Three guesses who the Las Vegas bookmakers have anointed the very early favorites to win the NBA Championship in the 2016-17 season …
As Bill Simmons might say, it’s tough to play the “Nobody believes in us!” card when you’ve just won a title. Yet maybe the Cleveland Cavaliers can use that extra bit of motivation when they return for the 2016-17 NBA season, because the oddsmakers say they’re not the favorites.
Granted, it’s a ridiculous exercise to set futures odds on teams when they just finished up one campaign and the draft and free agency haven’t taken place yet — or at least it would be if people weren’t already willing to wager on such things. With that in mind, ESPN reports that Vegas’ Westgate SuperBook currently gives the Cavaliers with 5-2 odds to repeat.
That’s good, but it’s not the lowest line in the NBA. The favorite? Why, the Golden State Warriors, of course, at 7-4.
Other notable early 2016-17 NBA futures lines from Westgate include:
- San Antonio Spurs: 6-1
- Oklahoma City Thunder: 8-1
- Boston Celtics: 20-1
- Toronto Raptors: 25-1
- Miami Heat: 25-1
- Philadelphia 76ers: 80-1
- Brooklyn Nets: 500-1
If that seems a little disrespectful after the Cavaliers clawed their way back from 3-1 down to give Cleveland sporting hope for the first time in forever, consider that the Cavs are the only team with single-digit odds in the Eastern Conference, meaning the casinos like their chances to return to the NBA Finals. They’re just reflecting the difficulty of a repeat, especially with multiple strong contenders in the West making it less certain who they would face.
Interestingly, the situation was the exact opposite last year at this time. Following Golden State’s triumph last summer, the Cavaliers were the Vegas favorite for 2015-16 with the Warriors second, a prediction that proved eerily prophetic. Could we be in store for a rubber match next June? So far, Sin City says yes.
For more NBA coverage, please visit our hub page.