NBA Finals 2015: Latest Cavaliers vs. Warriors Odds and Predictions After Game 4

Brian MaziqueJun 12, 2015

The Cleveland Cavaliers have earned very little respect after four games of the NBA Finals. Despite the fact that the series is tied 2-2 and that the Cavs could easily be up 3-1, per Odds Shark, the Golden State Warriors are nine-point favorites for Game 5.

There are a few reasons for this huge margin from oddsmakers.

First, the Cavs are severely undermanned. The longer this series goes, the more the depth issue figures to become a factor. In Game 4, Cleveland looked like an exhausted bunch. And that included the seemingly indestructible and fatigue-proof LeBron James.

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James had what for him is a subpar performance with 20 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. He went careening into a cameraman in a spill that led to stitches in the back of his head. That surely didn't help his energy level.

The normally spunky Matthew Dellavedova was decaffeinated—literally and figuratively. Iman Shumpert's corner threes wouldn't fall, and J.R. Smith was...well, J.R. Smith.

Aside from Timofey Mozgov, who exploited the Warriors' small lineup to the tune of a 28-point, 10-rebound performance, the rest of James' supporting cast could have adopted Soul II Soul's "Back to Life" (However Do You Want Me) as its theme song. It's clear the oddsmakers expect this trend to continue.

Secondly, Steve Kerr made the adjustment to put Andre Iguodala in the starting lineup in place of Andrew Bogut. Iggy has been the team's most consistent player in the Finals—on both ends—and having him on the floor early sparked the Warriors in Game 4.

For The Win tabs Iggy as the favorite to win Finals MVP at this point in the series:

Lastly, the Finals are now a best-of-three affair, with the Warriors hosting two of the possible three games. Things look bleak for the Cavs, unless James is magnificent—which we should fully expect—and Smith, Shumpert or Dellavedova steps up in a major way for the rest of the series.

James is no quitter, as you can see from this quote captured by the Cavs' official Twitter account:

Because of his immense talent, his teammates' buy-in and the Cavs' defensive pressure, it's hard to count them out. However, smart money has to go on the Warriors. The suddenly Cinderella Cavs are seemingly ready to turn into a pumpkin.

You can never dismiss a team with a legitimate all-time great like James, but his team is just too depleted to make any other prediction besides Warriors in seven.

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