NBA Finals 2015: Cavs vs. Warriors Game 2 Vegas Odds, Prop Bets and Predictions

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors will battle in Game 2 of the 2015 NBA Finals, which tips off Sunday night.

The Warriors hold a 1-0 edge after a Game 1 overtime triumph. LeBron James and the Cavaliers will try to even the series at one game apiece without the help of Kyrie Irving, who will miss the remainder of the postseason due to a fractured left kneecap.

Now the pressure falls on James to build upon his 44-point performance in the opener. Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith will be tasked with shouldering more of the offensive workload, while Golden State will seemingly take an even greater edge, as it hosts these injury-riddled Cavs at Oracle Arena, where the team is 47-3 this season.

The Irving injury has made Cleveland an even bigger underdog than the team already was. Here’s the latest on the odds, prop bets and predictions for the remainder of the 2015 NBA Finals.

Odds Suggest Warriors Are the Major Favorite

The Warriors are an eight-point favorite to take Game 2 at home Sunday night, according to OddsShark.com. That line originally opened with Golden State as a 6.5-point favorite.

In contrast, the website had Cleveland as a 5.5-point underdog entering the series.

Still, the Cavaliers looked poised to defy the odds through the first four quarters in Game 1. That was until the Irving injury. 

Irving had seemingly returned to form in Game 1, facilitating the offense and sparking the defense. He dropped 23 points, seven rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks on the Warriors in that series opener. One of those blocks was a game-saver against Stephen Curry in the final seconds of regulation.

Once the point guard went down with the knee injury, the Cavaliers appeared to be a different team. They nearly went scoreless from the two-minute mark in the fourth quarter into the overtime period. The Warriors outscored the Cavs 12-4 in the final two minutes of regulation and overtime, and according to ESPN Stats & Info, Curry’s squad now owns a 78 percent chance to win the series 

Cleveland missed its first eight field-goal attempts in overtime and finished with two points and a 1-of-9 mark from the floor. James went 1-of-6 with a pair of turnovers in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and the overtime frame.

In contrast, the Warriors outscored the Cavs 10-2 in overtime and would have posted a shutout if not for an uncontested James layup in the final seconds of the game.

Curry the Favorite to Win Finals MVP 

It’s not a surprise that Curry is the favorite to win the NBA Finals MVP, according to OddsShark.com, which pegs the reigning league MVP as a 5-8 favorite.

Curry is the front-runner, while his counterpart, James, has 17-10 odds to take home the MVP trophy, per the site. Klay Thompson (12-1) is the third favorite.

Should the Warriors continue on their current track and eventually win the series, Curry could be named both the regular-season and Finals MVP. On Thursday, the Warriors star became the first MVP winner to win Game 1 of the Finals since Tim Duncan did so 12 years earlier:

He dropped 26 points and eight assists in Game 1, but more importantly, his offense came when his team needed it the most. Trailing by 10 after the opening quarter, Curry hitting his stride in the second frame sparked Golden State to make it a competitive game. In addition, the MVP was clutch in the extra period, drawing two shooting fouls and connecting on all four of his free-throw attempts en route to the victory.

Meanwhile, James dropped 44 points in the loss, the most in a losing effort in the NBA Finals since Shaquille O’Neal in 2001, when the Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Brooklyn Nets, per ESPN Stats & Info. It also marked an NBA Finals high for James’ career.

If the Cavaliers are to avoid a sweep and go toe-to-toe with the Warriors without Irving, the pressure is on James to carry the team. With Irving sidelined for the remainder of the series, James has to be a facilitator and play the role of point forward as well. 

Fittingly, if he steps up and can somehow lead the Cavaliers over the Warriors, he’ll be the obvious choice for MVP. That is a major if, though. Just as his Cavs are an underdog to win the NBA Finals, James is a distant second behind Curry as a potential MVP candidate.

Prediction: Without Irving, Golden State an Overwhelming Favorite to Be Crowned Champion

Even with a healthy Irving, the Cavaliers were underdogs entering the 2015 NBA Finals. Irving playing at what appeared to be full strength in Game 1 made us clearly question those odds.

Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports

He sparked the Cavaliers on both the offensive and defensive end of the court, evident by the team’s fast start and the blocked shot on Curry near the end of regulation. But it was apparent that his absence on the court in overtime was essentially the nail in Cleveland’s coffin.

Curry and Thompson are nearly unstoppable playing in Oracle Arena. In 2014-15, the two averaged 22.1 and 23.9 points per game, respectively. Game 2 in Oakland puts Golden State in position to take a commanding 2-0 series lead before shifting the Finals to Cleveland.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, teams that prevail in Game 1 of the Finals go on to take the series 71 percent of the time. The loss of Irving already deepened Cleveland’s status as underdogs in Vegas, so you would have to assume Golden State’s chances at winning the NBA championship increase accordingly.

Thanks to a stellar fourth-quarter finish and a dominant overtime effort, momentum has shifted into the Warriors’ corner. Expect that to continue in Game 2 Sunday evening as the Warriors offense explodes against a weakened Cleveland defense and an overwhelmed James.

Perhaps James is good for one win in Cleveland during these Finals, but without Irving, the Warriors will capture the NBA title in five games.