Any bettors who laid some money down on the Warriors to win this year’s NBA Championship probably didn’t get great odds to do so, but they did cash out on those bets last night. If people are looking to bet on the repeat in 2018, well, the odds are even worse for hopeful money-makers.
Jeff Sherman, the NBA oddsmaker at Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, told ESPN that Golden State will be the preseason highest favorite to win a title for any sport in any season. The Warriors are already listed as -200 favorites for the championship in 2017-18. This means that bettors would have to risk $200 to win $100 on the Warriors to win the championship next.
At the start of this year’s Finals, the Dubs were -160 favorites to win next year’s title, but oddsmakers saw enough in their five-game dispatching of the Cavaliers to move them to -200. As more and more money floods in on the Warriors to win it all next year, those odds could swing even more in favor of Golden State.
With free agency and the upcoming draft likely leaving most oddsmakers cautiously wary of making major shifts for the time being, however, the time may be now if you’re particularly confident in the Warriors’ chances next year. The Cavaliers are currently the second favorite for next season’s title, at 3-1 odds, while the Spurs and Celtics are a distant third and fourth, respectively.