NBA Finals Game 4 betting notes: Warriors on the brink of history
On Friday night in a northern Ohio city with a population of approximately 400,000 people known as Cleveland, the Golden State Warriors will attempt to become just the ninth team in National Basketball Association history to sweep their way through the NBA Finals and the first and only franchise to record a picture perfect 16-0 record during the postseason.
Between the hot-take Thursday media cycle and the fact that the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook opened the Warriors as 6-point road favorites for Game 4, few are giving LeBron James and the Cavaliers any chance of forcing this year’s iteration of the NBA Finals back to the Bay Area.
Nor should they. This is the 127th time in NBA history that one franchise has jumped out to a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven playoff series over another. And in the previous 126 instances in which this situation has played out before, only 35 teams have forced a Game 5, with just 10 clubs making it to a Game 6 and only three teams advancing all the way to a Game 7.
Between Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, a deep bench and the motivating factor to end all motivating factors in revenge on their side, it’s hard to see the Golden State Warriors, who have lost just one game since March 12, coming up short in Cleveland on Friday night. The real question we should be asking is whether or not the Cavaliers are capable of covering the 6-point spread.
Since 1990, only three teams have been swept right out of the NBA Finals. In 1995, the Orlando Magic lost by 12 points in Houston in Game 4 as 3.5-point underdogs. In 2002, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Nets on the road by six points to close out the series despite entering the matchup as 4.5-point underdogs. And in 2007, LeBron James and the Cavaliers fell 83-82 at home to San Antonio as 2.5-point underdogs.
Perhaps the King and his band of exhausted, beaten-down men will find a way to force a Game 5 back in Oakland. Perhaps the Cavs get annihilated on their home court and depart quickly thereafter for a tropical vacation. Either way, for those of you who are interested in finding an edge outside of the Game 4 side and total, here are six factoids you should highly consider in the build-up to Friday night’s showdown:
1. Lay the points with the Warriors in the first quarter: Golden State has finished each of the last two regular seasons ranked first in the NBA in both first quarter scoring average and first quarter scoring differential. And through three games so far this series, the Dubs have outscored the Cavaliers 35-30, 40-34 and 39-32 during the first quarter of the NBA Finals, respectively. If you’re looking for a quarter to bet, bet the Warriors in the opening 12 minutes.
2. While you’re at it, lay the points with the Warriors in the fourth quarter: Whether they’re ahead by a mile or trailing on the road, Golden State has dominated the fourth quarter against Cleveland in this series, winning 20-19 in Game 1, 30-25 in Game 2 and 29-19 in Game 3. Keep this in mind as either a pregame wager or a live bet just before the commencement of the final 12-minute stanza.
3. Look for another big effort from Kyrie Irving: In two road blowout defeats, the Cleveland point guard was held in check by Klay Thompson’s stifling defense to the tune of just 43 total points through 96 minutes. That may not seem like a bad effort, but when you’re shooting only 40.0 percent from the field and your scoring total for each game is a lofty 25.5 points, that’s a far cry from effective. But Irving found his stroke at Quicken Loans Arena in Game 3 en route to a 38-point performance thanks, in large part, to the fact that the close nature of the game kept him on the floor in the fourth quarter unlike during the Oakland blowouts. If you had to lean in one direction as it pertains to Irving in Game 4, lean to an offensive explosion.
4. Keep an close eye on the first half over: The Warriors and Cavaliers combined for 112 points in the first half of Game 1, 131 points in the first half of Game 2 and 128 points in the first half of Game 3. Needless to say, defense has been somewhat optional during the first 24 minutes of the NBA Finals.
5. Fade Tristan Thompson in every way imaginable: To date, Thompson’s 2017 NBA Finals run can be summed up with the following statistical information: Through three games, the Cleveland power forward has recorded 11 total rebounds. In Game 3 alone, Golden State point guard Steph Curry, who stands seven inches shorter than Thompson, notched 13 rebounds. The curse of the Kardashian Family strikes again.
6. Bombs away: Combined, the Warriors and Cavaliers are averaging 25.6 converted three pointers during the NBA Finals. Game by game, here’s what it looks like:
Game 1: 23
Game 2: 26
Game 3: 28
