Are the Golden State Warriors are a lock to win the 2016-17 NBA title? The oddsmakers seem to think so, as they have Golden State listed as a -140 favorite to win the title.
It is almost unheard of for a team in a major sport to be listed at odds-on that early on in the championship. It did happen with the dynastic Bulls, but they had this guy named Michael Jordan playing for them.
The Warriors are thought of as a super team because they added Kevin Durant to go with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. If you think the Warriors are beatable, then there are some amazing NBA odds on the board for the other teams for the 2016-17 season.
2016-17 NBA Championship Odds to Win
Golden State Warriors -140
Cleveland Cavaliers +295
San Antonio Spurs +708
Boston Celtics + 2853
Los Angeles Clippers +2905
Oklahoma City Thunder +4500
Toronto Raptors +5611
New York Knicks +7500
Chicago Bulls +8000
Indiana Pacers +8000
Atlanta Hawks +8500
Memphis Grizzlies +8500
Utah Jazz +8500
Minnesota Timberwolves +9000
Portland Trail Blazers +12000
Washington Wizards +13000
Houston Rockets +13500
Detroit Pistons +14000
New Orleans Pelicans +14500
Miami Heat +17500
Milwaukee Bucks +17500
Orlando Magic +18500
Dallas Mavericks +27500
Charlotte Hornets +35000
Denver Nuggets +37500
Los Angeles Lakers +37500
Sacramento Kings +37500
Philadelphia 76ers +40000
Phoenix Suns +50000
Brooklyn Nets + 100000
(Odds courtesy BookMaker.eu)
Top Contenders
There are definite tiers when it comes to the NBA futures odds for the 2016-2017 NBA season. Golden State is the clear favorite at odds of -140 and then there is a pretty good drop to Cleveland at +295.
After that, there is another big drop to San Antonio at +708 and then a massive dip to Boston and the Clippers, who are each around +2900. The next tier is then Oklahoma City and Toronto at +4500 and +5611, respectively, followed by a group of teams in the +7500 to +9000 range. Then there are the longshots in the basketball odds, beginning with Portland at +12000 and ending with Brooklyn at +100000.
Golden State Warriors Odds: -140
The Warriors were the best team in NBA history a year ago during the regular season as they went a ridiculous 73-9.
The problems for Golden State started in the playoffs where they dropped a game to Portland and to Houston in the first two series before being taken to seven games against Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals.
The Warriors dropped four more games to Cleveland in the NBA Final, losing on their home floor in Game 7. In all, the Warriors lost almost as many games in the playoffs as they did the entire regular season.
Fast forward to the 2016-2017 season and the pressure will be even greater as they went out and signed Durant during the offseason. Now the Warriors have Curry, Durant, Thompson and Green, in what clearly is the best starting four in the NBA.
Zaza Pachulia will likely be the fifth starter and will be counted on simply to rebound. The bench for Golden State is a question mark, but the Warriors do have Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston and David West.
Cleveland Cavaliers Odds: +295
The Cavaliers are not getting much respect as defending champions as they are a distant second choice in the NBA betting behind the Warriors.
Cleveland features three-time NBA champion LeBron James, who said he is not satisfied going into this season. “We’re still pretty much uptight,” James said, “We’re not satisfied with what we did.”
James has a strong supporting cast led by Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. When those three are in the starting lineup, the team is 97-32 over the past two seasons, including playoff action. The Cavaliers also have Tristan Thompson who does all of the dirty work to allow the big three to produce on a nightly basis. Those four are joined by J.R. Smith.
Cleveland has a decent bench with Channing Frye, Richard Jefferson and newcomer Mike Dunleavy Jr.
Sleeper NBA Picks
You have the two favorites in Golden State and Cleveland and then a solid third choice in San Antonio so any other team could be considered a sleeper, beginning with Boston at odds of +2853 and all the way down to Minnesota at +9000.
Boston Celtics Odds: +2850
The Celtics won 48 games last season and finished fifth in the Eastern Conference. They didn’t have the experience to get past Atlanta in the playoffs, but the 2017 season could be different. The Celtics have a very good and very deep team that should be even better with the addition of Al Horford.
Boston not only added Horford in free agency, but they took Jaylen Brown with the third overall pick in the NBA Draft. Brown may not start right away but he is expected to have a big impact this season.
The Celtics were a top 10 offensive team last season and they should be even better with Horford. Additionally, they were a top 5 team on defense last season and they should be just as good this year. It would not be a surprise at all if Boston win more than 50 games and challenge Cleveland in the East this season.
Chicago Bulls Odds: +8000
The Bulls are going to look different this season with the addition of Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo to accompany Jimmy Butler. Gone are Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, who rarely played up to their reputations.
Oddsmakers are not giving the Bulls much respect heading into the 2016-2017 season, but Wade is a proven champion while Rondo is one of the top facilitators in the league.
Chicago won 42 games last season even though they looked dysfunctional much of the time. It wouldn’t take much for the Bulls to improve to a 50-win team this season.
The key for Chicago will be keeping everyone healthy, especially Wade who actually played in 74 games last season, his most since 2010-2011. It will also be interesting to watch the chemistry between Wade, Rondo and Butler although going into the season both Wade and Rondo have said this is “Butler’s team.”
More NBA Futures
Also on the board at BookMaker.eu are odds to win each conference with Golden State listed at -305 to win the West while Cleveland is -248 to win the East.
You can also bet regular season win totals on each team with Golden State having the highest win total at 66.5 while Brooklyn has the lowest at 21.5
And not to be forgotten is a simple prop on Golden State as to whether or not they will win the 2016-2017 NBA Championship with the YES at -139 and NO at +109.
For more basketball betting news, check out 2016-17 NBA Regular Season Win Totals for All 30 Teams
