Top Bookmakers Name Odds-On Favourites for 2017-2018 NBA Championship Success

On September 13, 2017, sports bookmakers named their early favorites for the 2017–2018 NBA championship, with the new season scheduled to begin on Friday, October 20.

The Golden State Warriors, who defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1 to win their fifth championship the previous season, were heavily tipped to contend for a sixth title. The Warriors and the Cavaliers had met in the finals for three consecutive years, with Cleveland winning their sole title of that stretch in 2016. According to reports at the time, some betting sites positioned the Cavaliers as the odds-on favorite for the upcoming season following off-season personnel acquisitions, raising the possibility of a fourth consecutive finals matchup between the two teams.

The Boston Celtics also emerged as contenders following a major off-season trade. The team had not won an NBA championship since defeating coach Phil Jackson’s Los Angeles Lakers four games to two, nine years prior.

To bolster their roster, the Celtics acquired Cleveland star Kyrie Irving. In exchange for Irving, the Celtics traded Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and the Brooklyn Nets’ unprotected 2018 first-round draft pick, a move that observers noted transformed the Celtics from outside bets into a team to watch.