NBA Finals 2015: Betting Odds For Warriors, Cavs, Spurs And Others

Can anyone beat the Golden State Warriors?

So far, the answer has been no as the defending NBA champions have jumped out to a 23-0 record to open the season. After winning 67 games and running through the Western Conference en route to the title last season, Golden State wasn’t supposed to repeat that kind of dominance. At least that’s what the odds makers thought.

After most of the key free-agency moves were completed in the summer, the Warriors were No. 3 on the list of teams with the best odds to win it all in 2015-2016. It was the LeBron James-led Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers who were favored to win the NBA title at 11/4 odds, according to Bovada.lv in July. The San Antonio Spurs with the addition of LaMarcus Aldridge came next with 3/1 odds. Then there was Golden State, headed by league MVP Stephen Curry and virtually the same team that had just lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy at 11/2. Also in the top five were the Oklahoma City Thunder (17/2) and the Los Angeles Clippers (9/1).

Golden State has set the record for most wins to begin a season (23), shattering the old record (15). They’ve won the most road games to start a season (13) and are trying to become the first team in NBA history to win all seven games of a road trip (currently 5-0). Eclipsing the regular-season record 72 wins (held by the 1995-1996 Bulls) is looking like a legitimate possibility despite the fact that there are still 59 games to be played. The stamina of this run will continue to be tested as the Warriors field every opponent’s best effort but Golden State has convinced many that beating them over the course of 48 minutes is still not likely.

The latest odds do show the Warriors as the frontrunner to win the 2016 NBA Finals at 7/5. Cleveland is second at 7/2 while the Spurs sit in third with the same odds Golden State had over the summer, 11/2. Oklahoma City and the Clippers still round out the top five, both currently at 20/1. Among the worst odds to win the title are the Lakers (3-19) and the Philadelphia 76ers (1-21), both at 9999/1.

Below is a look at the current NBA championship odds for the 2015-2016 season, courtesy of Sportsbook.ag, updated on Dec. 7.

Golden State Warriors 7/5

Cleveland Cavaliers 7/2

San Antonio Spurs 11/2

Oklahoma City Thunder 20/1

Los Angeles Clippers 20/1

Miami Heat 25/1

Chicago Bulls 30/1

Indiana Pacers 35/1

Houston Rockets 40/1

Toronto Raptors 40/1

Atlanta Hawks 50/1