NBA Finals 2018 Odds: Can Anyone Beat The Warriors? Cavaliers, Spurs, Celtics Are Top Challengers

Needing just five games to defeat LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors could very well be on their way towards winning consecutive championships. Having won the title in their first season with Kevin Durant on the roster, the team is a heavy favorite to repeat and win the 2018 NBA Finals.

The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook gives Golden State 1/2 betting odds to win next year’s title, making them heavier favorites than they were at the start of the 2016-2017 season. Cleveland is considered to be Golden State’s biggest challenger, followed by the San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics.

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“They're going to be the highest favorite we've ever had going into a season, any team in any sport,” Jeff Sherman, NBA oddsmaker at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, told ESPN.

When looking at how the Warriors cruised through the 2017 playoffs, it isn’t difficult to see why Golden State is given such a good chance to repeat. They were perfect in the Western Conference, sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz and Spurs. The Warriors became the first team in history to go 12-0 before the NBA Finals, doing so with 10 double-digit victories.

Against Cleveland, Golden State made it appear that the defending champs never had much of a chance. Beating the Cavs by a combined 50 points in three games at Oracle Arena, the Warriors were dominant despite one of the best individual performances in playoff history. James became the first player to ever average a triple-double in the Finals, and it wasn’t nearly enough to beat the league’s best team.

Golden State might just be the greatest basketball team ever assembled, having totaled the most wins in a three-year span. After winning a record 73 regular-season games and coming up short against Cleveland in the 2016 NBA Finals, the Warriors added the league’s second-best player.

With the core of Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green all expected to return for at least the next couple of years, the Warriors could be just in the beginning of a dynasty.

The Cavs are still more equipped than anyone to defeat the Warriors, having done it once before while reaching the Finals in each of the last three seasons. Unless another Eastern Conference team makes at least one more major addition, Cleveland will be the heavy favorite to reach the Finals, which James has done in each of the last seven seasons. The Cavs probably don’t have enough on their current roster to challenge the Warriors in the Finals, and they might seek a trade in the offseason. They’ve got 3/1 championship odds.

With 15/1 title odds, Boston is the biggest threat to Cleveland, considering they were the East’s No.1 seed and the only team in the conference to steal a game from the Cavs in the postseason. They are given little chance to upset James and Co. as currently constructed, though they could make a major addition this offseason. Boston owns the No.1 overall draft pick, which could potentially be traded for a star player. The team also has salary cap space, which many believe will be used to sign Gordon Hayward.

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For a short while, it looked like the Spurs might be able to challenge the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. That all changed when Kawhi Leonard sprained his ankle and San Antonio’s 23-point second-half lead in the series opener disappeared. San Antonio has 12/1 odds after finishing second to the Warriors in regular-season wins for two straight years.

The Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets all have 30/1 championship odds. The Toronto Raptors and Oklahoma City Thunder begin the season at 60/1.