June 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) defends against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the first quarter in game one of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers 108-100 in overtime for a 1-0 series lead. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

EDITORIAL BY GRAYDON FOX

PRIZES:

1st Place: $50 Amazon gift card

2^nd Place: $20 Amazon gift card

3^rd-5^th Place: $10 Amazon gift card

If there are ties, a random drawing will determine the winner.

Top 5 Winners:

1. DayVid Tschetter (500 points)

2. Micheal Broadnax (500 points)

3. Robert Wagner (367 points)

4. Zee Rahim-Zermeno (358 points)

5. Rick Ramjohn (358 points)

Overview:

On Sunday, June 3^rd, the Cleveland Cavaliers will be on the road to take on the Golden State Warriors in game two of the 2018 NBA Finals.

The Warriors have a (1-0) series advantage.

The Crowd:  

“The Crowd” is projecting a final score of Cavaliers 105.2 – Warriors 103.3 with an over/under of 208.5.

Statistical Breakdown (2017-18 Playoffs):

Point differential: Warriors +8.8 > Cavaliers +1.3

Points per game: Warriors 109.1 > Cavaliers 101.2

Points allowed per game: Cavaliers 99.9 > Warriors 100.3

Field Goal Percentage Offense: Warriors 47.2% > Cavaliers 46.1%

Three Point Percentage: Warriors 35.2% > Cavaliers 33.9%

Field Goal Percentage Defense: Warriors 42.6% > Cavaliers 45.6%

Turnovers committed per game: Cavaliers 12.8 > Warriors 13.5

Turnovers forced per game: Warriors 13.9 > Cavaliers 12.2

Rebounds per game: Warriors 46.2 > Cavaliers 40.2

Assists per game: Warriors 25.6 > Cavaliers 18.8

Summary:

The Golden State Warriors take a (1-0) series advantage after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-114 in game one.  The Warriors were without Andre Iguodala who was sidelined with a nagging knee injury.  Golden State shot 51% from the field and turned the ball over only 8 times in the victory.  The Warriors played well defensively limiting the impact of the Cavalier role players. Stephen Curry led the way with 29 points and 9 assists.  Klay Thompson was able to shake off an early injury scare to score 24 points on 8-16 shooting.  Kevin Durant struggled shooting just 8-22 but still scored 26 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.  Draymond Green once again stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists, and 5 steals.  Shaun Livingston played well off the bench scoring 10 points on a perfect 4-4 from the field.  In the playoffs, the Warriors are averaging 109.1 points per game (2^nd) and allowing 100.3 (3^rd).

The Cavaliers fall to an (0-1) hole in the NBA Finals after letting a victory slip right through their fingers.  Cleveland had a chance to win in regulation when J.R. Smith grabbed a rebound with 5 seconds left in a tie game only to forget the score and let the clock wind down without getting off a quality shot.  The Cavaliers were held to 44% shooting but there were positives as they outrebounded the Warriors 53-38.  Lebron James had a herculean effort with 51 points on 19-32 shooting to go along with 8 rebounds and 8 assists.  Kevin Love added 21 points and 13 rebounds but he shot just 1-8 from three.  Tristan Thompson’s impact on the boards was minimal but Larry Nance Jr. scored 9 points and grabbed 11 rebounds off the bench.  The Cavaliers have to shoot better than 27% from three-point range if they want to win this series.  Cleveland was the victim of some tough late game calls but they have to be more efficient in game two.  This postseason, the Cavaliers are averaging 101.2 points per game (13^th) and allowing 99.9 (2^nd).

Bottom Line:

Cleveland played a far more competitive game than many experts anticipated but the Warriors still managed to cover the (-10.0) spread.  The Warriors played Lebron straight up and were able to minimize the impact of Cleveland’s role players.  After watching Cleveland all throughout the playoffs there is no reason to think they will get consistent production from anyone outside of Lebron.  Curry and Thompson were able to carry the scoring load while Kevin Durant didn’t shoot well.  I expect Durant to bounce back with a more efficient performance and the Warriors to win big in game two.

Contest Rules:

To be eligible to win a prize in any contest at The Crowd’s Line, you must be at least 18 years old and a resident of the United States or Canada. You must also submit your score prediction on our official prediction tool (blog widget) and include a valid email address. Contest winners are determined according to The Crowd’s Line scoring methodology. If more than one entrant has the same winning score, final contest rankings and prize winners are selected by random draw. Only one entry per person is allowed for each contest; multiple entries from a single player will be deemed invalid. There are no prize substitutions or exchanges available from The Crowd’s Line.

All prizes will be sent by e-mail within two weeks after the conclusion of each contest.