Cleveland Cavaliers have almost no chance of winning NBA title, Vegas oddsmakers say
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The Cleveland Cavaliers have almost no chance of defeating the Golden State Warriors in their fourth-straight NBA Finals matchup, according to Vegas oddsmakers.
After the Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals on Monday, the team opened as -1,000 favorites at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas to repeat as champions this year – meaning you would have to bet $1,000 to win $100 on a Warriors championship.
The Warriors’ odds make them the biggest finals favorites over the last 16 seasons, according to sportsoddshistory.com. The Cleveland Cavaliers opened as a +650 underdog in the finals. The team was +360 when they played the San Antonio Spurs in the 2007 NBA Finals, sportsoddhistory.com noted.
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The Cavaliers were also underdogs when they defeated the Warriors in 2016.
Golden State also opened as 12-point favorites over Cleveland for Thursday night’s Game 1. No one else has been a bigger favorite in the first game of the Finals since 1991, according to CBS Sports.
The Los Angeles Lakers were 12-point favorites over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals, which the 76ers won.
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The Warriors, should they defeat the Cavaliers in the series, will have won their third NBA title in four years. The Cavaliers are looking for their second-ever championship and LeBron James’ fourth.