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Warriors vs. Cavaliers: 2016 NBA Finals Game 1 Predictions, start time, TV schedule, live stream, odds and more

The Golden State Warriors look for their sixth straight win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in game 1 of the 2016 NBA Finals

By AndrewFlohr
EMI Sports
NBA Finals | Game 1
Cleveland Cavaliers
69-27
(48-48-2 ATS, 48-48-2 O/U)
 vs
Golden State Warriors
85-14
(54-42-3 ATS, 52-46-1 O/U)
How To Watch
Thursday, June 2nd, 2016.
Oracle Arena - OAKLAND, CALIF.
6:00 p.m. PST
ABC | KNBR 680 | WatchESPN
Blog Buddy: Fear The Sword
Point Spread
Cleveland +5.5
 ★ Golden State -5.5
Money Line
Cleveland +195 ★ Golden State -225
Over/Under Total

209 Total Points
Odds via BetOnline

★★★

The Golden State Warriors open up game 1 of the 2016 NBA Finals as five and a half point favorites. It is the first time this postseason that the Cleveland Cavaliers are listed as an underdog.

Cleveland posted a 7-2 record ATS in nine regular season games as the underdog. However Golden State is 9-2 ATS in their last 11 home games according to OddsShark.com. To make matters worse for Cleveland, LeBron James is 0-3 in his career when playing game 1 of the NBA Finals on the road, losing each game by an average of 11 points.

The OVER/UNDER point total for game 1 will be an interesting bet. The opening line is the lowest total for Golden State in the playoffs and the highest for Cleveland. It seems as though points will come in bunches as the Warriors and Cavs are the top two three point shooting teams this year in the playoffs, averaging a combined 26 three's made per game.

VegasInsider.com totals expert Chris David digs deep into Finals history to get a better grasp on the game 1 total:
"Going back to 1998, the ‘under' has gone 11-6-1 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals but there were some very fortunate tickets to cash and that includes last year's result between this pair, which went to overtime.

During this span, we've only seen two road teams score 100-plus point in the opener and one of them was Cleveland last year, who scored 100 in overtime. The other was the 76ers, who dropped 107 on the Lakers in the 2001 finals in another game that saw an extra session. Cleveland's team total is 102.5 for Thursday and I'm buying the ‘under' in Game 1."
★★★

ICYMI: Relive the Warriors' 34 point beat down of the Cavs in their last meeting back on January 18th:

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