Updated NBA Conference Finals Betting Odds After Cavs Eliminate Pistons to Clinch Berth in ECF
The conference finals matchups are set after the Cleveland Cavaliers downed the Detroit Pistons in Game 7 of the second round on Sunday.
The Cavs will now face the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference, while the Oklahoma City Thunder will take on the San Antonio Spurs out west.
The Knicks are the favorites in the East with -240 odds, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, while the Thunder are -260 favorites to beat the Spurs.
Here's a look at each team's odds to win the finals, according to FanDuel:
- Thunder (-170)
- Spurs (+310)
- Knicks (+550)
- Cavaliers (+2000)
It's easy to see why the Thunder are the favorites to both beat the Spurs and win the Finals after the way the first two rounds went. OKC swept both the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers en route to the conference finals despite the team's No. 2 option, Jalen Williams, playing just two games.
With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's co-star reportedly set to return for the Western Conference, the Thunder should look even better moving forward.
That being said, Oklahoma City hasn't seen a team like San Antonio just yet.
Victor Wembanyama has been dominant this postseason and is firmly establishing himself as one of the best players in the league. His historically good defense can slow down even the best offenses.
The Spurs also have players like De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle that can take over at any given moment, plus a slew of depth to work with. It's safe to say San Antonio won't be an easy out.
The Knicks struggled a bit in the opening-round series against the Atlanta Hawks, but they've since looked like the team everyone expected them to be, crushing the Philadelphia 76ers in four games to move on.
The Cavs have arguably looked the shakiest of all four teams so far, going to seven games with both the Raptors and Pistons.
The pairing of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden is dominant when both players are clicking, but the second either gets cold, things get rough.
The Knicks will be Cleveland's biggest test so far, so the Cavs will need their stars at their best all series.
