NBA Finals 2018 Expert Predictions: Literally No One Is Picking Cavaliers Over Warriors

Nobody is picking the Cleveland Cavaliers to beat the Golden State Warriors in the 2018 NBA Finals. Literally, no one.

Sure, there are probably plenty of Ohioans that believe their beloved Cavs have what it takes to avenge last year’s five-game Finals loss. There are some LeBron James fans that believe the greatest player of all time— at least in their minds—will overcome his biggest obstacle yet.

But you won’t find a member of the national media that shares that sentiment.

Take a look at the most popular online publications. Seemingly every expert prediction says the same thing: Cleveland has no chance.

When it comes to this year’s NBA Finals, going out on a limb means picking the Cavs to win more than one game.

All four NBA.com writers that were asked for an official prediction picked the Warriors to win in either four or five games. Six of the eight CBS Sports experts did the same, with two picking the Cavs to get two wins. Only one ESPN writer predicted Golden State to sweep. Fifteen writers from the World Wide Leader went Warriors in five, while six picked the Warriors in six games.

ESPN’s Ian Begley made the boldest prediction of all. He chose Golden State in seven.

Even FS1's Nick Wright, possibly the most noted LeBron James supporter, doesn't think the Cavs can beat the Warriors this year.

It’s not much of a surprise that Warriors in five is the most popular pick. Golden State hasn’t swept a series all postseason, needing five games to defeat the San Antonio Spurs in the first round and the New Orleans Pelicans in the second round. James is playing at such a high level that Cleveland has a real chance to steal a game at home, despite the talent disparity between the two teams.

Cleveland has the best player in the series. The next four best players are all on Golden State, all of whom are future Hall of Famers in the prime of their careers.

Golden State was the league’s top offensive team in the regular season. They’ve got the No.1 defensive rating this postseason, by far, despite playing against New Orleans’ top-10 offense and the offensive juggernaut that is the Houston Rockets.

This Cleveland team is receiving comparisons to the one that James dragged to the 2007 NBA Finals, only to get swept by the San Antonio Spurs. The Cavs were only able to win a game against Kevin Durant and the Warriors last year when Kyrie Irving was in the backcourt. They now find themselves as the biggest Game 1 underdogs in recent NBA Finals history.

The oddsmakers and experts are all in agreement that the fourth version of Warriors-Cavs won’t be nearly as interesting as the first three matchups.