Can the Cleveland Cavaliers make history tonight? Don’t bet on it, says Vegas.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have already bucked the odds by overcoming a 3-1 NBA Finals deficit against the Golden State Warriors, but the numbers still favor the Warriors at home for the deciding game tonight.
According to Sportsbookreview.com, the Cavs are a consensus five-point underdog in Game 7 and a +170 on the moneyline, while the Warriors are a -195. For the gambling junkies that prefer to bet by the quarter, it’s the Warriors -2 and -2.5 after the 1st and 2nd, respectively (good bets considering the Cavs’ fast starts this series).
However, winning the past two contests have certainly gotten Vegas’ attention. At the beginning of the series, the Warriors had the best chances at eliminating the Cavaliers in five games, and was -210 the win it all. That is, of course, until the Cavs throttled Golden State by a combined 29 points in the subsequent two contests.
In fact, each game has been decided by 11 points or more thus far. If it happens again, it will be the first Finals series that has gone the distance with every contest resulting in double-digit victories.
That said, both teams are not as invincible as they have been throughout the postseason. The Cavs are 5-5 in their last ten playoff games, while the Warriors at 6-5; however, the latter is still a dominant 50-4 at home for the year.
The last time LeBron James — who has once again done LeBron things during this series — was in a Game 7 NBA Finals matchup was June 20, 2013, with his Miami Heat a 5.5 point favorite over the San Antonio Spurs. The Heat went on to win by seven points to win their second consecutive title. This is also James’ fifth straight appearance in the championship.
In the history of the NBA, there have been 125 Game 7s, of which the home team has won 101.
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