NBA Finals 2018 Latest Warriors vs. Cavaliers Odds and Predictions After Game 1

Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals did more than give the Golden State Warriors an early series edge over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

It also served as the miracle cure for anyone feeling Finals fatigue with the same two teams squaring off in the championship round for the fourth consecutive season.

Golden State's 124-114 overtime victory had everything—51 points, eight rebounds and eight assists by LeBron James, 79 points between Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, an all-time mental malfunction by J.R. Smith, controversial calls, an extra session and a dust-up and ejection.

Who's ready for round two now? We'll have to wait until Sunday night to see it (8 p.m. ET on ABC), but that just gives us more time to review the latest odds and project what's lying ahead.

Latest Game 2 and Series Odds, via OddsShark

Predictions

After a wild opener like that, this series can pivot one of two ways.

Either the Cavs get completely deflated by squandering their advantage to swipe home-court advantage, or they find renewed confidence from the fact they went blow-for-blow with the champs.

That's assuming, of course, the outcome of that contest has as much to do with Cleveland as it does Golden State.

Even though James is a basketball cyborg, how can he possibly find a higher level than 51/8/8? The four-time MVP had never scored more points in a playoff game, and he tallied them on an uber-efficient 19-of-32 shooting (59.4 percent). Plus, he didn't have to go up against the Dubs' designated LeBron stopper (or LeBron pest, at least), Andre Iguodala, who missed his fifth straight game with a left lateral leg contusion.

James' much maligned supporting cast, meanwhile, combined for 63 points on 37.3 percent shooting. The Cavs did, however, crush the Warriors with a 53-38 edge on the glass (19-4 on offensive rebounds).

And despite what the final score suggests, Golden State rarely hit top speed on the offensive end.

The Warriors hit 36.1 percent of their triples, three points lower than their regular-season mark. Save for going 9-of-10 at the stripe, Durant struggled with his shot all night (8-of-22 overall, 1-of-7 from distance). This was also only the third time in eight games the Dubs didn't have a 30-point scorer.

Golden State has another gear. It never reached 30 points in a quarter against this campaign's 29th-ranked defense. It had nine such periods last round against the Houston Rockets' sixth-ranked defense.

Outside of Cleveland making more shots (10-of-37 from three), it's hard to see how this club finds more firepower. James doesn't have a Kyrie Irving or a Dwyane Wade like he did during his title years. Instead, James has former No. 3 option Kevin Love functioning as the second scorer (21 points, but 1-of-8 from distance) and no discernible third scorer (Smith was next highest with 10 points on 10 shots).

Oddsmakers don't expect a close series, and the stat sheet tends to agree.

If the Warriors can survive James going supernova, what can't this team overcome?

Pick: Warriors win Game 2 116-103, win series in five.

Statistics used courtesy of NBA.com.