NBA Finals 2016: Cavaliers, Spurs Favored To Meet With Top Betting Odds After Free Agency, Draft

LeBron James Kawhi Leonard — LeBron James is 1-2 against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. Getty

LeBron James and the San Antonio Spurs have met in the NBA Finals on three separate occasions, and the oddsmakers favor another such matchup in 2016. Following June’s draft and July’s free agency period, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Spurs are the favorites to win next season’s title.

The Cavs haven’t made any key additions this offseason, but they lead the rest of the league with 11/4 championship odds. San Antonio made the biggest splash of free agency by signing LaMarcus Aldridge, and they are the favorites in the Western Conference with 3/1 odds to win it all, via Bovada.lv.

James re-signed with Cleveland after opting out of his contract, though there was never any real fear that he’d go elsewhere. Kevin Love agreed to a five-year contract with the team, and Kyrie Irving will return for another season with the Cavs. With Love and Irving injured for the last five games of the 2015 NBA Finals, James still managed to lead the Cavaliers to two victories against the Golden State Warriors. Having all of their stars healthy seemingly makes Cleveland the best team in basketball.

San Antonio had a disappointing finish to their 2014-2015 season, losing to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. Even after winning 55 games in the regular season, the Spurs only managed to grab the No.6 seed in the West. But NBA commissioner Adam Silver has indicated that the rules about playoff seeding will change next year, and the addition of Aldridge should make the Spurs even better.

The Spurs are seemingly guaranteed to be a top team each year. With Gregg Popovich as the head coach and Tim Duncan anchoring the front court, San Antonio has never had a winning percentage lower than .610 in any season since 1998. The team lost Tiago Splitter, but they added one of the game’s top power forwards, while keeping their core intact. San Antonio also re-signed free agent Danny Green.

It certainly won’t be easy for the Spurs to reach the NBA Finals, considering there are so many good teams in the West. The defending champion Warriors (5/1) are bringing back their top players. The Los Angeles Clippers (9/1) re-signed DeAndre Jordan, keeping the trio of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and him together. The Oklahoma City Thunder (17/2) missed the postseason last year, but Kevin Durant will return from a foot injury, giving them two of the league’s top 10 players with Russell Westbrook and him.

Cleveland will have a much easier road to the 2016 NBA Finals. The Chicago Bulls (20/1) should be good again, but the Cavs took care of them in six games in the second round, and they have been unable to beat James in the postseason. James’ former team might actually become Cleveland’s biggest foe next year. After re-signing Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic, the Miami Heat (20/1) could be the second-best team in the East.

Miami didn’t make the playoffs last year, but they were hurt by injuries. Chris Bosh only played 44 games, and Wade missed 20 games. Soon after the Warriors won the title, Miami’s championship odds were only 40/1.

All of the NBA's top free agents have signed new deals. Tristan Thompson is still available, though he's expected to stay with the Cavs. J.R. Smith might be the next best available player.

Odds to Win NBA Title In 2016

Cleveland Cavaliers 11/4

San Antonio Spurs 3/1

Golden State Warriors 5/1

Oklahoma City Thunder 17/2

Los Angeles Clippers 9/1

Chicago Bulls 20/1

Miami Heat 20/1

Houston Rockets 25/1

Memphis Grizzlies 33/1

Atlanta Hawks 40/1

New Orleans Pelicans 40/1