A grueling 82 game regular season schedule has mercifully come to a close. Some teams have been playing for their playoff lives for weeks, while others coasted to top finishes in their respective divisions to lock down top seeds. Regardless, the records have been reset and anything can happen. It’s tougher for lower seeds to spring upsets in seven-game series, but it’s happened before and it will happen again. With that, let’s go hunting for value on the NBA title futures odds.
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ODDS TO WIN 2017 NBA FINALS
Atlanta Hawks +17500
Boston Celtics +1401
Chicago Bulls +34000
Cleveland Cavaliers +300
Golden State Warriors -198
Houston Rockets +2164
Indiana Pacers +24500
Los Angeles Clippers +5521
Memphis Grizzlies +21000
Miami Heat +34000
Milwaukee Bucks +15000
Oklahoma City Thunder +12500
Portland Trail Blazers +27500
San Antonio Spurs +760
Toronto Raptors +3304
Utah Jazz +6000
Washington Wizards +3304
FAVORITE TO BACK: San Antonio Spurs +760
All the Spurs did in the regular season was go out and win 61 games and win the Southwest Division by 6-games over the Houston Rockets. Even so, their odds to win it all have increased from +500 at the beginning of the season to where its return currently sits at +760.
I’m sorry, but Pop’s squad should be included with teams like the Warriors and Cavaliers as decided favorites to win it all. There’s some nice value with San Antonio at this number. The Spurs busted the brooms out on Memphis in the postseason last year. Though they failed to cover any of the four regular season meetings, they likely won’t be in any jeopardy of dropping the series.
LONGSHOT TO BACK: Toronto Raptors +3300
The Dinos closed the regular season on a tear winning eight of their last 10 games and covering the closing number in six of them. Toronto marches a very balanced attack to the hardwood with it ranked No. 10 in scoring offense and No. 8 in scoring defense. It also boasts the No. 8 ranked rebounding rate per the current Hollinger Stats, and gets the benefit of matching up against a Milwaukee squad in the first round that’s been one and done in the playoffs its last two appearances.
Toronto on the other hand gained valuable experience with a deep run last season that saw them bow out in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Cavaliers in six games. A year wiser and now knowing exactly what to expect, look for the Raptors to be even tougher to dispose of this time around.
ODDS MOVEMENT: Los Angeles Clippers +5521
The deepest the Clip Joint has gone under the watch of Doc Rivers is the Western Conference Semifinals. Those trips occurred the first two years he was in Los Angeles, but last season, they were shockingly bounced by the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. Much of that had to do with losing both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin to season-ending injuries in Game 4.
The duo is healthy and ready to make a run once again, and with time running out on the current makeup of this team sealing the deal, look for LA to take to the hardwood determined to put forth their best showing in years. This is a team that sported winning marks both at home and on the road, and it has the shooting prowess and defensive tenacity to spring an upset or two along the way to really throw a wrench in how the west is expected to play out.
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