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.
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.
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.