NBA Playoffs 2015: Finals TV Schedule, Dates and Odds for Cavaliers vs. Warriors
Is there really a favorite here?
The Golden State Warriors have been the pride of the NBA all year. Stephen Curry won MVP, the Dubs won a league-high 67 games and they’ve pretty much cruised to the NBA Finals.
But then there’s LeBron James, who has been playing out of his mind since the postseason began. Sans Kevin Love and with a hobbled Kyrie Irving, LBJ has willed his team to two sweeps, one of which came against the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks in the conference finals.
A sizable argument for either side could be made. Odds Shark believes there is a favorite, though. Check out the odds and TV schedule below.
Odds
| Golden State Warriors | 5-12 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 19-10 |
How to Watch
| 1 | June 4 | Cavaliers at Warriors | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| 2 | June 7 | Cavaliers at Warriors | 8 p.m. | ABC |
| 3 | June 9 | Warriors at Cavaliers | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| 4 | June 11 | Warriors at Cavaliers | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| 5* | June 14 | Cavaliers at Warriors | 8 p.m. | ABC |
| 6* | June 16 | Warriors at Cavaliers | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| 7* | June 19 | Cavaliers at Warriors | 9 p.m. | ABC |
The Dark Horse Tristan Thompson
Late Sunday night, the NBA’s official Instagram page posted this graphic, which asks viewers whether Klay Thompson or Tristan Thompson will have a bigger impact in the Finals.
Klay, the sharp-shooting All-Star 2-guard, is the obvious choice. But is he the right one?
Tristan has been unbelievable this postseason. He’s grabbed 56 offensive boards, which is 17 more than any other Warrior or Cavalier.
"No matter who they're throwing at me or whatever kind of coverage they're doing on the offensive glass, I've got to stay with it because you never know,” Thompson said after Game 3 against Atlanta, per Matthew Florjancic of WKYC.com. “Maybe that one offensive rebound could change the whole game."
He’s changed the entire playoffs, not just a game, with his persistent work on the glass. Thompson and Timofey Mozgov (39 offensive rebounds) have been a formidable duo inside.
As Brian Geltzeiler of Hoop Critic points out, the Cavaliers bigs have yet to be pushed around throughout these playoffs. Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut will have their hands full:
Back in January, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported that Thompson, a 24-year-old in what could be the final year of his contract, turned down a four-year, $52 million extension.
Basically, the power forward bet on himself. He felt he could play himself into more money.
The gamble worked. TNT’s Rachel Nichols is well aware:
Thompson has the backing of the most powerful man in Cleveland heading into free agency.
“Tristan should probably be a Cavalier for his whole career,” James said, per Matt Moore of CBS Sports. “This guy is 24 years old, he's played in 340-plus straight games, and he's gotten better every single season. It's almost like 'What more can you ask out of a guy?’”
Since Love went down, Thompson has averaged 10.3 points (58.2 percent), 11.1 boards and 1.6 blocks per game.
With Green presumably trying to slow down James on the perimeter, expect Thompson to continue feasting on the glass throughout the finals.
Stats are accurate courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.
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