- J.B. Bickerstaff explains why he’s still backing Isaac Okoro despite major early-season struggles
- Donovan Mitchell and J.B. Bickerstaff credit Evan Mobley with saving Cavs in win over Pistons
- Donovan Mitchell believes it’s unacceptable he has 2 total assists in last 2 Cavs games as a ‘playmaker’
- Giannis Antetokounmpo offers scary message regarding Evan Mobley: ‘He can be better than me’
- Donovan Mitchell says the Cavs are a ‘different team’ than they were a week ago: ‘There’s a swagger we have’
- J.B. Bickerstaff praises Lamar Stevens for being poised and unafraid amid new starting role
- LeBron James’ former teammate says Victor Wembanyama is the greatest basketball prospect in the history of the NBA
- Kevin Love believes current Cavs team is ‘right there’ with 2015-16 roster in terms of talent
- Stephen Curry admits Kyrie Irving’s go-ahead 3 was in his head during Kevin Love’s iconic Game 7 stop in 2016
- Cedi Osman issues team-first message after stellar performance in Cavs win over Heat
Las Vegas Releases Odds for NBA Finals Winner and Finals MVP Favorite
- Updated: May 27, 2017
Despite their status as defending NBA champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers are listed as heavy underdogs in their NBA Finals matchup against the Golden State Warriors. That’s evident from the odds on the series, with wagering on which player will be selected Finals Most Valuable Player also indicating a strong lean toward the Warriors.
On Wednesday, the sportsbook at Station Casinos in Las Vegas opened the Warriors as -220 favorites to win it all, with enough early bettors wagering on Golden State that the odds soon moved to -300.
The offering of odds on the NBA Finals MVP is a new wrinkle that only became legal this year. Despite the fact that the Cavs’ LeBron James has won this honor three times, he finds himself in third place among the options. The Warriors’ Kevin Durant tops the list at 7-5, followed by his teammate Stephen Curry at 8-5. James is then next at 2-1, followed by another Warriors player, Draymond Green, at 17-2. In contrast to James’ award-winning performances in the past, none of those three Warriors have ever won the award.
Some Cavaliers players are listed among the remaining group, though the expectation is that they’re either unlikely or long shots to win Finals MVP honors:
Kyrie Irving, 10-1
Kevin Love, 15-1
Tristan Thompson, 60-1
J.R. Smith, 150-1
Kyle Korver, 150-1
Iman Shumpert, 500-1
Deron Williams, 500-1
Channing Frye, 500-1
The NBA Finals gets underway next Thursday, June 1, with tipoff set for just after 9 p.m. ET. Game 2 will be played three nights later, followed by games in Cleveland on June 7 and 9.
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