After winning two of the last three NBA Finals and having the most star studded roster in the Association, sportsbooks around the world have unanimously placed the Golden State Warriors as the NBA futures betting favorite.
The 2017-18 NBA regular season tips off on October 17th with the Warriors in action against the Houston Rockets. Steph Curry and Kevin Durant will be poised to lead the Warriors back to the title, but can an upstart Western Conference team stop Golden State from a fourth straight Finals appearance?
NBA futures betting
Golden State Warriors -160
The NBA offseason has seen the Western Conference get stronger. Many of the east’s stars have gone west, and the building of super teams has taken place. Of course, there is no other team as super as the Warriors in the NBA. The defending champions have had a great offseason, re-signing Curry, Durant, Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala. The team didn’t lose any significant players from its roster, and is stronger than ever going into the 2017-18 season. The Warriors led the league in points per game with 115.9, and topped the league with the most wins (67) a year ago. The Warriors should dominate the Western Conference once more, and set themselves up for another run at the title.
Cleveland Cavaliers +450
Last year’s beaten finalists, the Cleveland Cavaliers are still the best team in a weak Eastern Conference. The team is arguably better after ripping of the Boston Celtics by sending Kyrie Irving to Beantown for Jae Crowder and the Celtics’ best player Isaiah Thomas – great job once again Danny Ainge. The Cavs dipped at the end of the regular season in 2016-17, allowing the Celtics to top the East. It didn’t matter in the end, as LeBron James led the team to the finals. The Cavs scored the most points per game in the East with 110.3. James is still the king east of the Mississippi River, and the Cavs are the team to beat.
Boston Celtics +750
Boston has been rebuilt despite the team not needing to be altered that much. Sure, the Celtics needed to have more high-quality players brought in, but Ainge traded away three top Celtics’ players from last year’s team. After years alongside James, NBA fans will finally see if Irving is an elite star in the Association. He average 25.2 points per game last year, and he will have the rock in his hand most of the time for the Celtics. The team also acquired Gordon Hayward from the Jazz. The forward is getting max money ($128 million for four years), and a poor start from him will not only sink the Celtics; but it will make them look silly for spending so much on the former Utah player. A run to the conference finals is possible, but slipping up along the way could happen with this new set of players.
Houston Rockets +900
The LA Clippers are the only other team that comes to mind when thinking about the most overrated NBA teams over the last few years. The Rockets couldn’t get it done with Dwight Howard and James Harden. Now the team will try to get to the Finals with Harden and new arrival Chris Paul. Whether the two guards can co-exist is an interesting debate, and it is expected that Paul will take points away from Harden this season. Harden averaged just under 30 a game last year. Paul recorded just 18 a game, but expect him to have the ball more in his hands during games. The Rockets will have to deal with San Antonio, the Clippers and a rejuvenated Lakers side if they want to be the top team in the West. Oh yeah, Houston must also beat the Warriors.
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