- Close
ESPN Staff Writer- Dave Tuley has covered the Las Vegas race and sports book scene since 1998 and runs his own website, ViewFromVegas.com.
If the NBA Finals is a reality TV show (and it is), the pilot episode of Thursday's Game 1 between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers set the bar so high for drama that Game 2 on Sunday is going to be hard to match. And that's even more true in the parallel universe of sports betting.
The two teams battled back and forth, and the Warriors were never ahead by more than the 6-point spread during regulation. It also looked like the under (204) was the right side.
But when the game went to overtime tied 98-98, the side and total were still in play. Both teams struggled, and the game went over after Stephen Curry drew some fouls and the Warriors gradually pulled away to not only win, but covered the spread. They scored the first 10 points in OT before LeBron James' meaningless layup in the final seconds made the final 108-100, with favorite and over bettors rejoicing.
Cleveland guard Kyrie Irving was also injured in the extra session, and sportsbooks in Las Vegas and offshore are split between making the Warriors a 6.5- to a 7-point favorite for Game 2. After Irving was declared out for the rest of the Finals, many books went with the Warriors minus-8. The over/under has also been tweaked a little lower with the loss of Irving but also the pace of play in Game 1.
Erin Rynning had the Warriors in Game 1, and I took the bad beat with the Cavaliers and the under (it happens). Let's take a look at Game 2.
