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Golden State Warriors: Favorites in Las Vegas

By Charles Rahrig V

May 14, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) celebrates after making a basket against the San Antonio Spurs during the third quarter in game one of the Western conference finals of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Spurs 113-111. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
May 14, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) celebrates after making a basket against the San Antonio Spurs during the third quarter in game one of the Western conference finals of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Spurs 113-111. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Golden State Warriors have opened as the favorites to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 NBA Finals.

To the shock of absolutely no one, the Cleveland Cavaliers finally finished off the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals and punched their ticket a third straight NBA Finals on Thursday night. They will once again be facing the Golden State Warriors for the third year in a row.

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And just like the previous two series, the Warriors are the favorites to bring home the NBA Championship. According to ESPN, Las Vegas has the Warriors with the edge once again over the defending NBA Champions. Westgate LV has the Warriors opening up at -260, while the Cavaliers offer the chance at a greater reward at +220.

Considering the history between these two teams, the lines seem about right where they should be. After adding Kevin Durant and sweeping through the playoffs thus far, the Warriors were always going to open up as the favorites.

The Cavaliers have been nearly as impressive, but LeBron James has spent most of his career as the underdog in these NBA Finals, due in part to the disparity between the Western and Eastern Conference.

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That being said, odds don’t mean anything and it shouldn’t be taken as a guarantee now that Golden State will just run away with the NBA Championship. They were the big favorites last year and we don’t need to take that trip down memory lane again.

The key here for Golden State is going to be protecting home court. If they can take care of their first two at home, then they’ll put themselves in a great position heading into Cleveland. Vegas clearly sees the addition of Durant and other variables swinging this thing in their favor. The return isn’t as much on a Warriors’ win, but money can’t buy the feeling of seeing them win a title.

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