LeBron To Inspire Cavaliers Victory

The Cleveland Cavaliers are in dire need of a victory against the Golden State Warriors to keep their NBA Championship hopes alive.

The Warriors dominated the contest of the Finals, producing an outstanding second-half performance to secure the victory by a margin of 19 points.

Tyronn Lue’s men are now in a similar fateful position as last term, only for them to storm back in the series to claim their first NBA crown.

The Cavaliers need a similar effort this time around, but face a huge task in stopping the force of Golden State’s offense, which has been truly outstanding in the opening two matches.

Kevin Durant and Steph Curry have been operating at the peak of their powers to put the Cavaliers on the back foot, with even the great LeBron James struggling to match their production.

As a result, Steve Kerr’s men are in a dominant position in the series ahead of the third contest, although for the first time they will travel to Quicken Loans Arena.

On home soil Cleveland will be determined to launch their second comeback in two years, but will need support from their bench to do so.

The pressure on Cavaliers’ three stars has been unrelenting and has put them in jeopardy of potential being swept by the Warriors, becoming the first team since they were whitewashed by the San Antonio Spurs in 2007 to suffer the indignity of the crushing loss.

We’ll now break down the third match of the series using the latest betting odds.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers have been rocked by the dominance of the Warriors in the opening two matches of the series. They’ve gotten off to decent starts and have taken an early lead in both games, but have been powerless to stop the onslaught from the Bay Area outfit, especially in the second half.

At the start of the third quarter at Oracle Arena, Lue’s men were trailing by only three points and had a decent chance of rallying. However, once Golden State upped the ante, with Curry and Durant leading the charge – the Cavaliers wilted to a humbling defeat.

James failed to break into the 30-point region for the second time, although his accuracy in and around the net was impressive. He made 12 of his 18 FGs, while from distance the 32-year-old was limited to only three shots, making only one of his three-pointers. It was still an impressive outing as he notched 11 rebounds and 14 assists, but it was not enough for his side.

The forward did get support from Kevin Love, who notched 27 points as he was afforded space and time on the court. However, his accuracy let him down at times as he failed to capitalise on the most of his opportunities, especially from distance, making only two out of his seven three-point attempts.

Kyrie Irving had a game to forget as although he scored 19 points – his shooting was inaccurate for the majority of the contest. Iman Shumpert and Kyle Korver failed to make the most out of their minutes on the court, failing to contribute enough to ease the pressure on LeBron.

The Cavaliers’ depth needs to deliver at home otherwise they will be staring down the barrel of a whitewash defeat.

Golden State Warriors

The Bay Area outfit have been sensational in the opening two matches of the series, with Durant playing the decisive factor. The 28-year-old was backed to have a decisive impact in the Finals, but he has surpassed expectations by dominating on the court with two exceptional displays.

He notched 33 points at Oracle Arena in the second match along with 13 rebounds and six assists, highlighting that his performances are not just restricted to just scoring also contributing three steals and five blocks on the night. However, his partnership with Curry has been the driving force of the Warriors’ imperious start to the Finals.

Curry put forward a magnificent display as he scored 32 points on the evening, while he also added 10 rebounds and 11 assists to his name. Worryingly for the Cavaliers there will be more to come from the point guard as he was not completely on song in his field goal attempts, firing in 41.2% success rate, while his accuracy was just as mediocre on three-points sinking four of 11.

Klay Thompson bounced back from a quiet outing in the first match of the series. He was clinical in and around the net, notching 22 points as he made eight of his 12 FGs. Thompson was afforded more space in the final third as the Cavaliers focused their attention of Curry and Durant, allowing him to fire. Should he remain at that level of form – Cleveland will once again have their hands full.

Golden State have been receiving solid contributions from the bench thus far and that must continue to keep the pressure on Lue’s men at Quicken Loans Arena. The atmosphere will be hostile, but the Warriors are more than capable of quietening the crowd with a fast start.

Betting Options

The Warriors have been outstanding thus far, but on this occasion they will not have home support backing their surge for the crown. Cleveland have been rocked by the performances of their opponents in the opening two matches, and if they are to forge a comeback – now is the time for Lue’s men to act to try to swing momentum back in their favour.

LeBron, Irving and Love have not been in full flow as a unit so far in the Finals, and it would be foolish to think that the Cavaliers captain will not have at least one dominant outing in the series. With his side’s backs firmly to the wall expect him to lead the charge to get them back into contention at odds of 2.45Bet €100 to win €24529/20Bet £100 to win £245+145Bet $100 to win $2451.45Bet HK$100 to win HK$2451.45Bet Rp100 to win Rp245-0.6897Bet RM100 to win RM245  with Bovada sportsbook.

It should be a nail-biter therefore backing the Cavaliers at +1 on the spread at 2.20Bet €100 to win €2206/5Bet £100 to win £220+120Bet $100 to win $2201.20Bet HK$100 to win HK$2201.20Bet Rp100 to win Rp220-0.8333Bet RM100 to win RM220  with Marathon Bet is a good option to take, with the Warriors unlikely to make life easy on the home side.

LeBron will be pivotal to any hope that his side have of registering the victory – as a result take him at odds of 1.83Bet €100 to win €18383/100Bet £100 to win £183-120Bet $100 to win $1830.83Bet HK$100 to win HK$183-1.20Bet Rp100 to win Rp1830.8300Bet RM100 to win RM183  with Bet365 to score 32 points or over in the contest.

Tips Summary

Cleveland Cavaliers To Beat Golden State Warriors
Wednesday 7^th June 21:00 ET (Thursday 8^th June 02:00 BST)
Odds: 2.45Bet €100 to win €24529/20Bet £100 to win £245+145Bet $100 to win $2451.45Bet HK$100 to win HK$2451.45Bet Rp100 to win Rp245-0.6897Bet RM100 to win RM245

Cleveland Cavaliers To Cover +1 Spread
Wednesday 7^th June 21:00 ET (Thursday 8^th June 02:00 BST)
Odds: 2.20Bet €100 to win €2206/5Bet £100 to win £220+120Bet $100 to win $2201.20Bet HK$100 to win HK$2201.20Bet Rp100 to win Rp220-0.8333Bet RM100 to win RM220

LeBron James To Score 32 Points Or Over
Wednesday 7^th June 21:00 ET (Thursday 8^th June 02:00 BST)
Odds: 1.83Bet €100 to win €18383/100Bet £100 to win £183-120Bet $100 to win $1830.83Bet HK$100 to win HK$183-1.20Bet Rp100 to win Rp1830.8300Bet RM100 to win RM183