The second round of the NBA playoffs has just begun, and though we don't have any amazing shocks to discuss yet, there have been plenty of twists and turns in the plot which have changed the NBA futures odds and the odds to win the NBA championship dramatically.
NBA Playoffs Odds at BookMaker.eu
Golden State Warriors -110
San Antonio Spurs +140
Cleveland Cavaliers +340
Oklahoma City Thunder +2000
Toronto Raptors +5000
Miami Heat +6000
Atlanta Hawks +7500
Portland Trail Blazers +12500
It's still pretty clear that this is a three-team chase for the championship. Many believed that the Oklahoma City Thunder were capable of challenging in the second round of the playoffs, but after they were whipped by 32 in a game which was never that close at the AT&T Center by the Spurs, we're not sure there's any way back. Perhaps they're still worthwhile at 20 to 1 to win it all, but we just can't imagine coming back with the Thunder winning four out of six games against San Antonio, four out of seven against Golden State and then four out of seven against Cleveland.
Out East, this really is a one-team conference. The Cleveland Cavaliers have to be really laughing at the fact that Atlanta, Miami and Toronto all struggled mightily in their opening series. Even though Cleveland was pushed a little harder by Detroit than most would've imagined, it still finished off a sweep, and it proved that Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and LeBron James make up one of the best trios in the NBA when all three are on their game.
The Cavs are -800 favorites to dismiss the Hawks and are basically favored to win that series in a sweep, and we have to think they'll end up being favored to do the same to the Heat/Raptors survivor.
That leaves the Western Conference duo we've been waiting to see tangle for seven games all season long.
Both the San Antonio Spurs ( +140 ) and the Golden State Warriors ( -110 ) are unbelievably big favorites to advance out of their second round series. The two have combined to drop just one game thus far in the playoffs, and we're not all that sure either one is going to lose again before the Western Conference Finals get underway.
The Spurs have been ridiculously impressive in their first five games. They've won those five games by 32, 26, 9, 21 and 32 points, and they've had a total of four quarters of a possible 20 in which they've been outscored, one of which was the fourth quarter of a game which was 105-66 at the end of three against OKC on Saturday night.
The Warriors won't have a problem getting rid of the Trail Blazers in short order, but the question which remains is just how good this team is without Stephen Curry. The Spurs are ridiculously hot as it is, and Curry has only finished one game here in the postseason. His ankle injury could be problematic throughout the playoffs, and Steve Kerr has to be careful with him.
Curry says he'll be ready to play in Game 3, but if the Dubs play as well in Game 2 as they did in Game 1 when they dominated 118-106 in a game which was far more lopsided than that final score suggests, there's no reason to rush him back.
It's sad to think that the whole NBA season will come down to seven games between Golden State and San Antonio followed by seven games between the winner of that series and the Cavaliers, but the inevitable script we've seen playing out all season long really hasn't had any major plot twists, even with Curry losing most of the opening two rounds due to injury.
NBA odds at BookMaker.eu
Access live betting lines from your mobile device or tablet at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker's live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today!
