The Cleveland Cavaliers lost the NBA Finals in six games to the Golden State Warriors last season. Now they think they may have the formula to take things to the next step. Will that be the case? Well, the Cavs seem to have more three-point firepower as they come into this year’s finals, which are the 14th time that the same teams have met in the championship round in consecutive seasons. Meanwhile, the Warriors are coming off the thrill of winning three straight games to overcome a 3-1 deficit against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the West finals. What will they do against a “Big Three” that is intact this time?

Game 1 tips off at 9:05 PM ET at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, and BetAnySports customers will have the opportunity to place wagers even after the opening whistle as they take advantage of all that Live Betting Ultra has to offer.

Golden State was down 2-1 in the Finals last season, then came back with three straight victories. They also swept the two meetings in the home and home series against the Cavaliers this season. Cleveland made only 12 of its 49 shots from beyond the three-point arc, but it is safe to say that they have stepped up their long-range game in the post-season. In fact, they have shot over 43%, taking almost 41% of their total field goal attempts from downtown.

In the NBA championship odds posted on this game by the people at BetAnySports, Golden State is laying points at home:

Golden State Warriors -6

Cleveland Cavaliers +6

Over 209.5 points -110

Under 209.5 points -110

Cleveland “slumped” to just 39% from three-point territory against Toronto in the East finals, but they attacked the basket more than they had in the previous two rounds, averaging 40.7 points in the paint. So they are able to create some spacing on the floor, which makes it a real challenge for the opposition. It may come down to who hits those long-range shots better in this one. Neither of these teams makes a habit of driving to the basket, with the exception of Lebron James, who was 62% accurate in the Toronto series.

One of the things that BetAnySports patrons probably noticed during this playoff run is that when the Cavs bring in certain players off the bench to join King James, they are unbelievably effective. Putting Channing Frye, Richard Jefferson, Ivan Shumpert and Matthew Dellavedova out there with their top superstar has resulted in +46.6 points per 100 possessions, and that is rather amazing. Let’s also consider the ability of Tristan Thompson to go get some offensive rebounds and create second-chance opportunities. His percentage of 17.7% in grabbing offensive caroms is the best of any player in the post-season.

Steph Curry has shot over 51% from mid-range in the playoffs, and no one among the 16 qualifying teams has done it better. What the Warriors really need is perhaps a more consistency from Draymond Green, who disappointed for a couple of games in the series against Oklahoma City, but averaged 14 points, 9.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists during the regular campaign. Golden State’s defense is vastly underrated; it held the Thunder to just 32% from the arc. Can they do anything similar against the Cavaliers? If they can, this one might be a cakewalk.

On the moneyline for Game 1, Golden State is priced at -255, while Cleveland is at +215 at BetAnySports, where you can also get reduced juice odds on this NBA Finals opener, along with the opportunity to continue the action all night long with Live Betting Ultra. Lots of creative payment options are available, including the virtual currency of Bitcoin, which never incurs any fees!