The Golden State Warriors are still favorites in Las Vegas to win the NBA Championship in 2017.
ESPN reports that the Westgate SuperBook has the Warriors as 7-4 favorites to win the 2017 NBA title. The 2016 championship-winning Cleveland Cavaliers check in at 5-2 odds, while the San Antonio Spurs are at 6-1 odds and the Oklahoma City Thunder are at 8-1.
The news really isn’t much of a shock. The Warriors broke the record for most regular season wins in a single season and were up three games to one before blowing three straight against the Cavaliers. They were the heavy favorites to win and should have done so. An incredible, shocking upset prevented them from doing so.
Entering next season, the team’s core largely remains intact. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green are all locked into contracts for next season and beyond. The only key contributor who might depart is Harrison Barnes, who was a no-show in the NBA Finals. The Warriors were intending on potentially matching a max offer sheet to Barnes, but that might have changed with his ugly Finals performance. Either way, the Warriors aren’t falling off talent-wise.
As long as that doesn’t change, they should be favorites. It’s no disrespect to Cleveland, who had an incredible finish to their season. The Warriors simply are better on paper and are the best best to win the title. The Cavaliers are losing a handful of players in free agency, and LeBron James also needs a new contract. In terms of looking at next season’s forecast, as of now, the Warriors are the team to beat.
Will the Warriors win the title in 2017? It’s impossible to know. But as of now, even with the loss in the NBA Finals, they’re rightfully the favorites.
[ESPN]
