NBA Finals 2015: Early Odds and Schedule for Cavaliers vs. Warriors
LeBron James, a four-time most valuable player award winner, will lead his Cleveland Cavaliers into competition with newly crowned MVP Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in the 2015 NBA Finals. It's a battle between two franchises that have spent more time as league doormats than powerhouses, but the matchup offers a breath of fresh air.
It's nice to have two teams in the Finals that haven't been there in a while.
After finishing the regular season with the league's best record and breezing through the Western Conference with a 12-3 playoff record, the Warriors are still listed as the favorites to win the NBA championship. Per Odds Shark, the Warriors' odds are set at 19-38. The Cavs were 12-2 in the Eastern Conference playoffs, but their odds are 21-10.
After physically grueling paths to the NBA Finals, both teams could use some rest to heal up and get ready for the Finals. Thanks to a schedule that doesn't have the series beginning until June 4, the Cavs and Warriors will have ample time to recover and prepare.
Here's a look at the schedule:
Game 1: Thursday, June 4, Cleveland at Golden State, 9 p.m. , ABC
Game 2: Sunday, June 7, Cleveland at Golden State, 8 p.m., ABC
Game 3: Tuesday, June 9, Golden State at Cleveland, 9 p.m., ABC
Game 4: Thursday, June 11, Golden State at Cleveland, 9 p.m., ABC
Game 5 *: Sunday, June 14, Cleveland at Golden State, 8 p.m., ABC
Game 6 *: Tuesday, June 16, Golden State at Cleveland, 9 p.m., ABC
Game 7 *: Friday, June 19, Cleveland at Golden State, 9 p.m., ABC
Most Important Player to Get Healthy
Cleveland: Kyrie Irving
Battling several injuries throughout the Eastern Conference semifinals and finals, Kyrie Irving needs the extended rest as much as any player in this series. Operation Sports' Steve Noah posted this graphic breaking down the various injuries Irving has had in his career. A good number of them have occurred this season:
Cleveland desperately needs a player who can force Curry to work on the other end. If Irving is right, he's as explosive a scorer as any point guard in the NBA.
He won't do much to slow Curry down on defense, but Irving can come right back at him on the other end of the floor. If both players are healthy, we could see one awesome point guard battle.
Golden State: Klay Thompson
Fabricio Werdum's leaping knee strike to Mark Hunt at UFC 180 didn't connect any harder than the Houston Rockets' Trevor Ariza's did on the ear of the Warriors' Klay Thompson.
Initially, it looked like Thompson might be selling the foul in hopes of having it upgraded to a flagrant, but one look at the replay showed the Warriors shooting guard took quite a shot. He had to get stitches and said he was dizzy during the postgame interview with ESPN's Doris Burke.
It wouldn't be a shock if Thompson had to undergo some concussion testing and some of the protocol for head injuries before returning to the court. If that's the case, the Warriors caught a major break with the delayed start to the Finals.
Hopefully Thompson will be back to 100 percent in time for the beginning of the series against the Cavs.
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