Odds to Win 2016 NBA Championship
By Zach Cohen
Odds to Win 2016 NBA Championship
Cleveland Cavaliers 5-to-2
San Antonio Spurs 18-to-5
Golden State Warriors 11-to-2
Oklahoma City Thunder 17-to-2
Los Angeles Clippers 12-to-1
Chicago Bulls 22-to-1
Houston Rockets 22-to-1
Memphis Grizzlies 30-to-1
Miami Heat 40-to-1
Atlanta Hawks 45-to-1
New Orleans Pelicans 45-to-1
Milwaukee Bucks 50-to-1
Washington Wizards 55-to-1
Indiana Pacers 60-to-1
Toronto Raptors 75-to-1
Dallas Mavericks 120-to-1
Boston Celtics 125-to-1
Phoenix Suns 125-to-1
Utah Jazz 150-to-1
Los Angeles Lakers 175-to-1
Detroit Pistons 200-to-1
New York Knicks 200-to-1
Portland Trail Blazers 200-to-1
Brooklyn Nets 250-to-1
Denver Nuggets 250-to-1
Minnesota Timberwolves 250-to-1
Orlando Magic 300-to-1
Sacramento Kings 300-to-1
Charlotte Hornets 350-to-1
Philadelphia 76ers 350-to-1
The Golden State Warriors head into the 2015-2016 season as the defending champs, but the landscape of the league has changed after a wild offseason. Let’s take a look at some of the better picks to win this year’s NBA title:
Cleveland Cavaliers – The Cavaliers were two wins away from winning the NBA championship last year and that was without PG Kyrie Irving (21.7 PPG, 5.2 APG, 1.5 SPG) for a majority of the series and PF Kevin Love (16.4 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.2 APG) for pretty much the entire postseason. Both of those players should be back at 100% health and they’ll be ready to help SF LeBron James (25.3 PPG, 7.4 APG, 6.0 RPG, 1.6 SPG) go for his third championship. Cleveland also signed PG Mo Williams (14.2 PPG, 6.2 APG) to bolster its bench this summer. He’ll provide insurance if Irving is to go down once again. The Eastern Conference is a walk in the park compared to the West, so the Cavaliers would be relatively well rested if they were to make it to the NBA Finals once again. They’re an excellent value at 5-to-2 this season.
San Antonio Spurs – The Spurs were able to talk SG Manu Ginobili (10.5 PPG, 4.2 APG, 3.0 RPG) and PF Tim Duncan (13.9 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 2.0 BPG) out of retirement and resigned both SG Danny Green (11.7 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 1.1 BPG) and SF Kawhi Leonard (16.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 2.3 SPG) to long term contracts. This team was very close to being a championship caliber group in 2014-2015, and they were able to add PF LaMarcus Aldridge (23.4 PPG, 10.2 RPG) on a max contract during the offseason. Aldridge is one of the most potent scorers in the entire league and will take a lot of pressure off of San Antonio’s aging core. With his offense and Kawhi Leonard’s defense, the Spurs will be contenders for a very long time. This is as good of a year as any for them to win, as it is likely the last time Ginobili and Duncan will be on the court as players.
Golden State Warriors – The Warriors were the best team in basketball by a wide margin last year, but the odds for them to repeat are a little lower due to them keeping their team the same while others made changes. That, however, is a reason that they will be a good value play this season. Continuity is crucial in the NBA and the Warriors are going to have unbelievable chemistry right from the opening tip of the season. PG Stephen Curry (23.8 PPG, 7.7 APG, 4.3 RPG, 2.0 SPG) now knows what it takes to win a championship and he will make sure his team is laser focused and ready to go for back-to-back titles. The team will be hoping that SG Klay Thompson (21.7 PPG) and PF Draymond Green (11.7 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.3 BPG) continue to expand their games. If they can do that then it doesn’t matter what type of talent they acquire during the offseason. 11-to-2 odds are very tough to pass up for a team that plays as well on both sides as the Warriors.
Miami Heat – The Heat acquired PG Goran Dragic (16.6 PPG, 5.3 APG, 1.1 SPG) at the trade deadline last season and that gave them a lethal starting lineup that included Dragic, SG Dwyane Wade (21.5 PPG, 4.8 APG, 3.5 RPG, 1.2 SPG), SF Luol Deng (14.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG), PF Chris Bosh (21.1 PPG, 7.0 RPG) and C Hassan Whiteside (11.8 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 2.6 BPG). The problem was that Chris Bosh was lost for the season due to blood clots in his heart. Bosh, however, is back healthy for the upcoming season and the Heat are now one of the deeper teams in the East after drafting SF Justise Winslow out of Duke and signing both PF Amar’e Stoudemire (11.5 PPG, 5.6 RPG) and SG/SF Gerald Green (11.9 PPG) to team-friendly contracts. If this bunch can find some sort of chemistry then it will really give the Cavaliers trouble in the Eastern Conference. Outside of the elite teams (that also happen to be the favorites listed above), Miami offers the best value in terms of a surprise team coming away with a championship.