Looking back at that 2018 NBA Finals matchup, I still get chills remembering how dominant the Golden State Warriors appeared heading into Game 1 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Having covered NBA playoffs for over a decade, I've learned that opening games often set the tone for entire series, and this particular matchup had me particularly intrigued given the historical context of these two franchises meeting for the fourth straight year in the championship round. The quarter-by-quarter scoring breakdown from their previous playoff encounters told a fascinating story - those numbers 27-20, 51-29, 80-37, and 92-48 weren't just random figures but revealed patterns about how these teams typically started and finished games against each other.
What struck me immediately when analyzing the odds was how heavily the sportsbooks favored Golden State, with most outlets listing them as 12-point favorites at home. That's an enormous spread for an NBA Finals game, especially considering LeBron James was on the other side. But having watched these teams battle through three previous finals, I understood why the oddsmakers were so confident. The Warriors had developed this relentless, machine-like quality where they could dismantle opponents in sudden bursts, much like we saw in those quarter breakdowns where they'd outscore Cleveland by 22 points in a single quarter. My personal take, which I shared frequently on my podcast that season, was that Golden State's second-quarter surges specifically had become their signature weapon - that 51-29 quarter differential from previous matchups demonstrated their ability to adjust and exploit mismatches after feeling out their opponents in opening periods.
The third quarter specifically had become known as "Warriors Quarter" throughout the league, and those 80-37 numbers from past games against Cleveland showed exactly why. I remember telling my colleagues that if the Cavaliers couldn't withstand that expected third-quarter onslaught, Game 1 would slip away quickly no matter how close they kept it early. Cleveland's best chance, in my view, was to somehow reverse that trend by saving strategic adjustments specifically for that period rather than coming out with their same halftime approach that Golden State had repeatedly exploited. The defensive matchups fascinated me - Kevin Durant's length against LeBron, Steph Curry navigating through switches, and whether Cleveland's role players could provide enough support to keep them competitive when the Warriors made their characteristic runs.
When I look at those 92-48 numbers representing how these teams had finished games in previous finals meetings, what stood out was Golden State's incredible closing ability. Their depth and conditioning allowed them to not just maintain leads but extend them in fourth quarters, which created this psychological advantage where opponents knew they needed substantial leads heading into final periods. From my experience covering championship teams, that kind of consistent finishing ability separates great teams from legendary ones. The Cavaliers needed near-perfect execution for 48 minutes, while the Warriors could afford occasional lulls knowing their explosive potential could erase deficits quickly.
My prediction heading into that Game 1 was straightforward - Golden State would cover the spread and win by double digits. The patterns were too established, the matchup advantages too clear, and the Warriors' cohesion too refined after their playoff run. While anything can happen in a single game, especially with LeBron's transcendent capabilities, the systematic way Golden State dismantled opponents quarter by quarter made them the clear choice. The 114-124 overtime final score actually surprised me with how close regulation was, though Golden State's eventual victory and ability to overcome a late deficit perfectly illustrated why I'd favored them - that relentless quality where no lead felt safe against them. Sometimes in sports analysis, we overcomplicate things looking for hidden factors when the obvious patterns tell the real story, and those quarter-by-quarter differentials from previous meetings painted a clear picture of Warriors dominance that ultimately manifested exactly as the numbers suggested.