The Cleveland Cavaliers were rested after five days off. They were in top form, having whipped the top-seeded Toronto Raptors in four straight games. And most important, they had LeBron James, who has played in seven straight NBA Finals.
Perhaps because of James’ mystique, the Cavaliers were almost 3-1 favorites in the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics despite not having home court advantage. Playing on the road in Sunday’s Game 1, they were 1 1/2 point favorites. The Celtics were not getting much respect; they had been underdogs with home court in the conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers as well.