Cnotes 2017 NBA Best Bets-Trends-News Thru Playoffs !

[CNOTES]

Warriors look to sweep
June 7, 2018


NBA Finals Game 4 - Golden State Warriors at Cleveland Cavaliers


The Golden State Warriors are one game away from another NBA title. Golden State is aiming for the sweep when it takes on the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. The Warriors can claim a second consecutive title and their third in the past four years with a victory.


The Cavaliers are at home but they will be the underdogs. It is fair to wonder how much energy Cleveland has left knowing it will be virtually impossible to turn around and capture the series. The Warriors are primed for the sweep and the Cavs may only be left playing for pride in this one.


The Cavs have lost two close games in the first three and that was something they couldn’t afford to do against a superior opponent in NBA basketball wagering.


Game 4 of the 2018 NBA Finals is on Friday, June 8, 2018 at 9 p.m. ET at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The contest will be nationally televised on ABC.


We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game of the 2018 NBA Playoffs.


Odds Analysis


The Warriors have been listed as 5.5-point favorites to capture Game 4. It is still early but thus far more of the action has come in on Golden State to cover after it did so in each of the past two games in the NBA Finals.


The scoring total is listed at 216 points. The “over” has been the more common scenario in this series as both teams have the capability to score points in bunches, although the “under” hit in Game 3.


The Warriors are listed as the -230 favorite on the moneyline while Cleveland is listed as the +192 underdog underdog. The Cavaliers got the vast majority of action to pull the upset as home underdogs in Game 3 but the betting could be more even in this one with the Warriors on the precipice of a title.


Last Time Out


After a thrilling first game in this NBA Finals series, Game 2 was a lot less exciting for basketball fans on both sides. Game 3 proved to be another competitive one in Cleveland, but in the end, it was the same result as the Warriors won their third straight, defeating the Cavs 110-102 to come within a game of the NBA Finals.


Kevin Durant was unstoppable on Wednesday, finishing with 43 points and nailing a deep three-pointer down the stretch that helped put the game away. He also added 13 rebounds and seven assists. Durant’s big game helped keep the Warriors stay in this one, since Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were ice cold, combining for just 21 points.


The Cavs actually led for a lot of Game 3, but Golden State never let them get too far ahead. It was a one-point game with two minutes left, but a quick six points by Durant helped create just enough separation for the reigning champs to close out the win.


Key Stat


1. Could that be the number of games remaining for James as a member of the Cavaliers? The best player in the NBA left Cleveland once before for the Miami Heat and it’s possible he departs again as a free agent this offseason. There is a belief both the 76ers and the Lakers could be attractive destinations. James is from Cleveland and has a lot of ties to the area, so it’s not a given he goes, but it is fair to wonder if he is ready for a new start.


Keep an eye on James closely after the game if the Cavaliers do lose. It will be interesting to see if his body language gives anything away about his future plans.


Free NBA ATS Picks


The Cavaliers aren’t going to have enough left in the tank to pull off the upset next time out. The Warriors can smell blood and should be able to come away with the win. The spread is pretty high considering Golden State is on the road, and it may continue to creep up. Even so, the Warriors are the pick to cover the spread as they clinch another NBA championship in NBA playoff betting lines.


Best Bet: Warriors 104, Cavaliers 96


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[CNOTES]

FRIDAY, JUNE 8
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

GS at CLE 09:00 PM


GS -4.5


U 215.5

 

[CNOTES]

Dub Dynasty: Warriors sweep Cavs for second straight title
June 8, 2018


CLEVELAND (AP) Golden State. Golden still.


Stephen Curry scored 37 points, NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant added 20 and a triple-double and the Warriors stamped themselves a dynasty after winning their second straight title and third in four years Friday night, 108-85 over the Cleveland Cavaliers to complete a sweep and perhaps drive LeBron James from his home again to chase championships.


Overcoming obstacles all season long, the Warriors were not going to be denied and won the fourth straight finals matchup against Cleveland with ease.


''This is so hard to do and doing it three out of four years is incredible,'' guard Klay Thompson said.


It was the first sweep in the NBA Finals since 2007, when James was dismissed by a powerful San Antonio team in his first one. His eighth straight appearance didn't go well either, and now there's uncertainty where the superstar will play next.


James, who said he broke his right hand in frustration following Game 1, finished with 23 points and spent the final minutes on the bench, contemplating what went wrong and maybe his next move.


Following the game, he sat quietly in his corner locker with a towel draped over his head. He arrived at his postgame news conference with a large brace on his right hand from a ''self-inflicted'' injury.


Act IV between the Warriors and Cavs featured a drama-filled and controversial Game 1. But from there on, Durant, Curry, Thompson, Draymond Green and the rest of this California crew showed why they're the game's gold standard.


And they may stay that way.


''Can't get enough of this feeling so we're going to celebrate it together,'' Curry said.


Not wanting to give the Cavs or their fans any hope despite the fact that no team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit in the NBA playoffs, the Warriors built a nine-point halftime lead when Curry ignored a closeout by James and dropped a 3-pointer.


Then the league's best team tightened the screws on Cleveland in the third quarter, outscoring the Cavs 25-13 and prompting Golden State fans to begin those drawn-out ''War-eee-orrss'' chants that provide a perfect musical accompaniment to their 3-point barrages.


By the start of the fourth quarter, the only question was whether Curry would win his first NBA Finals MVP or if it would go to Durant for the second year in a row.


And again, it was Durant, who added 12 rebounds and 10 assists - more satisfaction and validation for a player who couldn't beat the Warriors so he joined them.


After surviving a rougher-than-usual regular season and beating top-seeded Houston in Game 7 on the road in the Western Conference finals, the Warriors withstood a 51-point masterpiece by James in Game 1 and joined an elite group of teams to win multiple championships in a four-year span.


Only Bill Russell's Boston Celtics, the ''Showtime'' Lakers and the Los Angeles squad led by Kobe and Shaq, and Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls have been as dominant in such a short period of time.


The Dub Dynasty.


The path to this title was more precarious than the first two for coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors, who overcame injuries, expectations, a built-to-dethrone-them Rockets team and the brilliance of James, who scored 51 points in the series opener and carried a Cavs team from the beginning of their rollercoaster season until the end.


It may have been the final game in Cleveland for the 33-year-old, who is expected to opt out of his $35.6 million contract for 2019 next month and become a free agent.


James was pulled from the game with 4:03 left, and he slapped hands with the Warriors before heading to the bench. He averaged 34 points, 8.5 rebounds and 10 assists in the series, but as has been the case in the past, he didn't have enough help.


Another Summer of LeBron is officially underway and there are already teams stretching from Philadelphia to Los Angeles hoping to land the three-time champion, who may have to go elsewhere to put together a cast strong enough - and as James made clear this week, smart enough - to bring down the Warriors.


Right now, Golden State is on another tier and with Durant expected to re-sign with them in weeks and Curry, Thompson, Green and the rest still young and hungry, their reign could last much longer.


Heading into the playoffs, the Warriors appeared vulnerable. There were lingering questions about Curry's sprained left knee that sidelined him for almost six weeks and kept him out of a first-round series against San Antonio.


Kerr was forced to mix and match lineups, and it became obvious the Warriors weren't going to go 16-1 and storm their way to a title like they did in 2017, when their only postseason loss came in Game 4 after the Cavs made 24 3-pointers.


The Warriors began defense of their title as a No. 2 seed and their season was in serious jeopardy when they fell behind 3-2 to presumptive MVP James Harden and the Rockets. But Golden State, catching a break when Houston star guard Chris Paul was forced to sit with a hamstring injury, showed a champion's poise by winning two straight.


That set up another reunion with James and the Cavs.


Maybe the last.


TIP-INS


Warriors: Curry made a 3-pointer in his record 90th consecutive postseason game and extended his mark for 3s in road playoff games to 44. . Became the ninth team to sweep the Finals. ... Won a road game in 19 straight playoff series, tying the Heat's NBA record. ... With his 43-point performance in Game 3, Durant joined Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal as the only players to score at least 25 points in their first 13 finals games.


Cavaliers: Appeared in its 26th NBA Finals game, moving past Atlanta/St. Louis into 10th place all-time. ... James averaged 34 points in his 13th postseason, his second-highest total.


BROWN OUT


Longtime network broadcaster Hubie Brown injured his knee while sitting courtside preparing before the game. He was treated by a medical staff on site and taken to the hospital. The 84-year-old Brown was replaced on the radio broadcast by Jon Barry.


Brown was working his 17th NBA Finals.

 

[CNOTES]

LeBron gets swept, all eyes on future
June 8, 2018


CLEVELAND (AP) LeBron James walked into his final interview of the NBA Finals with one last surprise: A dark brace on his right hand, covering an injury he's hidden for a week.


''Pretty much played the last three games with a broken hand,'' James said.


The cause: He punched something after Game 1 of the finals, his frustration having obviously boiled way over when the Cleveland Cavaliers let the series opener against the Golden State Warriors get away amid late-game miscues and one overturned call that left him seething.


The injury was never disclosed, and James played basically every minute for the rest of the series and put up great numbers.


James didn't get the only reward he still seeks from the game of basketball. There will be no parade for him this year, no ring, no banner ceremony. All James has now is a few weeks to think, a few weeks to ponder his next move.


With that, the watch is on. What will LeBron James do next?


''I have no idea at this point,'' James said.


This ending - a loss - was inevitable: For as good as James was this season, his Cavaliers were not good enough. No one gave them a chance to beat the Golden State Warriors, for obvious reasons. And the ending was a sweep, the second of James' career in the NBA Finals and perhaps a most unceremonious end to his time in Cleveland.


The final on Friday night was Golden State 108, Cleveland 85. The Cavaliers probably should have won Game 1 and had a great chance to win Game 3, but there's no doubting who the better team is.


The Warriors are better. James knows that.


The Warriors are smarter. James knows that, too.


He scored 23 points in Game 4, by far his lowest-output game of the series. The Cavs led briefly in the first half, but it was over shortly after halftime. James was subbed out for Cedi Osman with 4:03 remaining, shook hands with a few of the Warriors players on his way to the bench, and walked off the court shortly after time expired.


''He's a bad boy, and I love having him on our team,'' Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said. ''He fights and competes to the end. Sometimes you can give everything you've got and still come up short. I thought that's what our group of guys did in this series.''


It's entirely possible that James left the floor Friday night knowing he was wearing a Cavaliers uniform for the last time.


But it's hard to envision a scenario where James knows where he's going - if anywhere.


Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers are oft-mentioned as possible James destinations - but since they're in the Western Conference that would mean potentially dealing with the Warriors earlier in the playoffs. He could go to Philadelphia and join an up-and-coming team, albeit one now dealing with front-office questions after the resignation of Bryan Colangelo in a Twitter-use scandal. He could return to Miami, a place he still loves.


Thing is, there's no obvious choice.


His decision will be based on what his family wants and where he can win.


''My family is a huge part of whatever I'll decide,'' James said.


Even if the Lakers landed James and another top-flight player like a Paul George this summer, it's still hard to see them being ready to overtake the Rockets and Warriors out West. Philadelphia might be on the cusp of contending in the East, but doesn't seem like a championship club yet. Houston may seem like the move, though it's anyone's guess how a James-Chris Paul-James Harden trio would work.


All that's clear is this: Cleveland isn't winning another NBA title anytime soon with a roster that looks like the one it had in this series.


And James wants more rings. That's why he spends well over $1 million a year to tweak and hone his body. That's why, in his 15th NBA season, he was as dominant as ever.


He is showing no signs of fading - yet.


But he's 33. Father Time is undefeated. James' window of greatness will close, someday.


''I think maybe the greatest testament to LeBron is that five years ago he was one of the top five players of all time,'' Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. ''From five years ago until now, it seems like he's 10 times better, because he's added so much skill to his game.''


James can leave without owing Northeast Ohio anything. He came back. He brought Cleveland an NBA title. He has given the city so much. Still, James will never forget the infamous letter that Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert penned when he left for Miami in 2010.


Whether he stays or goes, it's now the summer of LeBron again.


Many free-agent moves around the league after July 1 will be held up while teams wait to see what James does. His decision, whatever it is, could mean Kevin Love gets traded. His decision, whatever it is, could decide whether Lue returns as coach. His decision, whatever it is, will dictate if Cleveland is a contender next season or a tanker. There really isn't any in-between.


It's all up to James.


How the league looks a year from now hinges in so many ways on what he decides a few weeks from now.


''We'll see what happens,'' James said.


With that, he was gone. Cleveland can only hope he comes back.

 

[CNOTES]

Back-to-back titles, Finals MVPs, for KD
June 8, 2018


CLEVELAND (AP) Kevin Durant went back-to-back, twice.


It's now two straight NBA championships for the Golden State Warriors, and two consecutive NBA Finals MVP awards for the forward who played a huge role in getting them to those titles.


Durant scored 20 points in the Game 4 clincher Friday night, a 108-85 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers - but his series will be remembered most for what he did in Game 3. Durant scored 43 points in that game, including a 33-foot 3-pointer in the final minute to all but clinch the win for the Warriors.


Durant averaged 28.8 points in the series, along with 10.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists.


''It's just about the journey, all season,'' Durant said. ''Getting up every day, going to work with these guys, it's amazing. The environment is incredible. It's good for you to be around guys like this. It helps you become a better basketball player and a better man.''


Durant becomes the 11th player to win Finals MVP twice, joining six-time winner Michael Jordan, three-timers Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan and LeBron James, and two-timers Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon, Willis Reed and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.


He's also the sixth player to win it in consecutive years, with Jordan, O'Neal, James, Olajuwon and Bryant being the others.


Since 2009 the award has been named for Celtics legend Bill Russell, the 11-time champion who surely would have won the award several times if it existed in his playing days. The Finals MVP was first handed out in 1974.


Durant is one of 30 players to win the award.