NBA Finals Betting Odds 2015: Durant Injury Hurts Thunder's Chances; Cavs, Warriors Favored

Kevin Durant OKC Thunder — Kevin Durant's injury makes the Oklahoma City Thunder longshots to win the 2015 NBA Finals. Reuters/Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The notion that Kevin Durant would return for the playoffs had made the Oklahoma City Thunder one of the favorites to win the 2015 NBA Finals. With a month to go until the start of the postseason, it’s looking like last year’s MVP might not be able to return at all this year, severely hurting the team’s chances of winning the championship.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti met with reporters on Friday, saying that Durant has been “removed from basketball activities.” The forward has not been making the expected progress in his recovery from foot surgery, and while the GM wouldn’t give a timetable for Durant’s return, he said the All-Star would be out indefinitely.

Because it’s looking like Durant won’t play again this season, the Thunder have seen a significant change in their championship odds. Oklahoma City had the fourth-best championship odds at 10/1, but in light of the recent news, their odds have plummeted to 50/1. Ten teams now have better odds to win the title.

Russell Westbrook's MVP-caliber season has kept the Thunder in the playoff hunt. The point guard is averaging 27.6 points, 8.4 assists and 7.2 rebounds per game, but his team could finish No.9 in the West. Oklahoma City is just one game ahead of Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans for the final playoff spot. Davis has arguably played even better than Westbrook, putting up 24.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game.

New Orleans might not be much of a threat in such a competitive conference, but the top seven seeds are all considered to be legitimate title contenders. The Dallas Mavericks have the worst odds of any top-seven team at 40/1, and the Golden State Warriors are still the favorites in the West at 3/1.

Golden State has better odds than the top seed in the East. The Atlanta Hawks are all but guaranteed to have home-court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs, but they haven’t been as dominant of late. The Hawks have lost three of their last seven games, including a 19-point loss at Golden State.

Despite trailing Atlanta by 10 games in the standings, the Cleveland Cavaliers are still the favorites in the NBA with 2/1 odds. The Cavs have won 25 of their last 31 games.

The Chicago Bulls hold the No.4 seed in the East, and they’re expected to give the Cavs and Hawks much more trouble than any other team in the East. They’re still waiting for the return of Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose, but their odds stand at 25/1.

Below are the updated 2015 NBA Finals odds, courtesy of sportsbook.ag.

Cleveland Cavaliers 2/1

Golden State Warriors 3/1

San Antonio Spurs 7/1

Atlanta Hawks 10/1

Memphis Grizzlies 12/1

Los Angeles Clippers 16/1

Chicago Bulls 25/1

Houston Rockets 25/1

Portland Trail Blazers 35/1

Dallas Mavericks 40/1

Oklahoma City Thunder 50/1