Warriors vs. Cavaliers: 2018 Finals Stats and 2019 Title Odds

The Golden State Warriors bolstered their case as one of the league's best-ever teams on Friday night, finishing off a sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Finals with a 108-85 road victory. 

The Warriors have won three of the last four NBA titles, all of them coming against LeBron James and his Cavaliers.

This one was easier than the rest, with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant's crisp passing and (mostly) lights-out shooting proving overwhelming for a Cavs roster that was dragged into the championship round by James. 

If the eyeball test alone isn't enough to confirm that statement, the final stats should do the trick (complete stats can be found at Basketball-Reference.com).

Warriors Stats: Key Players

Kevin Durant: 28.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 7.5 APG, 2.3 BPG

Stephen Curry: 27.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 6.8 APG

Klay Thompson: 16.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG

Draymond Green: 9.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 8.5 APG, 2.0 SPG

Cleveland Cavaliers Stats: Key Players

LeBron James: 34.0 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 10.0 APG, 44.7 minutes per game

Kevin Love: 19.0 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 1.8 APG

J.R. Smith: 9.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.3 APG

George Hill: 7.5 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.3 APG

Thompson, Curry and Durant all shot above 40 percent from three, while only George Hill shot above 40 percent among the Cavs' key players. Curry made a record nine three-pointers in Game 2, and Durant's 43-point performance in Game 3 secured not only a win for his team, but victory for everyone in the country in the form of free Taco Bell. 

J.R. Smith was particularly bad, shooting just 31.7 percent from the field overall, while his infamous gaffe at the end of Game 1 dashed a brilliant 51-point performance from James, who reportedly suffered a right-hand injury punching a whiteboard after that devastating loss, per ESPN.com.

Kevin Love was at times the only player supporting James in his quest for a fourth NBA title, but it wasn't nearly enough. Love is a fine player when the shots are falling and the combination of his rebounding and outlet passing ability leads to easy transition points for the Cavaliers.

However, he's no box-score stuffer like Draymond Green, who's occasionally an afterthought on offense but is capable of defending any position and a master at taking care of the little things. 

The Warriors might need to win another championship in the next year or two against a different opponent to truly make their case as one of the league's great dynasties, but their resume so far is hard to argue with. 

It should come as little surprise that the Warriors are the favorites to win the 2019 NBA title, per OddsShark:

Curry will be around for the long haul, ESPN's Rachel Nichols recently reported Durant is unlikely to go anywhere, and Thompson is under contract for at least another year. Green, Andre Igoudala and Shaun Livingston are signed through 2020, which means the Warriors' core four should remain intact alongside key depth players.

The rest of the roster could look different, but as long as the star players are in Warriors uniforms, they will be top contenders.

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

The Cavaliers' chances hinge entirely upon what James does this summer, as he can opt out of his contract and shift the balance of power in the NBA. Bleacher Report's Howard Beck thinks James is destined to leave Cleveland: 

"Arguably his greatest accomplishment was just getting here—with one of the worst rosters in Finals history.

"These are things James can't say. But he spent the last two days articulating quite clearly what he wants in a supporting cast, and it's everything the Cavs lack: elite talent, of course. But also brainpower, the ability to perform under pressure, to think in the game. James wants reliability as much as ability."

James' departure would likely sink the Cavaliers' odds to somewhere in the bottom third of the league while pushing whichever team he joins to the top of the heap near the Warriors, Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics. James is 33 years old; he's not waiting around for anyone to improve. He needs to win now.  

So while the 2017-18 NBA season belonged to the Warriors, the '18 summer will belong to James, as the league and the world waits to see what he does with this next chapter in his career.