NBA Finals: Championship Odds and Predictions for Remaining Teams
In his verse on the 2011 hit “I’m on One,” Drake made a declaration that can be applied to the NBA playoffs unfolding before our eyes.
“I’m just feeling like the throne is for the taking,” the hip-hop star crooned.
With the reigning champion San Antonio Spurs bounced, Cleveland Cavaliers banged up and Golden State Warriors far from bulletproof, the league’s throne is certainly up for grabs.
As of May 5, Odds Shark still listed Golden State as the favorite to win it all, with LeBron James’ Cavaliers right behind the Dubs.
But perhaps more so than in recent years, there are other contenders—and lots of them. From Chris Paul’s Los Angeles Clippers to the resilient Atlanta Hawks, the Warriors and Cavaliers are far from runaway favorites.
Which team will channel its inner Drizzy and seize that vacant throne?
Odds
| Golden State Warriors | 4/5 | Clippers/Rockets |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 5/1 | Hawks |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 6/1 | Warriors |
| Houston Rockets | 16/1 | Warriors |
| Atlanta Hawks | 18/1 | Cavaliers |
Predictions
West: Who Has a Better Chance of Stopping Steph?
The Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets will duke it out in Game 7 on Sunday afternoon, and the winner will earn themselves a date with the best team in the NBA.
Golden State was pushed by the Memphis Grizzlies in Round 2, but the underdogs didn’t have enough firepower to compete with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and every other one of the Dubs’ offensive weapons.
Defensively, though, Mike Conley and Tony Allen were able disrupt Curry and Thompson—to a certain extent.
Memphis’ rough-and-tough backcourt got physical with Golden State’s guards. Real physical. Curry, who hit 44.3 percent of his three-pointers in the regular season, shot just 39.3 percent from downtown against the Grizz.
"I thought we got a little flustered because the shots weren’t going in and we got away from the movement, the spacing, and the flow that we need," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said after his team fell behind 2-1, per Rob Mahoney of Sports Illustrated.
Whom does Houston have to make Curry sweat a little bit? Pablo Prigioni?
Please.
Paul, assuming his hamstring holds up, can go toe-to-toe with the NBA MVP. What CP3 lacks in size, he makes up for in pit-bull toughness.
That’s why the Warriors should be pulling for the Rockets on Sunday afternoon. James Harden will get his points against anyone, but GSW’s strong interior will limit what Dwight Howard can do. And forget about any more Josh Smith pickup-game highlights when Kerr sics Green on him.
The Warriors will still be favored against either team. But with Paul sticking Curry and Blake Griffin either bodying up Green or blowing past Andrew Bogut, the Clippers could give Golden State a greater scare than Memphis did.
But first, they have to beat the Rockets.
East: LeBron vs. the World…Again?
Outside of his first few years with the Miami Heat, James has been a one-man-show. Gone are the days of Dwyane Wade being a superstar, which was why the King took his talents from South Beach to "the Land."
For much of the season, things were great. Kyrie Irving took another step toward full-fledged superstardom and Kevin Love, even in a diminished role, had All-Star flashes.
Cleveland was railroading the Boston Celtics in Round 1 when Kelly Olynyk yanked Love’s shoulder in a way shoulders are not meant to be yanked. The Cavs finished sweeping the feisty Celts that day, but they were losers—Love’s injury ended his season.
That one hurt. But at least James still had help in his New Jersey-native point guard.
Well, except the fact that the 23-year-old has been playing through tendinitis in his left knee, as well as a right foot sprain. Irving, who hasn’t looked nearly as spry and shifty as he did in the regular season, was keeping the injury under wraps, though.
B/R’s Ethan Skolnick had more after David Blatt addressed Irving’s injury following Game 2 against the Chicago Bulls in the conference semis:
In Game 6 against the Bulls, Matthew Dellavedova helped Cleveland close out yet another series—but the team suffered yet another devastating injury.
Irving missed the majority of the game after awkwardly tripping over Tristan Thompson’s shoe early on. He later said that he could’ve returned if need be, according to Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com.
But is that truthful, or simply pouring water on the media's flames?
According to Tom Withers of the Associated Press, Blatt has his fingers crossed that Irving will be ready for the conference finals against Atlanta, which begin on Wednesday:
Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder have proved to be a formidable one-two punch at the point. Dellavedova won’t be able to handle them on his own—Cleveland needs Kyrie.
But if Irving can't go, James will simply have to carry the load. Just like he did for years in Cleveland and then again at times in Miami.
Love and Irving definitely matter. They much things so much easier on James.
But the Hawks have proved to be susceptible to superstar explosions. And when James explodes, the impact is greater than anything else in basketball.
Even without his sidekicks, the King is more than capable of reclaiming his crown all by his lonesome.
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