutes as the Warriors opted for small ball more often than not. Despite often being without a true rim protector, the Warriors limited Cleveland’s opportunities at the rim, forcing nine missed layups that the Cavs could and should’ve made, by Lue’s count.

With Frye set to get more minutes and both teams hoping to shoot better than the 33 percent each managed from beyond the arc in Game 1, we could see a higher-scoring contest on Sunday after the ‘under’ came in rather easily in the opener, staying well below 210.

The total on Game 2 has been adjusted and opened at 207, getting bet up to 208.5 since according to VI’s David, that outcome was directly attributed to poor shooting.

”Golden State’s defense is vastly underrated and their effort on that side of the court has helped the ‘under’ go 7-4 at Oracle Arena in the playoffs. The Warriors have held six opponents under 100 during this span and four under 90 points. It’s easy to think Cleveland will turn it around on Sunday but it just doesn’t match up well with the Warriors,” David explained. ”Dating back to last year’s finals, the Cavs are averaging 91.7 points per game versus the Warriors and two of the better efforts (100, 95) were helped with overtime. I believe Cleveland will get on track at home offensively but would fade the offense again in Game 2 and take its team total ‘under’ (101).”

Thursday’s broadcast was the most-watched Game 1 in NBA Finals history, so since the start time moves up an hour for Sunday’s primetime start, you can bet there’s going to be a ton of attention being paid to this one. Neither team played the series opener they hoped for, but both know there’s a ton of time left and work to do. The Cavs hope to steal homecourt advantage. The Warriors are out to hold serve. Both will look to settle in and make the shots they normally would, something that eluded the finalists in Game 1.

**TheGame** · 06-05-2016, 08:15 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 6/5

Preview: Cavaliers (57-25) at Warriors (73-9)

Date: June 05, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers know what's being whispered - and sometimes shouted - at the NBA Finals.

The Cavaliers play in the Eastern Conference, they say. They haven't been tested, they say. What happens when the adversity finally hits?

It came in Game 1, with the Golden State Warriors not even needing their two biggest stars while flattening the Cavaliers in the din of Oracle Arena. Now everyone wants to know how the Cavaliers will respond, how will they react after a body blow in Round 1 showed no indication that a fully health Cavaliers team was any more capable of defeating the mighty Warriors than the depleted unit that James dragged along with him for six games last year.

The Cavs cruised through the inferior Eastern Conference all season, the narrative goes, and now their reckoning is upon them. Game 2 is on Sunday in Oakland, and the Splash Brothers will be frothing at the mouth after a tepid Game 1. It's up to the Cavaliers to show they belong on the same court with the defending champions.

'We're not a team that loses our composure over anything,' James said.

In reality, the Cavaliers have been tested like few others. Such is life on Planet LeBron, the most scrutinized, most followed, most nit-picked athlete in America. His gravitational pull draws in fans, teammates and anybody with a notebook, a microphone or a blog, for better and worse.

'It was funny because people were talking about not having been through adversity, and, I mean, we've been through adversity all season,' Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said. 'And I thought our guys did a great job of just coming together and understanding we have one common goal to start the season, and throughout that we had a lot of bumps in the road and a lot of things that happened.'

No adversity? How about firing a coach who led them to the NBA Finals a year ago and got them off to a 30-11 start to this season?

How about James raising eyebrows with his cryptic tweets, public challenging of teammates and midseason refreshes in South Beach?

How about Kevin Love trying to find his way in an offense dominated by James and Kyrie Irving?

Sure, they won their first 10 games of the playoffs. Sure, the Raptors were never truly a threat to them in the East finals, even after tying the series 2-2. Sure, the Eastern Conference remains far less challenging on a night-to-night basis than the West.

But these Cavaliers have lived in a pressure cooker ever since James decided to return to Cleveland two summers ago. They know that the city's tortured fan base pins its hopes on them to end a 52-year championship drought. They have been pushed and prodded and poked at all season long.

'There's good things that can come from it and feeling like your back is up against the wall,' Love said. 'Then you have to push back and fight. I think we've been a team that has kind of thrived in, I don't know if chaos is the right word, but thrived in adversity and been able to bounce back. We're going to look to Sunday as definitely a bounce-back game and try to go 1-1 back to Cleveland.'

Then again, there is adversity, and there is Golden State.

The Warriors have returned the finals even better than the team that throttled the league a year ago. They won a record 73 games in the regular season, survived some injuries to star Stephen Curry in the early rounds of the playoffs and then were pushed to the brink by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the West finals.

Surviving that crucible - coming back from a 3-1 deficit - only served to embolden a team that needed no such emboldening.

'I think that experience of going through that definitely makes us closer and a lot tougher,' Warriors forward Draymond Green said. 'That wasn't an easy series by any means. Then coming down and coming back from down 3-1, it gives you a certain amount of confidence.'

The Warriors also know what can happen when they ease up against James. Last year they took Game 1 and then dropped two straight to a James-led team missing Irving and Love due to injury.

They also know it's highly unlikely that Curry and Klay Thompson clank jumpers like they did Thursday night.

'I don't think it will be a problem,' Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. 'I think we're much more experienced. We have that memory in our mind. We've been through this now, and we understand you can't let up ever. Sunday is obviously a huge game. We'd like to go take care of business and get out on the road with a 2-0 lead. But we've got to play well.'

**TheGame** · 06-05-2016, 08:15 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 6/5

Streak, Tips, Notes

Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors June 5, 8:00 EST

Cavaliers strategy was pretty clear in game-one, let anyone but Steph Curry (11 pts), Klay Thompson (9 pts) beat you. However, it backfired as Golden State’s supporting cast lead by Shaun Livingston scoring a personal postseason best 20 points off the bench took the opener 104-89. Warriors have now beaten Caves six straight times (5-1 ATS) since last June and have improved to 10-1 at Oracle Arena in these playoffs with a 9-2 mark against the betting line. The Warriors are currently 6.5 point favorites.

A Cleveland backer ? Here’s one reason to feel confident about Cavaliers chances. James' teams are a perfect 4-0 SU/ATS in NBA Finals after losing game-one including a 95-93 overtime win as 7.5 point underdogs in Oakland last year.

**TheGame** · 06-05-2016, 08:16 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 6/5

NBA

Cleveland-Golden State (GSt 1-0)
Warriors won last six games with Cleveland, beating Cavaliers in six games in LY's Finals; Curry/Thompson combined to score 20 points in Game 1, their lowest total of season, and they still won easily. Golden State has had time to rest now; they're 10-1, 9-2 vs spread at home in playoffs. Cleveland is 12-3 in playoffs, losing three of last four road games. Guards on Cleveland aren't as long, athletic as Thunder's, a problem against Curry-Thompson, when they get warmed up again. Warriors' bench was +55 in Game 1. JR Smith played 18:00 before he took his first shot in last game- they obviously need a lot more from him

Playoff tally: Favorites vs spread: 26-18, Over: 13-31
Second round: Favorites: 13-8, over: 12-9
Conference final: Favorites: 7-6, over: 5-7-1
Final: Favorites: 1-0, Over: 0-1

**Satch** · 06-05-2016, 08:37 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 6/5

Preview: Cleveland At Golden State

When: 8:00 PM ET, Sunday, June 5, 2016
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, California

Matchup Edge

CLE	Edge in:	GS
	Points Per Game
	Field Goal %
	Free Throw %
	Defense
	Rebounding
	Turn Overs
	Bench

Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry combined for 20 points on 27 shots and the Golden State Warriors still took Game 1 of the NBA Finals by 15 points. The Cleveland Cavaliers, who visit the Warriors for Game 2 on Sunday, are searching for answers after being outscored on the bench and outworked on the offensive end in the setback.

Cleveland is down one game to Golden State in the Finals for the second straight season but came away from Game 1 pleased with how it played on the defensive end and confident going forward. “Game 2 will be different,” Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue told reporters. “Gotta make a couple of adjustments and do a few things better, but overall if you have a chance to hold Steph and Klay to 20 points combined and outrebound this team also, get to the free-throw line double the amount of times they get to the free-throw line. Those are some good things that we did so we’ve just got to build off of that.” The Warriors’ motto for the playoffs is “strength in numbers,” and the team showed off their depth with big games from reserves Shaun Livingston, Leandro Barbosa and Andre Iguodala. “Those guys have an ability to elevate their game to the situation, which is hard for many players on the bench,” general manager Bob Myers told the San Francisco Chronicle. “It’s harder to rise up in the bigger moments. That’s usually left to the stars. But they’re pros, they’ve been in the league a long time and they’ve been through a lot, so they’re aware of the situation.”

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ABC

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS: LeBron James went for 23 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in Game 1 but committed four turnovers and was honest in his assessment of the team’s performance. "When you're outscored 45-10 in bench points and give up 25 points off turnovers, you're not winning that game," James told reporters. The Cavaliers are averaging 13.9 made 3-pointers in the playoffs – tops in the NBA – but went 7-of-21 from beyond the arc in Game 1 as Channing Frye (0-of-1 in seven minutes off the bench) and J.R. Smith (1-of-3 in 36 minutes) struggled to get into the flow on offense.

ABOUT THE WARRIORS: Golden State held the Cavaliers to 38.1 percent from the field and only turned the ball over nine times in Game 1, with just one of those turnovers coming from the reserves. Iguodala, Livingston and Barbosa combined to shoot 18-of-24 from the field to pick up the slack for their star teammates, who appreciated the effort. “Regardless of how the night’s going shooting for me or Klay, we definitely get a boost when our bench guys come in and change the game,” Curry told reporters. “We rely on that pretty much every night, whether it’s 45 points off the bench or just playing aggressive and continuing what we start.”

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Warriors have won six straight games against the Cavaliers dating back to last season’s Finals.

2. Golden State F Draymond Green recorded 16 points and 11 rebounds in Game 1 for his third double-double in the last four games.

3. Cleveland took Games 2 and 3 in the Finals last year after dropping Game 1.

PREDICTION: Warriors 109, Cavaliers 101

**Satch** · 06-05-2016, 08:37 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 6/5

Trends - Cleveland at Golden State
ATS Trends

Cleveland

Cavaliers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS loss.
Cavaliers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
Cavaliers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 vs. NBA Pacific.
Cavaliers are 16-6 ATS in their last 22 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Cavaliers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
Cavaliers are 5-11 ATS in their last 16 games playing on 2 days rest.
Cavaliers are 7-18-1 ATS in their last 26 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points.
Cavaliers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
Cavaliers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games.
Cavaliers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 vs. Western Conference.
Cavaliers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
Cavaliers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 NBA Championship games.

Golden State

Warriors are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games.
Warriors are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 NBA Championship games.
Warriors are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Warriors are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
Warriors are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
Warriors are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Sunday games.
Warriors are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points.
Warriors are 35-14-2 ATS in their last 51 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
Warriors are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games following a ATS win.
Warriors are 33-16-2 ATS in their last 51 games playing on 2 days rest.
Warriors are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 vs. Eastern Conference.

OU Trends

Cleveland

Under is 5-1 in Cavaliers last 6 vs. Western Conference.
Under is 4-1 in Cavaliers last 5 games playing on 2 days rest.
Under is 4-1 in Cavaliers last 5 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
Under is 4-1 in Cavaliers last 5 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
Under is 4-1-1 in Cavaliers last 6 NBA Championship games.
Over is 4-1 in Cavaliers last 5 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points.
Under is 8-3-1 in Cavaliers last 12 vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
Under is 74-32-3 in Cavaliers last 109 Sunday games.

Golden State

Under is 5-0 in Warriors last 5 games playing on 2 days rest.
Under is 5-0 in Warriors last 5 vs. Eastern Conference.
Under is 5-1 in Warriors last 6 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
Under is 4-1 in Warriors last 5 overall.
Under is 4-1 in Warriors last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Under is 4-1 in Warriors last 5 games following a straight up win.
Under is 4-1 in Warriors last 5 home games.
Under is 4-1-1 in Warriors last 6 NBA Championship games.
Under is 4-1 in Warriors last 5 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
Under is 21-8-1 in Warriors last 30 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
Under is 5-2-1 in Warriors last 8 vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
Under is 11-5-1 in Warriors last 17 Sunday games.

Head to Head

Under is 3-0-1 in the last 4 meetings in Golden State.
Under is 8-3-1 in the last 12 meetings.
Cavaliers are 3-8 ATS in the last 11 meetings in Golden State.
Cavaliers are 1-5 ATS in the last 6 meetings.

Announcement

NBA Betting Info. 6/5

NBA Betting Info. 6/5

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