Warriors vs. Cavaliers: Latest Comments and Odds for 2016 NBA Finals

The theme around the 2016 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers going into Wednesday's Game 3 isn't hard to figure out.

As they have had no problems doing in the recent past against the Cavaliers, the Warriors cruised to a pair of easy victories to take a 2-0 series lead, throttling LeBron James' creation 104-89 and 110-77.

Indeed, the much-anticipated rematch has been as noncompetitive as it sounds, with guys like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson posting rather meager outputs while the defense and depth of the Warriors continues to roll, cementing the team's status as one of the best ever.

The series does switch to Cleveland starting Wednesday, which means a semblance of hope for the Cavaliers. Going into what looks like the most important game of the series, let's take a look at the latest comments and how Las Vegas feels about the matter.

2016 NBA Finals Game 3

When: Wednesday, June 8, at 9 p.m. ET

Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland

TV: ABC

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Latest Comments

Is two games enough to declare a series over?

Maybe. Sometimes it takes just one person to say what most are thinking, which might be the case here with a comment by NBA legend Magic Johnson:

Ouch.

Hurtful or not, it's hard to argue. In Game 1, Curry only scored 11 points while the Warriors cruised. He mustered 18 in Game 2, but again, there wasn't much of a need for him to go off like normal because nothing about this series other than the outcomes has been normal.

In fact, it's hard for the Warriors to even come up with talking points outside of the usual rah-rah about needing to stay consistent and not getting cocky. Curry pointed out what seems like a weak area during an interview with the Washington Post's Tim Bontemps.

“I would say we’d like to get to the free-throw line a little more,” Curry said. “We’re probably going to need to do that in Cleveland. But some things, the way they guard and what might be open, you know, shotswise, might cater to that lack of a lot of free throws.”

Some weak area—the Warriors aren't getting to the line because they're hitting every shot, most of which are wide-open because the Cavaliers aren't switching off well. 

This inability to counter Golden State's small-ball look and keep up on defense has been the theme ahead of Wednesday's affair. Sports Illustrated's Ben Golliver captured James talking on the matter:

James expanded while dishing a bit of praise to the opposition, too, according to the Orange County Register's Dan Woike:

"

At times we just looked like …we're a step slow. We messed up on the coverage. We don't get back or we're just one step behind where we should be. We should be closer to our man. When you're behind these guys, they make you pay every single time. We can't have as many mental lapses. … These guys put you in so many mental positions where you have to figure it out, and they make you pay for it when you don't.

"

Tyronn Lue, the man tasked with taking over as head coach when the Cavaliers canned David Blatt this season, had the Cavaliers looking like an unstoppable force in the Eastern Conference. James was in check, Lue wasn't the coach for the losses to Golden State during the regular season and the team needed all of 14 games to bully its way to the Finals.

Now he too has little to say other than comment on the overarching narrative.

“Their small lineup was a lot faster than ours was,” Lue said, according to Golliver. “Being faster and being longer and athletic gave us some trouble. It gave us some problems. So we’ve got to try to figure that lineup out.”

It's hard to tell if Cleveland can come up with a lineup capable of keeping pace, and now might have to attempt to do so without Kevin Love, who suffered a concussion in Game 2.

At the least, the Cavaliers know what they need to do to make this a series. 

Odds Breakdown

A line that started favoring the Cavaliers has now shifted to the Warriors by a point, according to Odds Shark. 

Again, not too surprising given the tone of the above.

Even though the Warriors are on the road and have lost every Game 3 of the postseason thus far, it's hard to blame Las Vegas and bettors. Curry and the Warriors have won seven games in a row against the Cavaliers and the team has yet to even get a big game from their best player.

This isn't a hard decision for bettors. The Warriors got 45 points from their bench in Game 1, and in both games continued to exploit the defensive shortcomings of players such as Love and Kyrie Irving that has the team on a seven-win streak in the first place.

Whether it's Curry getting hot, Draymond Green carrying the load or an all-around team effort, Cleveland has gone in reverse as this series has progressed as far as earning trust goes. Look for the Warriors to roll on the road as the depth and speed gap continues to make all the difference.

Prediction: Warriors 116, Cavaliers 96

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.