NBA Finals 2018 Game 1: Start Time, TV Channel, Live Stream Info For Cavaliers vs. Warriors

Kevin Durant Stephen Curry Warriors — Kevin Durant #35 and Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors react after a play in the third quarter against the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center on May 14, 2018 in Houston. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The Golden State Warriors will host the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals Thursday night. It’s a matchup that the basketball world has anticipated seeing ever since the teams battled for the 2017 championship a year ago.

The series opener starts at 9 p.m. EDT at Oracle Arena for the fourth year in a row. ABC will have the TV coverage, and a live stream will be available online with WatchESPN.

If the recent matchups between Golden State and Cleveland are any indication, Thursday’s contest might not be very competitive. In Game 1 of last year’s Finals, the Warriors beat the Cavs 113-91. The defending champs won by 15 points in Game 1 of the 2016 Finals.

On their way to winning last year’s title in five games, Golden State outscored Cleveland by 41 points in the series’ first two games. Before blowing a 3-1 series lead two seasons ago, the Warriors pummeled the Cavs by a combined 48 points in Game 1 and Game 2.

Before Kevin Durant joined the Warriors, LeBron James and Co. had a measure of success in Oakland, California, going 3-4 on the road in the Finals, including a loss in overtime. Cleveland lost by nearly 17 points per game in their three trips to Oracle Arena last season. Durant averaged 37.3 points on 22.7 shots in those games.

James had his worst performance of the 2017 NBA Finals in Game 1, scoring 28 points on 45 percent shooting, though he did add 15 rebounds and eight assists. During his current historic playoff run, he’s looked surprisingly mortal in all three series openers, averaging 21.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 11.3 assists per game while shooting 38 percent from the field.

Cleveland is 0-3 in Game 1's against Golden State in the Finals. James’ only Game 1 victory in the NBA Finals came in 2011 when the Miami Heat beat the Dallas Mavericks. James and Miami went on to lose that series in six games.

The Cavs are a historic underdog Thursday night, and virtually no one is predicting them to win the series.