NBA Finals 2017: Updated Championship Odds, TV Schedule and Prediction

After two games and two double-digit victories by the Golden State Warriors, it's easy to jump to the conclusion that this finals series is over. The Cleveland Cavaliers managed to come back from a 0-2 hole in last year's Finals, but last year's finals didn't involve Kevin Durant in a Warriors uniform.

Can the Cavaliers find a way to slow this new superteam version of the Warriors? Can they flip their fortunes the way they did in the 2016 Finals? The odds didn't favor Cleveland heading into the series, and they're even longer now.

We're going to take a look at the latest championship odds—courtesy of OddsShark.com—and the remaining series schedule. We'll also make our prediction for the series and examine the latest playoff-related buzz.

2017 NBA Finals (Warriors Lead 0-2)

Remaining Schedule

Game 3: Golden State at Cleveland—Wednesday, June 7 @ 9 p.m.

Game 4: Golden State at Cleveland—Friday, June 9 @ 9 p.m.

Game 5: Cleveland at Golden State—Monday, June 12 @ 9 p.m.

Game 6: Golden State at Cleveland—Thursday, June 15 @ 9 p.m.

Game 7: Cleveland at Golden State—Sunday, June 18 @ 8 p.m.

*All games televised on ABC and available for streaming at WatchESPN.

Championship Odds

Golden State: 1-16

Cleveland: 41-4

Finals Buzz

Warriors Not Focused on Stopping LeBron

LeBron James got himself another triple-double in a Finals game on Sunday night, yet it wasn't enough to give the Cavaliers a win—or even a close loss. Here's the thing, though. For as great as James is—and he's still virtually the most unstoppable player on the planet—he isn't going to beat the Warriors on his own.

The Cavaliers have to get major contributions from other players, like Kyrie Irving. Focusing on slowing Irving instead of James has allowed the Warriors to dictate the series so far.

Consider that Warriors star Stephen Curry is now the No. 2 scoring option behind Durant. He's produced 60 points through two games. Irving is Cleveland's No. 2 option, and he's only produced 43. As good as James is, the Cavaliers cannot come back in this series without more contribution from Irving.

"We ride or die with Kyrie," teammate Kevin Love said, per Fred Kerber of the New York Post. "Kyrie knows what he's capable of in this building, in the league, at our building. I would imagine Kyrie's going to come out and have a great Game 3."

If Irving can have a strong game on Wednesday night, the Cavaliers may be able to pull back into the series. If the Warriors continue corralling him, however, Golden State could be well on its way to a series sweep.

Durant Making the Difference

We mentioned that the big difference between last year's Warriors team and this year's is the presence of Durant. His addition is the reason why Golden State can afford to focus on stopping Cleveland's secondary guy in Irving.

James playing at his best was enough to beat the Warriors in the Finals last year. He won't be enough this year because Durant ha been unstoppable himself. 

Just consider that Durant has racked up 71 points, 22 rebounds, 14 assists and five blocks by himself through two games. He adds an entirely different element to the Golden State offense—one not even the Cavaliers have an answer for.

"They're a different team," James explained, per Al Iannazzone Newsday.com. "You guys asked me what's the difference, and I told you. They're a different team."

Even if James manages to cancel Durant out through the rest of the series, the Warriors have the advantage based on their next options. The group of Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green is better than Irving, Love and whoever you want to name as Cleveland's fourth-best player.

The addition of a fourth superstar in Durant has made even Cleveland's starting lineup inadequate.

Depth Isn't the Biggest Issue for the Cavaliers

James cannot play every minute of every game, and the Cavaliers are certainly a lesser team without him. However, the overall team depth in Cleveland isn't the biggest reason why the Cavaliers have been beaten the last two games.

Neil Greenberg of the Washington Post recently explained:

"Cleveland's depth is not as big an issue as you might think. During last year's title run, the Cavaliers were outscored by 19.7 net points per 100 possessions with James on the bench. This year they are being outscored by 18.7 net points per 100 possessions without him, so their play has actually gotten better through two games without the league's best player on the court. The biggest, and most obvious difference, between the Warriors of last year and this year is that the Warriors have taken it up a Kevin Durant-sized notch."

If Cleveland is going to truly make a series out of this, the team is going to have to get even better play out of its bench than it has through two games.

If the Cavaliers can figure out a way to gain ground when the second units are on the floor, they may be able to buy some cushion for James and Co. when going against the Warriors' starters.

Can the Cavaliers' starters come out on top if the dominoes fall the right way? Sure. It's just not likely to happen for four complete games in this series.

Finals Prediction: Warriors in Six Games