Odds for 2018 NBA Championship Matchups

The Houston Rockets are running away with the Western Conference, and the Toronto Raptors are sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings. However, the three most likely matchups for the NBA Finals, according to the oddsmakers, involve teams that are not at the top of the standings. The Cleveland Cavaliers are third in the East — and just took a 19-point beating in Miami at the hands of a Heat team that is out of the playoffs — and Golden State is in second place in the West, with point guard Stephen Curry slated to miss the first round of the playoffs, at the very least, with a knee sprain. Let’s look at the NBA Championship odds for each matchup and discuss the sports betting prospects for each team to make the Finals.

Odds for 2018 NBA Championship Matchups

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• Cleveland vs Golden State +150
• Toronto vs Golden State +418
• Boston vs Golden State +572
• Cleveland vs Houston +936
• Toronto vs Houston +1450
• Philadelphia vs Golden State +1725
• Boston vs Houston +1905
• Washington vs Golden State +2575
• Milwaukee vs Golden State +4225
• Philadelphia vs Houston +5350

The case for Houston begins with the fact that they have been steamrolling all of the opposition in sight. They have won 26 of their last 27 games, and they have hit a franchise record for wins in a season, breaking their record of 58, set in the 1993-94 season. In that campaign, of course, they ended up with the first of two straight titles. James Harden looks locked in as the league’s MVP, and the team’s commitment to defense this season has made a tremendous difference. Adding Chris Paul to the backcourt, of course, didn’t hurt one bit. What about the Raptors? The problem they face in the postseason is that mental lock that the Cleveland Cavaliers appear to have on them. Cleveland beat Toronto last week despite having some players on the shelf — and put up 79 points in the first half in the process, the most that a losing team surrendered in the first half of a game in 18 years, when Denver did it in 1990. The second half didn’t get much better, as the Raptors had a defensive rating of 137.4. The Raptors entered that game wanting to make a statement — and they did, but it wasn’t the statement they wanted. Golden State’s chances hinge on the return of Stephen Curry for the second round and beyond, as well as the continuing health of Klay Thompson (thumb), Kevin Durant (rib) and Draymond Green (flu-like symptoms). Any sport’s regular season is a marathon of its own, and the fact that the Warriors have gone to the Finals three straight years could be wearing down its key players. Because Houston has an edge in terms of hunger, it’s hard for me to say that you should go with the favorite matchup here. Which Cleveland will we see in the playoffs? Even after the series of deals that added six new players to the Cavs’ roster, the team’s performance has been up and down. They did run off four straight wins after the return of Kevin Love, and then they went down to Miami and took a beating. With Love on the floor during that 4-0 run, though, the Cavaliers posted a combined +49 in scoring margin. The Boston Celtics have figured out a way to play without Kyrie Irving, whose surgery to remove a tension wire in his knee will cost him three to six weeks. Boston has won 9 of 13 without him, because their defense has become more stingy. But if Irving is ineffective in the playoffs, can the Celtics stop the Cleveland attack? The rise of the Philadelphia 76ers has given us a lot of video of Joel Embiid — but the real story has been Ben Simmons, who has put up 10 triple-doubles this season, posting an amazing rookie season. Embiid’s scoring and rebounding have been huge as well, but without Simmons, the Sixers aren’t in the playoff hunt. The return of Markelle Fultz got Philly off to a bang against Denver. Can he contribute in the postseason? I don’t see the Sixers getting to the Finals, but this team may be the biggest wild card of the five in this article.