Cnotes 2017 NBA Finals - Picks, Trends, News !

[CNOTES]

NBA Finals MVP Odds
June 5, 2017


Prior to Game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals, oddsmakers at Sportsbook.ag posted numbers on which player will be named the Most Valuable Player.


The oddsmakers at the offshore betting shop were expecting a toss-up for the hardware with Golden State's Kevin Durant and Cleveland’s LeBron James listed as the two favorites.


Durant is the clear favorite to capture the honor following a 33-point effort in Game 2 as he listed at 2/7 odds (Bet $350 win $100), while James dropped to 17/2 (+850) after opening at 39/20 (+195) just before the opener this past Thursday.


Stephen Curry sits behind Durant as the second favorite to win MVP as his odds moved up slightly from 12/5 to start the series to 11/5 after registering 32 points in the Game 2 blowout.


Listed below are the latest odds per Sportsbook.ag as well as the opening odds before the series.

Odds to win 2017 NBA Finals MVP following Game 2 (6/18/17)


Kevin Durant (Warriors) 2/7
Stephen Curry (Warriors) 11/5
LeBron James (Cavaliers) 17/2
Draymond Green (Warriors) 40/1
Klay Thompson (Warriors) 60/1
Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers) 75/1
Kevin Love (Cavaliers) 150/1
Andre Iguodala (Warriors) 500/1
Tristan Thompson (Cavaliers) 500/1
JR Smith (Cavaliers) 2000/1

Odds to win 2017 NBA Finals MVP following Game 1 (6/18/17)


Kevin Durant (Warriors) 5/8
Stephen Curry (Warriors) 11/5
LeBron James (Cavaliers) 9/2
Draymond Green (Warriors) 12/1
Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers) 20/1
Klay Thompson (Warriors) 40/1
Kevin Love (Cavaliers) 75/1
Andre Iguodala (Warriors) 150/1
Tristan Thompson (Cavaliers) 200/1
JR Smith (Cavaliers) 1000/1

Opening Odds to win 2017 NBA Finals MVP (6/18/17)
Kevin Durant (Warriors) 21/10
LeBron James (Cavaliers) 11/5
Stephen Curry (Warriors) 12/5
Draymond Green (Warriors) 8/1
Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers) 8/1
Klay Thompson (Warriors) 25/1
Kevin Love (Cavaliers) 45/1
Tristan Thompson (Cavaliers) 60/1
Andre Iguodala (Warriors) 85/1
JaVale McGee (Warriors) 150/1
JR Smith (Cavaliers) 250/1
Ian Clark (Warriors) 500/1
Kyle Korver (Cavaliers) 500/1
Deron Williams (Cavaliers) 1000/1
David West (Warriors) 2000/1
Zaza Pachulia (Warriors) 2000/1


Odds Subject to Change - Updated 6.5.17

 

[CNOTES]

Cavaliers mull starting Shumpert
June 5, 2017


The Cleveland Cavaliers, down 2-0 after blowout losses to the Golden State Warriors, may switch up their starting lineup for Game 3 of the NBA Finals.


Cavs coach Tyronn Lue is considering starting Iman Shumpert in place of JR Smith at shooting guard for Wednesday night's game in Cleveland, according to ESPN.


Shumpert experienced cramping in the second half of the Cavs' 132-113 Game 2 loss on Sunday night and required intravenous fluids after the game, a team source told ESPN.


Shumpert finished with six points, four rebounds and three steals in 22 minutes off the bench, shooting only 1 of 6 from the field.


The Cavs may go with Shumpert in the starting lineup because of his defense in trying to slow down Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.


On Sunday night, Curry and Durant teamed up to get the Warriors within two victories of another championship. Curry recorded his first career postseason triple-double with 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds while Durant -- seeking his first ring -- had 33 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and five blocks.


Smith has been a non-factor in the two losses with just three points on 1-of-4 shooting in 28 minutes in Game 1 and zero points on 0-of-2 shooting and four fouls in 14 minutes.


Lue said the Cavaliers must improve their defense to have a chance in Game 3.


"I think that having awareness, can't relax, can't fall asleep," Lue said after Sunday's loss. "This team, their offense is constant movement, so you got to be locked in. You can't take a peek somewhere else and lose your man. So they make you pay. And they have a lot of guys who are great passers, so you got to be alert at all times."

 

[CNOTES]

NBA Finals Series Odds
June 5, 2017


Home Team listed first - Best of 7 Games (2-2-1-1-1)
(Opening Odds in parentheses)


NBA Finals

Golden State vs. Cleveland (Warriors lead 2-0)


Warriors (-240) -1500
Cavaliers (+200) +750


Exact Game Props - Prior to Series (5/26/16)


Golden State vs. Cleveland

5 Games Warriors Win 5/2
7 Games Warriors Win 3/1
6 Games Warriors Win 4/1
6 Games Cavaliers Win 5/1
4 Games Warriors Win 13/2
7 Games Cavaliers Win 8/1
5 Games Cavaliers Win 15/1
4 Games Cavaliers Win 30/1

 

[CNOTES]

Trends to Watch - Game 3
June 5, 2017


NBA Finals Betting Trends - Game 3


-- The home team has gone 12-8 straight up in Game 3 of the last 20 NBA Finals, including a 4-1 mark the past five seasons


-- The last two teams to fall down 2-0 in the Finals have won Game 3 at home (2016 Cavaliers and 2008 Lakers)


-- Seven of the previous nine clubs returning home from a 2-0 deficit have been victorious in Game 3 (2007 Cavaliers and 2002 Nets lost in this situation)


-- Over this span, the previous nine teams to take a 2-0 lead won the championship seven times (2016 Warriors and 2006 Mavericks lost series)


-- Only two sweeps have occurred in the last 20 Finals (2007 Spurs and 2002 Lakers)


-- The ‘over’ has hit in three of the past four Game 3's of the Finals as Wednesday's Game 3 total is 20 points higher (226) than it was in 2016.


-- Golden State has yet to lose a playoff game this postseason, while beating Portland, Utah, and San Antonio on the highway in Game 3 of each round


-- The Warriors are a perfect 6-0 SU/ATS on the road in the playoffs


-- Cleveland is 2-1 SU/ATS in Game 3’s this postseason, while the Cavs have beaten the Warriors in Game 3 of each of the last two NBA Finals at home


-- Overall, Cleveland is 5-1 SU and 2-4 ATS at home in this year’s playoffs


Listed below are the past 20 Game 3's in the NBA Finals, with total results


GAME 3 OF THE NBA FINALS (1997-2016)
Year Matchup Total
2016 Cleveland 120 vs. Golden State 90 Over (206.5)
2015 Cleveland 96 vs. Golden State 91 Under (194.5)
2014 Miami 92 vs. San Antonio 111 Over (197)
2013 Miami 77 vs. San Antonio 113 Over (187.5)
2012 Miami 91 vs. Oklahoma City 85 Under (193)
2011 Miami 93 vs. Dallas 95 Push (188)
2010 Boston 84 vs. L.A. Lakers 91 Under (191.5)
2009 Orlando 104 vs. L.A. Lakers 108 Over (198)
2008 L.A. Lakers 87 vs. Boston 81 Under (195.5)
2007 Cleveland 72 vs. San Antonio 75 Under (179.5)
2006 Miami 98 vs. Dallas 96 Over (189.5)
2005 Detroit 96 vs. San Antonio 79 Over (170.5)
2004 Detroit 88 vs. L.A. Lakers 66 Under (169.5)
2003 New Jersey 79 vs. San Antonio 84 Under (185)
2002 New Jersey 103 vs. L.A. Lakers 106 Over (192.5)
2001 Philadelphia 91 vs. L.A. Lakers 96 Under (189.5)
2000 Indiana 100 vs. L.A. Lakers 91 Under (195)
1999 New York 89 vs. San Antonio 81 Over (169.5)
1998 Chicago 96 vs. Utah 54 Under (182.5)
1997 Utah 104 vs. Chicago 93 Over (185.5)

 

[CNOTES]

Cavs not making any lineup changes
June 6, 2017


CLEVELAND (AP) LeBron James isn't changing his game, Tyronn Lue isn't changing his lineup. The Cavaliers aren't slowing down.


Defiant - and some might argue delusional - in the face of a 2-0 deficit to the postseason-perfect Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, the defending champions are sticking with their plan.


They may have no choice.


Back home after being outrun and outgunned by the Warriors, who won Games 1 and 2 at Oracle Arena by a combined 41 points, the Cavs find themselves in the same predicament they were in last year. This time, though, the hole feels deeper mostly because Kevin Durant is now leading a team seeking revenge after blowing a 3-1 lead to Cleveland in last year's Finals.


To this point, chapter three of Cleveland vs. Golden State, a Finals dubbed ''The Three-Match'' has been a mismatch.


Still, Lue, the Cavs' cool-under-pressure coach, believes his team can equal the Warriors' frenetic pace and flip the script as it did in 2016.


''We just have to take care of the basketball,'' Lue said Tuesday after the Cavs practiced at Quicken Loans Arena. ''I think taking good shots when we're playing with pace and not turning the basketball over, letting them get out in transition. So that's our game. We're not going to change our game because of who we're playing. And I'm confident that we can play that way, and we did it last year.


''A lot of people said we couldn't. But that's our game. That's who we are. And we're not going to change just because we're playing Golden State.''


One of the options Lue has heading into Wednesday's Game 3 is to bench struggling starting guard J.R. Smith for Iman Shumpert, who played well defensively in Game 2 but wore himself out guarding Durant and needed IV fluids afterward.


Smith drained a 3-pointer for the series' first basket, but hasn't scored since. He's just 1 of 6 from the field, and for some strange reason, one of the game's most confident shooters has been hesitant to let his jumper fly.


Lue, though, is staying with Smith, who said his wife, Jewel, offered advice on how to end his slump.


''She had a great idea for me,'' he said. ''She told me every time I touch it, shoot it.''


That's how the Warriors seem to be playing.


Golden State's break-neck speed on offense has been a sight to behold. With unmatched firepower, the Warriors are pushing the pace and the Cavaliers to exhaustion.


According to ESPN's research, the pace of play in the first two games was faster than in any of James' previous 212 career postseason games. And, the first quarter in which the Warriors outscored the Cavs 40-34 and the teams combined for 130 possessions, was the fastest James' career - regular or postseason - spanning 5,100 quarters.


It's no wonder James, who has been his typically dominant self, averaging 28.5 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, stopped attacking in the second half. He was gassed, and the Cavs couldn't keep up as the Warriors scored 132 despite 20 turnovers.


Cleveland prefers to play at a high tempo as well, and while that would seem to play into a trap with Golden State, Lue and James were adamant the Cavs aren't pumping their brakes.


''That's not our game. We don't play slowdown basketball,'' James said. ''We play at our pace. We play our game. We got to this point playing our way. We have won a lot of games playing the way we play, so we're not going to change.''


However, what has to change is production from Cleveland's role players. James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are doing their part, but Cleveland's Big 3 isn't getting enough support.


Tristan Thompson has been neutralized as the Warriors are devoting multiple players to keep Cleveland's relentless rebounder off the boards. Sharpshooter Kyle Korver is just 1 of 6 on 3s, backup point guard Deron Williams is scoreless in 33 minutes and Richard Jefferson, two weeks shy of his 37th birthday, is the only reserve contributing more than expected.


In real time, Cleveland's two losses in Oakland looked lopsided, but Irving said the tape revealed some positives.


''When you watch it, it doesn't necessarily seem as bad because you understand that the things that you can't control,'' he said. ''They're just kind of boneheaded plays that you are just like, `Oh, man, we can be better.' Whether they're speeding us up or whether they're getting in our chest or challenging us, we need to hit back. And it's just as simple as that.''

 

[CNOTES]

ABC is off and running with NBA Finals
June 6, 2017


NEW YORK (AP) The NBA Finals is off and running with its best ratings through two games since the Chicago Bulls' last championship in 1998. Now ABC has to hope the Cleveland Cavaliers can make it competitive.


The first two games, both won by the Golden State Warriors, averaged 19.2 million viewers, the Nielsen company said. The interest in championship series usually increase if they are evenly-matched, so if the Cavs can take a few games ABC would be in great shape.


Unfortunately for the network, the Warriors haven't lost in the playoffs yet.


NBC had a strong showing with the debut of Megyn Kelly's newsmagazine, ''Sunday Night,'' featuring her interview with Vladimir Putin. It landed among the week's 10 most-watched TV shows and, although it lost to CBS' ''60 Minutes'' in the time slot, won among younger viewers.


Basketball led ABC, which averaged 6.8 million viewers, to a weekly victory in prime time. NBC had 5.2 million viewers, CBS had 4.4 million, Fox had 2.3 million, Univision had 1.5 million, ION television had 1.3 million, Telemundo had 870,000 and the CW had 820,000.


Fox News Channel was the week's most popular cable network, averaging 2.21 million viewers in prime time. HGTV had 1.49 million, MSNBC had 1.32 million, USA had 1.27 million and TBS had 1.23 million.


ABC's ''World News Tonight'' topped the evening newscasts with an average of 7.5 million viewers. NBC's ''Nightly News'' was second with 7.1 million and the ''CBS Evening News'' had 5.7 million.


For the week of May 29-June 4, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships: NBA Finals: Cleveland vs. Golden State, Game 2, ABC, 19.69 million; NBA Finals: Cleveland vs. Golden State, Game 1, ABC, 18.7 million; ''America's Got Talent,'' NBC 12.32 million; ''World of Dance,'' NBC, 9.71 million; ''Little Big Shots,'' NBC, 7.45 million; ''NCIS,'' CBS, 7.35 million; ''60 Minutes,'' CBS, 6.79 million; ''The Big Bang Theory,'' CBS, 6.73 million; ''Bull,'' CBS, 6.51 million; ''Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly,'' NBC, 6.2 million.

 

[CNOTES]

Cavaliers aim to turn around Finals
June 6, 2017


CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves in the same place through two games in the NBA Finals they were at this point last season.


Blown out in Games 1 and 2 by the Golden State Warriors, looking for something to change in the first home game before the series is over for all intents and purposes.


Things turned out OK for the Cavs in 2016. They won Game 3 by 30 points and eventually became the first team in NBA history to recover from a 3-1 deficit to win the Finals.


"You understand the journey and how much of the energy it took from a mental and physical standpoint in order to come back from something like that," said Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving. "But you know it's definitely possible."


The Warriors have outscored Cleveland by 41 points through two games. They've blown the doors off of LeBron James and company in both games in the third quarters, outscoring the Cavs by 13 points in Game 1 and 11 on Sunday.


Kevin Durant wasn't wearing a Golden State jersey while his current teammates collapsed in last year's Finals. He has scored 71 points through two games. Harrison Barnes, the player Durant replaced in the Warriors' lineup, scored 65 for the whole series.


Durant is a former MVP in the prime of his career who was added to a roster that won an NBA-record 73 games last season before the stunning Finals defeat. He is partnered with Stephen Curry, a two-time MVP who has scored 60 points through two games and is coming off a triple-double in Game 2.


And the Warriors point to Game 3 as the initial turning point.


"I think it was the nature with which they won that game, the force that they brought," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "They blew us out. I don't remember what the final score was, but it wasn't close. And I thought that gave them confidence, gave their crowd confidence.


"We came back and won Game 4 in a great effort and had them right where we wanted them, but I think Game 3 gave them that confidence, and obviously everything changed in Game 5."


Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said he is sticking with shooting guard J.R. Smith in the starting lineup despite his struggles. Smith has scored just three points in two games on 1-of-6 shooting.


Then again, Smith was scuffling through the first two games of last season's Finals and came back with 20 points in Game 3.


"I have the same confidence level I've had since I started playing this game," Smith said. "I feel like I can make any and every shot. I feel like I'm going to -- feel like I'm going to play well every time I step on the floor. Obviously that doesn't happen every time.


"My confidence has never dwindled, lacked, chipped, nothing. I feel like when I'm on the floor, I mean obviously Bron is Bron, but I feel like I'm one of the best players on the floor."


James is averaging a triple-double through two games, with 28.5 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists. Twice during his career he has led the Cavs back from an 0-2 deficit in a playoff series -- in the 2007 Eastern finals against Detroit and of course last season.


James, who actually ended his protest of NBA podium interviews after Tuesday's practice by again taking reporters' questions on stage, said losses take "a mental toll."


"It's something I am accustomed to," James said. "It's something that I feel like is -- that it's OK for me to kind of always go back and know that I can refocus. I can get my guys ready, get myself ready. But you hate to continue to put yourself in these positions."


The Warriors are 14-0 to start the postseason. They're the first NBA team to ever do it. With a win in Game 3 they would pass the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins for the most consecutive playoff wins by any major professional sports team.


For what it's worth, no team has ever recovered from a 3-0 deficit in the NBA playoffs. The Warriors are two wins from sweeping all four rounds, including the last one, against the defending champs.


"We want 15-0," Kerr said. "That's what we want. Are we 14-0 right now? We want 15-0. That's what we want. We literally have never once mentioned 16-0. To me it's a miracle that it's even a possibility. It's so hard to do.


"But we are here, we're more focused on what happened last year like in terms of we were up 2-0 and we came here and the series shifted. That's the important lesson, not any historical benchmarks or anything like that."

 

[CNOTES]

Wednesday’s six-pack


— Reds 13, Cardinals 1— Scooter Gennett, a free agent in our fantasy league, hit four HR’s in this game. He had 17 total bases, two short of the all-time record (Shawn Green).


— Boston 5, New York 4- Drew Pomeranz threw 123 pitches in his five innings of work, but he got the win.


— Arizona Cardinals moved their OTA’s inside Tuesday; it was 105 in Phoenix.


— This spring, 27 of 85 NHL playoff games have gone to OT; 62% of NBA playoff games have been decided by double digit margins.


— Hope you didn’t bet the over in the Jets’ win total for this year: David Harris was first vet to go, now Eric Decker could be next. They’re trying very hard to get a lot younger.


— Headed to DL: Bartolo Colon (Braves), Yasmany Tomas (Arizona), Devon Travis (Jays), Jared Cosart (SD), Mike Napoli (Tex).


****************************

Wednesday’s List of 13: Mid-week musings…….


13) Chicago Cubs use an odd defense against sacrifice bunts, with Anthony Rizzo playing in between the mound and 1st base, and the 2B holding the runner on first.


For fantasy baseball purposes, this has made Rizzo technically a second baseman and he is now eligible as a 2B in many leagues. It is an advantage if you have Rizzo on your fantasy team, lets you have an extra 1B in your lineup.


12) Denver Broncos have a brutal 3-week stretch in mid-season; in Week 7 they go to Carson, CA to play the Chargers, then have a Monday night game in Kansas City in Week 8, before a Week 9 game in Philly six days later. NFL teams historically have done poorly in their third consecutive road game- this one is on short rest.


11) Baseball is difficult: two weeks ago, Jose Abreu was AL Player of the Week. Last week, he was 2-23. Even the best hitters go thru slumps.


10) From Chris Fallica on Twitter: Six of the last nine Belmont Stakes favorites ran completely out of the money. American Pharaoh is the only favorite in the last 11 years to win.


9) Clippers/Rockets will play two preseason games in Hawai’i in October; doesn’t sound like training camp will be too grueling for those two teams.


8) Nashville’s Frederick Gaudreau is the first NHL player since 1944 whose first three career goals came in the Stanley Cup Finals.


7) Speaking of the Stanley Cup Finals, other than Nashville/Pittsburgh, the finals are getting their best TV ratings in this country in Buffalo.


6) Arkansas sophomore pitcher Kacey Murphy threw 74 pitches in an NCAA tournament game on Sunday; he started Monday’s game.


5) College baseball has an interesting dynamic; with the national tournament going on at the same time as the major league draft next week— the older players keep one eye on who their next team will be, and one eye on trying to win with their college team.


4) A guy on American Pickers on the History Channel had a collection of license plates on his wall; every style of license plate ever issued in Pennsylvania. Pretty cool. Some of the stuff people collect is fascinating.


3) Graduate transfer Cameron Johnson wants to transfer from Pitt to North Carolina, but the Panthers want to block him from going to another ACC team.


This could get dicey; when he was at Vanderbilt, Kevin Stallings blocked Sheldon Jeter from transferring to Pitt— Jones went to a JC for a year before winding up at Pitt, and then two years later, Stallings showed up as the Panthers’ head coach- awkward.


2) Interesting debate: Who is the best quarterback in Packers’ history? Bart Starr? Brett Favre? Aaron Rodgers? You can make a case for all three.


1) Forbes Magazine now says the Golden State Warriors are worth $2.6B, 3rd-most in NBA behind the Lakers/Knicks. In 2011, the Warriors’ worth was below the NBA average- they’ve got a new arena in San Francisco on the way, and all this winning sure helps, too.

 

[CNOTES]

Warriors seem capable of anything - except another collapse
June 6, 2017


CLEVELAND (AP) The possibilities seem endless for the Golden State Warriors when they are rolling.


A 150-point game isn't even out of reach.


''I mean, we could have gotten at least 140 the other night if we only had about 10 to 15 turnovers,'' All-Star guard Klay Thompson said.


Dominating like no team ever has in the postseason, the Warriors look capable of anything - except another NBA Finals collapse.


They take a 2-0 lead over Cleveland into Wednesday's Game 3, just as they did last year. The Warriors actually had a higher victory margin through two games in the 2016 Finals, but they didn't have Kevin Durant or a fully healthy Stephen Curry then.


They do now and are playing much better basketball than this time last year.


''As a team, I think so,'' Thompson said. ''I think we're moving the ball great, we're shooting the ball at a high clip and our defense has been unbelievable.''


Somehow, the Cavaliers have to change all that.


They did last year, coming home after losing the first two by a combined 48 points and beginning the turnaround with a 120-90 rout in Game 3. The opponent and the situation are the same, yet things feel different.


''That's last year and I don't even know the feeling anymore,'' LeBron James said. ''So I'm just mentally strengthening my mind and getting my mind ready and focused on what tomorrow's going to bring, and so I look forward to it.''


The Warriors committed 20 turnovers in Game 2 but simply shook that off with an NBA Finals-record 18 3-pointers in a 132-113 romp. It was the second time in the postseason they committed at least 20 turnovers, and yet they scored at least 120 points in both games.


They are averaging nearly 119 points and winning by a record 16.9 per game in the postseason, and they've really picked it up lately. Golden State has scored 126 per game on nearly 52 percent shooting over the last five games.


''We played against good teams, and we came to the Finals undefeated, and here we are up 2-0, so we're playing amazing basketball right now. The best we probably played throughout the year,'' center Zaza Pachulia said.


With a loaded lineup and enough hot hands to fill an octopus, the Warriors don't need to rely on any one player to take a lot of shots. If somebody is struggling, they can just find someone else with their precision ball movement.


The Cavaliers don't have that luxury. They need big nights from James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love - and even then a roster of struggling role players has to pick it up.


''We just need our supporting group to be themselves as much as possible,'' Irving said. ''Understand that they have a unique opportunity to make us that much better, and for a majority of this season it's been on myself, Bron and K-Love's shoulders. And we have done a great job of getting everyone involved and making sure that everyone feels comfortable, but now we need everything and everybody.''


The Cavaliers said they won't change their lineup or their schemes, insisting they want to play fast even though that's exactly the way the Warriors like it. Golden State has been punishing Cleveland in transition, and the way the Warriors have blown open the first two games by scoring in bunches hasn't just taken a physical toll.


Both Durant and Thompson said they noticed the mental effect their lightning-quick scoring bursts have on opponents.


''Teams have great nights in this league, and it's the NBA, so that can happen a lot,'' Durant said. ''But when you're the one making the run, you could definitely feel the other team looking for answers and being deflated as the game goes on.''


A year after winning 73 games to set the NBA's regular-season record, the Warriors can make more history if they sweep the Cavs to complete the league's first undefeated postseason.


They embraced the chase last year but said Tuesday that they're not thinking at all about 16-0.


''Game 3 has been rough for us historically, and especially in this building,'' Curry said. ''So to give ourselves a chance at even coming close to thinking about that. We need to really, really just lock in and give every effort we have on tomorrow and how hard this 48 minutes is going to be to really seize control of this series.''

 

[CNOTES]

Wednesday's NBA Finals Game 3 Betting Preview: Warriors at Cavaliers


"As much as the comparison wants to be drawn from last year to this year, this is a totally different team. There is no comparison even though we're down 0-2 going back home."


Golden State Warriors at Cleveland Cavaliers (+3.5, 226)


Warriors lead series 2-0


The Cleveland Cavaliers didn't put up much of a fight while losing the first two games of the NBA Finals and aim to start a turnaround when they host the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. Cleveland fell into a hole last season as well before winning the final three games to beat the Warriors and claim the title.


Golden State coach Steve Kerr knows his team won the first two games by an average of 20.5 points but he hasn't forgotten what occurred last season. "Well, it's been a great run but none of that matters unless we can finish the job with this series," Kerr told reporters. "Trust me, we know. It was 2-0 last year, we lost." The Cavaliers aren't willing to count on a comeback and know it might be even harder work to get back in the series this time around. "As much as the comparison wants to be drawn from last year to this year, this is a totally different team," Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving said after Game 2. "There is no comparison even though we're down 0-2 going back home."

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ABC


LINE HISTORY: The Warriors opened as two-point road favorites following Sunday's convincing win in Game 2 and the public continues to bet them which has pushed the point spread up to 3.5. The total hit the betting board at 225.5 and has been bumped up slightly to 226. Check out the complete line history here.

WHAT SHARPS SAY: "It will be interesting to see if history repeats itself in the NBA Finals this year. Just like last season, the Warriors have gone 2-0 SU/ATS at home in the first two games. Golden State came out flat in Game 3 last year and lost by 30 points at Cleveland. The situation is similar, but also different this year. While the Warriors once again have a 2-0 series lead, they also have the memory of blowing a 3-1 series lead last year and losing the championship. Golden State now has Kevin Durant on the team and the Cavaliers have been unable to stop him. Durant was been the leading scorer in both Games 1 & 2 with 38 and 33 points. The oddsmakers have made a substantial line adjustment based on the recent results. The initial look-ahead line for Game 3 was Cleveland -2 when this series began last week, and now the Cavaliers are a +3/+3.5 point home underdog." - Steve Merril.

INJURY REPORT:


Warriors - SF K. Looney (Out Indefinitely, hip).


Cavaliers - C E. Tavares (Out For Season, hand), SG I. Shumpert (Probable, conditioning), PG K. Irving (Probable, knee).


ABOUT THE WARRIORS (81-15 SU, 50-43-3 ATS, 42-54-0 O/U): Golden State has rolled to 14 consecutive postseason victories and seems even harder to beat with small forward Kevin Durant playing superbly and averaging 35.5 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in the series. "I'm not going to take a step back," Durant told reporters of his team's 2-0 lead. "We know this is far from over. We know how hard it is to be the best team in the league." Point guard Stephen Curry is averaging 30 points 10.5 assists and eight rebounds in the series and shooting guard Klay Thompson displayed signs of breaking out of a postseason slump by scoring 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting in Game 2.


ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (63-34 SU, 44-49-4 ATS, 57-39-1 O/U): Cleveland has collapsed in the third quarter of each of the first two games as it wilted under Golden State's offensive firepower. Both coach Tyronn Lue and star forward LeBron James insist the Cavaliers won't try to slow down play and will stick with the style they prefer. "That's not our game. We don't play slowdown basketball," James told reporters. "We play at our pace. We play our game. We got to this point playing our way. We have won a lot of games playing the way we play, so we're not going to change."


TRENDS:


* Warriors are 11-0 ATS in their last 11 road games.
* Cavaliers are 0-6-1 ATS in their last 7 vs. Western Conference.
* Over is 7-1 in Warriors last 8 road games.
* Over is 7-0 in Cavaliers last 7 home games following a road trip of 7 or more days.
* Home team is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.


CONSENSUS: 56 percent of users are siding with the road favorite Golden State Warriors and 61 percent are on the Over.

 

[CNOTES]

NBA
Dunkel


Wednesday, June 7



Golden State @ Cleveland


Game 705-706
June 7, 2017 @ 9:00 pm


Dunkel Rating:
Golden State
134.314
Cleveland
137.265
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cleveland
by 3
218
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Golden State
by 3
226
Dunkel Pick:
Cleveland
(+3); Under








NBA
Long Sheet


Wednesday, June 7


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


GOLDEN STATE (81 - 15) at CLEVELAND (63 - 34) - 6/7/2017, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
GOLDEN STATE is 108-88 ATS (+11.2 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 31-21 ATS (+7.9 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 220 this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 101-84 ATS (+8.6 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 41-24 ATS (+14.6 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 55-33 ATS (+18.7 Units) in all playoff games since 1996.
GOLDEN STATE is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) when leading in a playoff series this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 34-23 ATS (+8.7 Units) after a win by 10 points or more this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 31-22 ATS (+6.8 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 28-15 ATS (+11.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 19-8 ATS (+10.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 25-13 ATS (+10.7 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 23-11 ATS (+10.9 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 11-20 ATS (-11.0 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
CLEVELAND is 11-20 ATS (-11.0 Units) in non-conference games this season.
CLEVELAND is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
GOLDEN STATE is 12-9 against the spread versus CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 13-8 straight up against CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
13 of 19 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------








NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up


Tuesday, June 6


Warriors dominated first two Finals games, winning by 22-19 points; Cleveland was even +11 in turnovers in Game 2 and lost by 19, after being -16 in TO’s in Game 1. Golden State is 14-0 in playoffs, 6-0 on road, also covering all six road games— they won their last three games with Cleveland, by 35-22-19 points. Last four series games stayed under the total; under is 7-2-1 in last 10 series tilts. Warriors lost three of last four visits to Cleveland, with lone win in Game 4 of LY’s Finals. Over is 5-1 in Warriors’ last six games. Cavaliers are 5-1 at home in playoffs (2-4 vs spread, all as favorites)- five of those six games went over.


NBA Finals
Cleveland-Golden State
GState 113-91, U225
GState 132-113, O222








NBA


Wednesday, June 7


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
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9:00 PM
GOLDEN STATE vs. CLEVELAND
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Golden State's last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Golden State's last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland's last 5 games when playing Golden State
Cleveland is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games when playing Golden State

 

[CNOTES]

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7


GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


GS at CLE 09:00 PM


CLE +3.5


U 226.5

 

[CNOTES]

Cavs' best effort not good enough to beat the Warriors
June 8, 2017


CLEVELAND (AP) LeBron James and Kyrie Irving couldn't be stopped. J.R. Smith finally got started.


The Cleveland Cavaliers were so much better than in the previous two games.


They're just not good enough to beat what may be one of the NBA's best teams ever.


The Cavaliers fell into a 3-0 hole in the NBA Finals after the Golden State Warriors pulled out a 118-113 victory on Wednesday night.


Blown off the court in the second halves of the first two games, the Cavaliers surged ahead with a big third quarter and were still ahead with less than 3 minutes to play.


But the Warriors finished with an 11-0 run to steal the victory and all but assure themselves of taking Cleveland's title. No team has blown a 3-0 lead in the NBA.


James had 39 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, but his attempt at a tying 3-pointer was blocked by Andre Iguodala and James stepped out of bounds after recovering it, slamming the ball to the court in frustration.


Irving bounced back from a rough Game 2 with 38 points, including a couple of dazzling layups where he juked around multiple Warriors.


Smith made five 3-pointers and scored 16 points, and Kevin Love gutted his way to nine points and 13 rebounds on a night he shot just 1 for 9.


The Cavaliers might have beaten anybody else the way they played, just as they did in Game 3 of last year's Finals and as they did while rolling into the Finals with a 12-1 record.


But Golden State with Durant is on another level than the teams Cleveland roughed up in the Eastern Conference, and the Cavs just couldn't hold them down long enough.


There was still time left on the clock when James walked off the court in frustration. He delivered another performance that reminded everyone he remains the NBA's best player.


He's just going up against a better team.

 

[CNOTES]

Durant's dagger 3 lifts Warriors over Cavs
June 7, 2017


CLEVELAND (AP) Kevin Durant drained the shot of his professional life - a 3-pointer with 45.3 seconds left - and scored 31 points as the Golden State Warriors moved within one win of postseason perfection and payback by rallying to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-113 on Wednesday night to take a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals.


The Warriors trailed by six with three minutes left before Durant, who signed with Golden State last summer to win a championship, brought them back, scoring 14 in the fourth.


With their 15th straight win, the Warriors have the longest postseason streak for any team in the four major professional sports.


And with a victory in Game 4 on Friday night, Golden State can exorcise those haunting demons from last June when the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the Finals to the Cavaliers. Not team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit.


Klay Thompson added 30 points and Stephen Curry had 26 for this California Dream Team now one win from its second title in three years.


LeBron James shook off a knee-buckling blow to the chin while scoring 39 and Kyrie Irving added 38 for the Cavs, who took a 113-107 lead with 3:09 left on J.R. Smith's 3-pointer.


Curry hit a layup and after both James and Irving missed for the Cavs, Durant dropped his 3 - a shot that could be the one most remembered in this magnificent run by the Warriors.


''All I was looking at was the bottom of the net,'' Durant said. ''I've been working on that shot my whole life. To see that go in, that was liberating, man. We've got one more to go.''


After the Warriors went up, Irving missed a 3 from his favorite spot on the right side and the Warriors closed it out with four free throws in the final 12.9 seconds before celebrating briefly on the floor and then charging down the hallway to their locker room.


After winning Games 1 and 2 by a combined 41 points at home, the Warriors had to scrap for all 48 minutes to take down the Cavs, who will need a similar effort to avoid being swept by a team with few weaknesses.


James and Irving were relentless in the second half and it appeared they had done enough to get Cleveland over the top and perhaps back in the series.


Durant, though, was not going to be denied. Not after getting this close, not after enduring so much criticism for leaving Oklahoma City and not with a chance to put the Cavaliers in an insurmountable hole.


The 7-footer finished 10 of 18 from the field with eight rebounds and four assists. Curry, who has benefited more than any other player by Durant's arrival and is healthy in these Finals, added 13 rebounds and six assists.


With coach Steve Kerr back on the bench for the second straight game after battling back pain, Golden State, which made a record 9 3-pointers in the first quarter and finished 16 of 33 behind the arc, also got just what it needed from its reserves as Andre Iguodala had several big plays, none bigger than stripping James of the ball on a potential tying 3-pointer with 12.6 seconds left.


Cleveland had collapsed in the third quarter of the first two games, letting the Warriors run away and hide.


Irving didn't let that happen in Game 3.


Showing off his ability to spin in shots high off the backboard, Irving scored 16 in the third quarter and the Cavs held the Warriors to 22 points in their lowest scoring output in any quarter in this postseason.


The Cavaliers, though, couldn't get far enough ahead in the fourth to get comfortable and the Warriors kept chipping into their lead before Durant's defining 3-pointer.


James was knocked flat in the first quarter, when he accidentally got blasted in the chin by teammate Tristan Thompson's shoulder. James dropped to the floor and a hush fell over Cleveland's crowd as the three-time champ laid in the foul lane like a boxer sprawled on the canvas after taking an upper cut. James shook it off, got up and slowly walked to the bench, and moments later drove for a layup.


Golden State landed the next blows, but the Cavs kept coming back.


Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue decided not to change his starting lineup for Game 3, sticking with the slumping Smith at shooting guard. He also insisted that his team was better off playing at a high tempo than trying to slow down the Warriors.


''We want to play fast; we don't want to play in a hurry,'' Lue said. ''We want to get good shots. We don't want to take the long 3s and things like that.''


Cleveland came out full throttle, matching the Warriors step for step and shot for shot in the opening minutes. But Curry hit back-to-back 3s on a 10-0 run to close the entertaining and exhausting quarter.


TIP-INS


Warriors: Golden State's nine 3-pointers in the first quarter broke the previous Finals mark held by five teams, most recently the Warriors in 2015. ... Curry and Kerr walked through security and were immediately greeted by retired pro wrestler Ric Flair, best known as ''The Nature Boy.'' ... Actor Michael Rapaport, a die-hard Warriors fan who was issued a media credential for the Finals, brought a broom and was heckled by some Cleveland fans.


Cavaliers: James (1,175) passed Sam Jones (1,143), Bill Russell (1,151) and Elgin Baylor (1,161) to move into fourth place on the Finals scoring list. Michael Jordan (1,176) is next. ... James became the first player to appear in 20 or more Finals games with two franchises. He played in 23 for Miami. ... G Deron Williams has missed each of his 11 shots in the series. ... Kyle Korver's dunk in the second quarter was just the 36-year-old's second all season. ... Golfers Bubba Watson, Jason Day and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer were among the courtside celebrities.


UP NEXT


Game 4 is Friday night.

 

[CNOTES]

NBA Final Best Bets Record:


Date W-L-T % Units Record


06/07/2017................. 0-2-0..................... 0.00%.................... -11.00
06/04/2017................. 2-0-0.................. 100.00%................... +10.00
06/01/2017................. 2-0-0.................. 100.00%................... +10.00


Totals.........................4 - 2....................................................+ 9.00




ATS / O/U:


06/07/2017.................. 0-1-0...................0 - 1..................... -11.00
06/04/2017.................. 1-0-0.................. 1 - 0.................... +10.00
06/01/2017...................1 - 0 ...................1 - 0....................+ 10.00


Totals:.........................2 - 1....................2 - 1.....................+ 9.00

 

[CNOTES]

[FONT=&quot]Friday’s six-pack[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]What some professional athletes made in endorsements last year (not salary):[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]— Lebron James, $55M[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]— Steph Curry $35M[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]— Kevin Durant $34M[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]— Rory McIlroy $34M[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]— Clayton Kershaw $800,000[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]— Drew Brees $14M[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]**************************[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Friday’s List of 13: Random stuff with weekend here…….[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]13) One of these summers, the NBA should run a 64-player 1-on-1 contest, with proceeds going to charities of the players’ choice. Imagine the TV ratings this would generate?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]NBA had it for two years in the early 70’s; they showed clips of the games at halftime of real games months later. Imagine the hype these days if Durant played Westbrook, or if Lebron played Steph Curry? This would be very big.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]12) My friend Bob sent me stuff from YouTube to watch this week, clips of a HORSE game with Pete Maravich and Bob McAdoo in mid-70’s and a 1-on-1 game with JoJo White and Jeff Mullins from 1972. Winner of the ’72 1-on-1 contest got $15,000— that is tip money for guys today, but I do think this would be a very popular event.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Keith Jackson and Bill Russell were announcers for the 1-on-1 tournament; Don Criqui was doing the HORSE game. Good stuff from back when I was a kid.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]11) Speaking of which, I found Green Acres re-runs on TV on late night TV this week. This was a goofy, silly comedy based in rural Hooterville— no gag was too stupid to use.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I tormented my parents by watching Green Acres re-runs as a kid; my father would just shake his head and laugh at me, then leave the room. Was fun to watch it for a couple of hours the other night; laughter is good.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]10) With Bob Stoops retiring at Oklahoma, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz is now the longest-tenured college football coach— Iowa hired him the day after Oklahoma hired Stoops.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]9) The women’s softball coach at Oklahoma makes $495,000 a year. This surprised me.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]8) There is a company in Switzerland that has a 4-hole miniature golf layout for workers to use when they need a break from their job. They say it helps stimulate creative thinking.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]7) According to Catherine Willows on CSI, Keno has the worst odds of any casino game in Las Vegas. In CSI, her character’s father owned casinos, so I’m assuming that little tidbit is true.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]6) FAU football coach Lane Kiffin offered a 6th grade QB a scholarship this week; kid’s dad is QB guru Steve Clarkson, who works with lot of high school kids trying to improve so they can get college scholarships.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]What is the over/under on the the number of jobs Kiffin will have between now and when that 6th grader graduates high school?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]5) Calgary 23, BC Lions 18— The CFL preseason is underway north of the border.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]4) When Calvin Johnson retired from the Lions in March 2016, he repaid the club at least $1M of his signing bonus, which may help explain his negative comments about the team a few weeks ago. At that level, at the end of the day, it is all a very big business.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]3) Quote of the Day, part 2:
“They will have to come over me to get him. As the saying goes, over my dead body.”
U of Arizona President Dr Robert Robbins, on the suggestion that Ohio State hire Arizona’s basketball coach, Sean Miller[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]2) Quote of the Day, part 3
“Learn baseball language. It’s pretty simple. You break it down pretty easy between pitching coach and pitcher after a long period of time.”
Red Sox TV analyst Jerry Remy, criticizing Masahiro Tanaka’s use of an interpreter when the pitching coach comes to mound[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Red Sox were fairly quick in distancing themselves from Remy’s remarks.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1) How has Giants’ pitcher Hunter Strickland not had his hearing with MLB yet, over the Bryce Harper fracas? Damn fight was May 29; today is June 9. What takes so long???[/FONT]

 

[CNOTES]

Warriors set to be NBA's best ever
June 8, 2017


CLEVELAND (AP) One victory left for the Golden State Warriors to claim another title.


Not the one as NBA champions. The one as the best team ever.


Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and the rest of the Warriors will be able to make that boast if they win Friday to complete the most impressive postseason run in major sports history.


They moved to the brink of that with a 118-113 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. The Warriors are 15-0 and can finish off the NBA's first perfect postseason with a victory here in Game 4.


Combine that with last year's 73-win season, and a second title in three years - which could have easily been three consecutive championships - and foundation of the case has been made.


The Cavaliers are no match for these Warriors, not even with arguably the best player on the planet in LeBron James. Golden State's only competition is with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and the Bulls, and other great teams from the past.


None won as dominantly as this team, which has four versatile All-Stars - including two former league MVPs - in their prime. These aptly named Warriors spent the last two months building big leads, then Wednesday wiped out a late deficit.


Some people may argue their greatness, but James won't.


''It's probably the most, most firepower I've played in my career,'' James said. ''I played against some great teams, but I don't think no team has had this type of firepower. So even when you're playing well, you got to play like A-plus plus, because they're going to make runs and they're going to make shots and they got guys that's going to make plays.''


The NBA's best postseason run is the 15-1 mark of the 2001 Lakers, while the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers went 12-1. Jordan's first title team in 1991 is one of three squads that went 15-2.


The Warriors thought they were carving out their place in history when they set a record with 73 wins last season. But history turned to infamy when they blew a 3-1 lead to the Cavaliers, the biggest collapse in NBA Finals history.


They spoke openly of their desire to beat Jordan's 72-win team in 1996, but this time have downplayed the importance of 16-0.


''We obviously know how hard it is to win a championship, what all goes into it and how important each game is. And now that you can look ahead to Friday, all our focus is on that,'' Curry said. ''And just we obviously - we want 16 wins; it doesn't matter how we get there. But now that we're in this situation, why not take care of business and finish the job?''


They were winning by 16.9 points per game through the previous 14, which would easily be another NBA record. And when they finally got a close one, they showed why their roster is the envy of just about every other team, with the long-range shooting of Durant, Curry and Klay Thompson, and the defensive wizardry of Draymond Green and 2015 NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala.


That roster would give these Warriors a chance against any great team from the past - and gives most of their opponents no chance against them.


''They're definitely a different team than they were last year that's definitely in full effect that we're all fully aware of,'' the Cavs' Kyrie Irving said.


That's mostly because of Durant, the former NBA MVP who signed with the Warriors in July. Curry, winner of the last two MVP awards, is fully healthy after struggling through last year's Finals.


Neither will turn 30 until next year, while Thompson and Green are only 27. Should the Warriors stay healthy and together - and it would cost them enormously in salaries and taxes - they should be a title threat every year.


They very easily could be playing for a third straight championship.


They look ready to play for many more.


''Just the combination of offense and defense, the talent that they've been able to amass, it puts them in position where this is a dynasty to me,'' ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy said before the NBA Finals. ''They have their youth, they have their health. I see nothing preventing them from going to eight to 10 straight Finals. It will be a massive upset, I think, if they're not there each and every year.''

 

[CNOTES]

Smith denies tweeting 'Cavs in 7'
June 8, 2017


Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith claimed his Twitter account was hacked after the phrase "Cavs in 7" was sent out over social media shortly after his team was pushed to the brink of elimination in the NBA Finals.


"I got out of the shower and my phone was buzzing. I did not tweet that," Smith told Cleveland.com after the Golden State Warriors secured a 3-0 edge in the series with a 118-113 victory on Wednesday.


"I'm smarter than that."


Smith, 31, admitted that he believed in the message that the Cavaliers could become the first NBA team to overcome a 3-0 deficit in a playoff series. In fact, three NBA teams have only forced a Game 7 after losing the first three contests in a series -- with the last time occurring in 2003.


"But I didn't tweet that," Smith repeated after his 16-point performance in Game 3. "I would be much smarter than that to tweet that at literally 12:04 (a.m.), right after the game."


----------------------------




LeBron not faulting super team
June 8, 2017


CLEVELAND (AP) LeBron James knew what might happen when Kevin Durant merged with the Warriors, a 73-win team out for revenge.


James understood the potential of this Golden State goliath with more firepower than perhaps anything the NBA has seen before.


And although he's on the cusp of being swept in the Finals - for the second time - by a team unequalled in today's game, James isn't envious of the Warriors for building a super power in sneakers.


He'd do it, too.


One day after Cleveland plunged into a 3-0 hole following a demoralizing 118-113 loss in Game 3, James said he didn't have a problem with Durant tilting the balance of power by joining forces with a star-studded that already had Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.


''It's part of the rules,'' James said Thursday. ''Is it fair? I don't care. It's great for our league. Right now, look at our TV ratings, look at the money our league is pouring in. I mean, who am I to say if it's fair or not?''


James paved the way for Durant by leaving Cleveland as a free agent in 2010 to play with All-Stars Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in Miami, where the trio won back-to-back titles sandwiched between four straight Finals. James doesn't begrudge the Warriors, he even pointed out the NBA isn't the only league where dynasties have been built by owners throwing around money.


James, who has expressed a desire to own a team one day, cited the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s as examples of teams that spent for success.


''I'm not one to judge and say if it's fair or not if guys are adding players to their team,'' he said. ''It happens. It's sports. You have an opportunity to sign one of the best players, and you can do it, go ahead and do it.


''Why not? If I become an owner, I'm going to try to sign everybody.''


With that, James walked off the dais, ending a news conference in which he addressed the dawn of Golden State's dynasty, his future and criticism for a play late in Wednesday's loss.


It would have been understandable if James had been dour given that his hopes to win a fourth title and second straight with Cleveland evaporated in the closing minutes of Game 3. The Warriors outscored the Cavs 11-0 down the stretch to run their postseason record to 15-0, and there's no reason to believe they won't close out the series on Friday night.


But except for an exaggerated yawn before taking the first question, James was upbeat, satisfied that he has done everything within his power to slow the Warriors, who have toyed with the field for weeks.


James made his first Finals appearance 10 years ago, when he and the Cavs were swept by San Antonio, which captured its third Larry O'Brien Trophy in a five-year span. At that time, it felt like a title was far away for James. Now, a fourth one seems nearly as distant with the scary-good Warriors just getting started.


''I think it's just part of my calling to just go against teams in the midst of a dynasty,'' James said. ''This has been the best team in our league the last three years. They won a championship, and last year it was the greatest regular-season team we had played, probably one of the best postseason teams that everybody's ever seen as well, but we were just able to overcome that.


''And they're playing like one of the best teams once again, and obviously this team is built to be able to do that with the talent that they have. Obviously you never know what's going to happen, but as it stands right now, they look pretty good, as far as the future.''


As for his own future, James, who is averaging 32 points, 12.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists in the Finals, said he hasn't decided how much longer he'll play.


''I definitely want to compete,'' he said. ''I want to compete for championships every year, and so we'll see what happens.''


And James has once again been criticized for not being more aggressive late in Game 3, when he made a pass to Kyle Korver. The sharpshooter missed a potential game-sealing 3-pointer with 50 seconds left. Durant then came down and made his go-ahead 3.


James broke down the play, highlighting every detail - Green with five fouls, Durant collapsing, Curry guarding Kevin Love and Korver being open in the short corner - before delivering his own counter punch.


''I would do the same exact thing,'' he said.

 

[CNOTES]

NBA Finals Game 3 ratings up
June 8, 2017


CLEVELAND (AP) Game 3 of the NBA Finals drew 20.5 million viewers on ABC, an increase of 22 percent from last season.


Golden State's 118-113 victory over Cleveland was the closest game of the series and the most-watched Game 3 ever on ABC, according to Nielsen numbers announced Thursday.


The overall ratings for the series, the first time the same two teams have played in three straight Finals, are the highest since 1998, when Michael Jordan won his last championship. It is averaging 20 million viewers, up 11 percent from 2016.


***********************


No questioning Durant's decision
June 8, 2017


CLEVELAND (AP) Kevin Durant never demanded he'd get to take the biggest shot of the NBA Finals.


The Golden State Warriors made no promises and he knew there were no guarantees. When they met last summer in New York to discuss the biggest decision of his career, neither side even focused on winning titles.


They talked about having fun, and now Durant is on the verge of having the time of his basketball life.


One win from his first championship and probably the NBA Finals MVP award along with it, Durant is the perfect player in the perfect place.


''I think I said it last night, it just looks like he understands this is his moment, this is his time,'' Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Thursday. ''He's earned it. He's been in this league for a long time, and he's, I think, at the top of his game at the biggest time.''


Durant was widely criticized last year when he left Oklahoma City for Golden State, chided for trying to take the easiest route to a title by joining what was already a stacked team.


But that wasn't the way he looked at it. Durant wasn't thinking about lifting trophies or being fitted for championship rings. He loves to play basketball, and loved the way the Warriors play it.


''I didn't envision anything but just being around good people and getting better every single day. That's exactly what happened throughout the season,'' Durant said. ''I didn't talk to these guys when I made my decision and say we better make it to the Finals and be up in the series around this time, this exact date, or I'm not coming. I mean, it was just, `Let's just have some fun playing ball, let's just all get better and let's see what happens.'''


What's happened is probably beyond what either even imagined.


The Warriors had the league's best record even while losing Durant late in the season to a knee injury, and really turned it on in the playoffs. They are 15-0 and will trying to finish the NBA's first perfect postseason with a victory over Cleveland on Friday in Game 4.


Durant's 3-pointer over LeBron James with 45 seconds left in Game 3 gave the Warriors the lead for good in a 118-113 victory, providing him a lasting highlight that will be the signature play of this series and perhaps his career.


In his postgame interview, he used the word ''liberating'' to describe the shot, the moment.


James has changed teams twice and needed two seasons to win a title both times, so he knows how long it can take for everything to come together. Their situations are different - James never joined a team as strong as these Warriors - but he said he's proud of Durant's success and understands why moving to a team like the Warriors was so attractive.


''Their team was already kind of put together, and you just implement a guy that's ready to sacrifice, a great talent, a guy that's willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win,'' James said. ''But that team, they knew what they were about. He just had to come in and just do what he had to do. And that's what he's been doing.''


Durant is averaging 34 points, 10 rebounds and 6.0 assists in the Finals, joining Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal as the only players with at least 25 points in their first eight Finals games.


He fell well short in his first shot at the title, when James' Miami team beat Oklahoma City in five games in 2012. He never got back to the Finals with the Thunder, and when he was finally ready to consider looking elsewhere, the Warriors offered him exactly what he wanted to hear when they sat down in the Hamptons and talked about where the former scoring champion fit in a lineup with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.


''I think the whole thing was how fun it would be, because of the style of play, because of the individual talents,'' Kerr said. ''None of these guys are ball-dominant players. They all love playing off the ball, cutting, moving, passing. And it fits. They fit like a hand in a glove.''


A hand that will soon have a championship ring. Even those who hated Durant's decision can't question how it has worked out for him when watching how well he and the Warriors have meshed.


''It took a while for it to kind of reveal itself consistently as the regular season went on, but once it clicked and the habits started to become second nature, it was kind of beautiful to watch and an amazing kind of style to play and watch unfold,'' Curry said. ''So it's been fun.''

 

[CNOTES]

NBA Finals Game 4 Preview
June 9, 2017


NBA Finals - Game 4
No. 1 Golden State at No. 2 Cleveland (ABC, 9 p.m. ET)


In less than three minutes of action, Golden State ended the NBA Finals.


There's still going to be a Game 4 -- you're reading the preview for it -- but the thrill is gone. All intrigue was wiped out over the final 2:19 as the Warriors turned a six-point deficit into a 118-113 win by scoring the game's last 11 points on Wednesday.


Instead of cashing for backers as an outright winner, the underdog Cavs even handed the Warriors a win against the spread, failing to cover the 3.5-4 points when Kevin Love misfired on a 3-pointer to cap a disappointing ending. Golden State leads the series 3-0 and is one win away from its second championship in three years.


Either Friday night or back home on Sunday, the Warriors will close out a fantastic run. They've already made history with 15 consecutive wins this postseason, but are looking for perfection. That's never been accomplished in NBA history. The 2000-01 Lakers (15-1) and 1982-83 76ers (12-1) came closest.


Golden State stole Game 3 as much as Cleveland gave it away with careless possessions and foolish decisions with the game on the line. Kevin Durant's go-ahead pull-up 3-pointer over LeBron James with 45.3 seconds remaining will go down as the defining moment of these Finals, sealing his series MVP award. He scored 14 of his 31 points in the final quarter, including seven in the the closing 1:15.


"You can tell he knows this is his moment," head coach Steve Kerr said. "He's been an amazing player in this league for a long time, and he senses this is his time, his moment, his team."


Durant hasn't dominated James, but he's gotten the better of him in every game, particularly in key situations. He's averaging 34 points, 10 boards and six assists.


James is averaging a triple-double (32.0 ppg, 12.3 rpg, 10.3 apg), so it's not like he's pulling a disappearing act. Criticism over his decision to hit Kyle Korver for a corner 3-pointer instead of hunting a basket in the final minute or deferring to Kyrie Irving with Cleveland down only a point are incredibly lame. He made what he thought was the right decision at the time, like he always does.


Irving was isolated against Klay Thompson and settled for a difficult jumper instead of driving to the rim with the Cavs down 114-113. Korver also missed a shot he's plenty capable of making. James was blocked by Andre Iguodala with over 10 seconds left, stepped out of bounds upon recovering the ball and saw a great chance to win slip away.


The Cavs have proven they can play with the Warriors, this juggernaut being compared to the best teams that have ever been put together. In Oakland, they hung around for a half each time. Back home, they managed to do the same despite playing into Golden State's hands by operating at an acclerated tempo throughout the first half. Cleveland's third quarter was its best in this series as it won it 33-22, setting the stage for it to take a seven-point lead in the fourth.


That they seemingly had this game won when J.R. Smith hit his fifth 3-pointer with 3:09 left after surviving Golden State's Finals-record nine first-quarter 3-pointers tells you this is no mismatch. Irving scored 38 points and the Cavs managed to score enough points to win until it mattered most and they were bottled up. Tristan Thompson was again a no-show, going scoreless and grabbing just three boards over 23 minutes. Love missed eight of his nine shots. Deron Williams is 0-for-11 in the series. Cleveland can definitely play better and avoid a sweep.


The question now becomes whether it has enough fortitude to continue to fight when its situation looks so bleak. NBA teams that fall behind 3-0 in a best-of-seven are 0-126.


"Trying to erase a 3-0 deficit in any series is nearly impossible, but the chances in this series for Cleveland to come back against Golden State are basically nil," said VI NBA expert Kevin Rogers. "There have been only two sweeps in the last 20 NBA Finals (one with LeBron James losing to the Spurs in 2007), while eight of the last nine teams to take a 3-0 series lead in the Finals dating back to 1959 have pulled off the sweep. The only team to avoid a sweep down 3-0 (and actually win two games) was the 1996 Sonics, who lost in six games to Michael Jordan’s Bulls."


The air of resignation was evident following Game 3 with James commenting that while he's played against some great teams, he's never faced one that "had this type of firepower."


"I think it's just part of my calling to just go against teams in the midst of a dynasty," James elaborated on Thursday, an off day for the Cavs outside of media obligations since they chose not to practice. "This has been the best team in our league the last three years. They won a championship, and last year it was the greatest regular-season team we had played, probably one of the best postseason teams that everybody's ever seen as well, but we were just able to overome that."


This year, they won't. James was even commenting on future meetings, allowing himself to look ahead as a realist despite the fact that there's at least one more game to play. It will be interesting to see whether the Cavs can overcome a defeated mind set to give themselves a chance. Given how it lost, seeing the rug slip out from under it, doesn't bode well for Cleveland with just one day in between games. A hangover is possible, especially if the arena isn't buzzing like it was for tip-off of Game 3. Can the Cavs generate hope?


Even though Game 3 slowed down in the fourth quarter, both teams managed to make enough key shots late and the ‘over’ (227) connected.


The ‘over’ is now 2-1 in this series and the oddsmakers are leaning to another shootout on Friday as they sent out an opener of 228 ½ for Game 4.


VegasInsider.com NBA analyst Chris David provides his thoughts on Wednesday’s game and what we could expect for Friday.


“As expected, the Cavaliers stayed with the same style of up-tempo play and it almost worked too. They couldn’t miss a shot in the third quarter and had 94 points headed into the fourth. Cleveland ran out of gas and only mustered up 19 points in the fourth quarter and they were held scoreless in the final three minutes of the game. Once again, the Cavs took more attempts than the Warriors from the field (90-83) and 3-point land (44-33). Of those attempts, Cleveland only managed 20 in the last quarter but 10 of them were from distance and that has to be questioned especially since they had the lead,” explained David.


He added, “Tyronn Lue was fortunate to be put into this position as Cavaliers coach and he did lead them to the title last season while catching plenty of breaks along the way. In this series, he’s been outclassed by both Steve Kerr and Mike Brown. I’m not sure if Lue will swallow his pride and try to slow the game down, like so many pundits have suggested. The only way Cleveland can win a game is by shooting a high percentage and hoping Golden State doesn’t show up offensively and I don’t see that happening. The Warriors are averaging 121 PPG in this series and nothing makes me believe they won’t get close to that number again on Friday. Golden State has a team total of 117 and that would be my lean on Friday.”


Golden State has now watched the ‘over’ go 11-4 in the playoffs and that includes a 6-1 mark to the ‘over’ on the road. Cleveland has seen the ‘over’ go 6-1 at home in the postseason and it’s only been able to hold one team under 100 and that came against the Celtics, who scored 99.


Savvy total bettors playing the gimmick wagers have watched the ‘over’ go 3-0 in the first quarter of this series and the first-half is 2-1 to the high side. The ‘under’ has gone 2-1 in the second-half.