2017 NBA Championship Odds Update: Warriors, Cavaliers Headline Futures List
If you have any doubts about a third consecutive NBA Finals matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, then you could make some big money by wagering against that scenario.
The trick as a bettor is trying to figure out which team or teams may be able to derail that possibility and who will end up winning the NBA title.
At sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark, the Warriors are heavy -150 favorites (bet $150 to win $100) to win their second league championship in three years, while the Cavaliers are right behind them as the +275 second choice to take back-to-back titles.
Since these teams clearly remain the best in their respective conferences, the big question is who—if anyone—is capable of upsetting them to get to the NBA Finals.
Right now, the best bets appear to be the San Antonio Spurs in the West and the Boston Celtics in the East.
The Spurs continue to be an outstanding regular-season team, and they are +750 to win their sixth NBA championship and first without future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan, who retired in the offseason.
However, San Antonio has not made it to the Western Conference Finals since winning its last title in 2014.
For the Celtics, the drought has been even longer. Boston has not been to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2012, when the Miami Heat won the first of their two consecutive league titles. The Celtics attempt to win their record 18th NBA championship as the +2000 fifth choice on the NBA lines this year.
The Toronto Raptors are the only other team in the East with an outside shot of dethroning Cleveland, according to oddsmakers, at +2500 to win their first Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Two more sleepers in the West are the Houston Rockets (+1600) and Los Angeles Clippers (+2500). The Rockets are led by MVP favorite James Harden, and the Clippers will be more of a factor when they get point guard Chris Paul back after he underwent thumb surgery.
Los Angeles has never been to the Western Conference Finals, though, and Houston last went two years ago, losing to Golden State in five games.
