Updated NBA Championship Expert Predictions

Posted by Henry Watkins on Monday,October 10, 2016 2:52, EDT in

NBA preseason games are in full swing, and we are now just about two weeks away from the opening tip on October 25th. It has been a busy offseason for a lot of teams, and we have seen some big names move to new addresses, while others have decided to stay put. Since the Cleveland Cavaliers essentially kept all their main pieces in place, you would assume that the reigning champions would be the NBA betting odds favorites heading into the new season, but that is not the way the bookies see things.

In Depth Analysis On The Updated NBA Championship Expert Predictions

 

 

They basically have three teams that they believe will seriously compete for the championship, with everyone else below the top trio all sitting and double and triple digit odds. Let’s take a closer look at the favorites heading into the 2016-17 NBA season.

Golden State Warriors (5-7)

The sad thing about the Golden State Warriors last season was that their record breaking regular season performance lost a little bit of its luster after they let a 3-1 series lead slip in the NBA Finals. Despite coming in as the runners-up, they still have to be considered the team to beat this year. Stephen Curry is fully fit once again, and the addition of Kevin Durant is something that simply cannot be ignored.

Cleveland Cavaliers (5-2)

The Cavaliers have kept all of their key personnel in place for this season, which means they have to be considered a legitimate threat to repeat as champions. This is never an easy task, though, especially when your main competition has made moves to get stronger. Would anyone really be stunned to see these two teams meet in the NBA Finals for the third straight year?

San Antonio Spurs (6-1)

The Spurs will come into this season without their leader Tim Duncan, as the big man finally deciding it was time to retire. This is still a team that is loaded, though, and they look like the only one that might be able to make the Western Conference a little bit interesting at the top. They’ll stay close to the Warriors all season long, but the chances of them actually winning it do not seem great.

LA Clippers (20-1)

The dramatic drop off in odds between three and four in the betting favorite’s standings tells you just how big the gulf is between the top three teams and the rest of the NBA. If the Clippers can avoid the off court distractions that plagued them last season, they should put up a decent fight in the West. Again, actually winning the conference, never mind the NBA Championship, seems like a big ask.

Boston Celtics (30-1)

Considered by the bookies to be the second best bet in the Eastern Conference, the Celtics are still a long way off the Cavaliers in terms of talent. They are a solid enough squad, bit they would need to deliver something pretty special in order to get past the champions.

If you really fancy a longshot bet, why not take a run at the Brooklyn Nets, as they are currently 1000-1 to win the NBA Finals. We kid, of course. The Nets are just one of a handful of teams who have no shot at a playoff spot, never mind a title.