Cavaliers vs. Warriors 2017 NBA Finals Opening Odds Revealed

Just as everyone expected, the Cleveland Cavaliers will take on the Golden State Warriors in the 2017 NBA finals.

It will be the third time in a row these teams battled for a title, with each side winning once in the last two years. Despite the history, one team has a distinct advantage in betting markets.

Per Odds Shark, the Warriors are listed as -320 favorites while the Cavaliers sit at +260. Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz noted Golden State has the largest odds in the modern era.

According to CBS Sports, the Western Conference champs are also listed as seven-point favorites for Game 1 at home.

While the Warriors weren't able to replicate their 73 wins from a year ago, they still posted the best record in the NBA at 67-15. They were even more dominant in the playoffs with 12 straight wins to sweep all three rounds.

Golden State finished off the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz as easily as expected, but most anticipated more resistance from the San Antonio Spurs. However, ESPN Stats and Info noted just how well the California squad played:

After averaging a league-high 115.9 points per game during the season with elite scorers in Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, this team will be difficult to stop. The versatility of Draymond Green also makes them a dangerous opponent.

However, the Cavaliers should not be overlooked. There were some weak performances toward the end of the regular season, but they bounced back with two straight sweeps to start the playoffs before beating the Boston Celtics in five games in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Head coach Tyronn Lue also thought the Celtics had a tougher offense to stop than the Warriors.

"The stuff they're running, it's harder to defend than Golden State's (offense) for me," the Cavs coach said after Game 4, per Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. "As far as the actions and all the running around and all the guys who are making all the plays, so it's a totally different thing."

Warriors interim coach Mike Brown called his opinion "cute," via Anthony Slater of the Mercury News.

The Cavaliers have arguably the best player in the league in LeBron James, plus Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, who are playing as well as ever. Perhaps most importantly, they have confidence after beating Golden State in seven games last year.

This upcoming series has the chance to go the distance once again, and fans should know better than to count out either team before the championship is settled.