Golden State Warriors Will Be Favored Over Milwaukee Bucks Or Toronto Raptors In 2019 NBA Finals

The Golden State Warriors officially punched their ticket to the 2019 NBA Finals Monday night, completing their sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals. The back-to-back defending champions have now won the West in five straight seasons, becoming the first team in history to do so.

Whether it’s the Milwaukee Bucks or the Toronto Raptors that makes it out of the East, they’ll be looking to defeat one of the greatest dynasties in sports history. With Golden State’s core playing as well as they ever have over their half-decade of dominance, the Warriors will be favored to win the title no matter the opponent.

Golden State is nearly a 1/2 favorite over Milwaukee in a potential finals matchup, via the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. The Bucks had nearly even odds a few days ago when they owned a 2-0 series lead over the Raptors and the Warriors hadn’t yet defeated the Blazers in four straight games.

Toronto remains a significant underdog in the Eastern Conference Finals, though they can tie up Milwaukee 2-2 with a win at home Tuesday night. Prior to Monday night’s Game 4 in Portland, Golden State had -195 championship odds, per OddsShark. Milwaukee had +190 odds to win the title, followed by Toronto at +1400.

FanDuel Sportsbook in New Jersey now lists the Warriors as heavy -230 favorites to win the title. Those odds will, of course, come down once the Bucks or Raptors advance.

The Warriors have looked even more unbeatable since Kevin Durant suffered the calf strain that’s kept him out for five straight games. Golden State hasn’t been defeated since the two-time NBA Finals MVP went down. Stephen Curry has scored at least 33 points in all five games and Draymond Green is playing maybe the best basketball of his career.

Durant’s status will affect the eventual NBA Finals series price. There is increased speculation that the forward might not be available against the Bucks or Raptors after he was initially expected to return in the conference finals.

Milwaukee was the league’s best team in the regular season with 60 wins. They have just two losses this postseason. Golden State was defeated four times in the playoffs before going 5-0 without Durant.

Golden State could need Durant to ultimately get by Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, but they are making the case that they’ll be just fine without arguably the NBA’s best player.