Last season, NBA fans were treated with a rematch between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, with the Cavaliers shocking the sporting world by beating the Warriors in seven games after the latter had a historic 73-win regular season.
The NBA is now set to begin another thrilling journey anew. Are the Dubs and the Cavs still favored to see each other in The Finals for a rubber match of epic proportions? Read on below as we list down the notable favorites, sleepers and long shots in the 2016-17 season ahead.
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2016-17 NBA Regular Season Betting Preview
Favorites
Golden State Warriors (-175)
This one’s a no-brainer. The Golden State Warriors are simply one the the most dominant franchises in the NBA for the past couple of seasons, and they even appear bigger and badder this upcoming campaign with 2014 league MVP Kevin Durant joining the team during the offseason.
Forget about those “big three super-teams” of past; the Dubs have a four-headed fire-breathing hydra now consisting of Durant, two-time and reigning MVP Stephen Curry, three-ball assassin Klay Thompson and multi-faceted dynamo Draymond Green ready to scorch earth again and exact revenge from last year’s tank job to the Cavs in The Finals.
If the Dubs managed to win a league-record 73 wins last season without KD in the lineup, could you imagine what they could do with two high-powered MVPs in the starting five? The oddsmakers have set the Warriors’ regular-season win total over/under to 66.5, but something tells us that they’ll obliterate that projection and possibly give a good run at breaking the record that they themselves set earlier this year.
Cleveland Cavaliers (+300)
To nobody’s surprise, the Cleveland Cavaliers have just as good of a shot as the Warriors in winning the Larry O’Brien trophy this year. The Cavs want to repeat as champs, and a repeated process is what they did by keeping their most of their key players from last year’s title run back for another season.
Obviously, there’s no bigger cog in this well-oiled machine than three-time NBA champion LeBron James, who came back to Ohio two seasons ago to specifically bring a championship title home for his beloved home state. But with James now the undoubted overseer of Cleveland for years to come, it’s up to The King to keep peace in the land with his right- and left-hand men (Kryrie Irving and Kevin Love) along with a mystical dolphin (J.R. Smith) and prevent the rowdy Warriors from reclaiming the NBA throne.
Sleepers
San Antonio Spurs (+900)
It’s hard to fathom now that the San Antonio Spurs are mere sleeper candidates to win the NBA title this season, even with their respectable odds of accomplishing that feat. Well, the league basically has a virtual two-team race between the Warriors and the Cavaliers for the championship, and anybody who’ll tell you otherwise is a bold-faced liar.
San Antonio’s championship core of yesteryear is slowly deteriorating, with all-time great Tim Duncan the first stalwart of the team to officially ride off into the sunset. Duncan’s partners in crime during his team’s five title reigns for the better part of the new millennium – Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili – are slowly approaching that phase of calling it a day as well.
Still, if there’s one man who can keep the Spurs’ league-record of 19-straight playoff appearances intact, look no further than future Hall-of-Fame coach Greg Popovich. Pop knows how to pinpoint and develop talent, and his team is ready to write a new chapter in the Spurs’ decorated legacy with new weapons in Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge. Both have shown great signs of cohesion last season, so if there’s one team right now that can truly test both the Dubs and the Cavs, you’re looking at it.
Los Angeles Clippers (+2,500)
The Los Angeles Clippers have their bumbling years of futility well-behind them, and they’ve been extremely competitive in the regular season ever since Chris Paul took his talents to L.A. They also have the imposing frontcourt duo of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan to complement CP3’s passing prowess, but are these three superstars enough for the Clippers to win that elusive NBA title?
With a supporting cast that’s well-rounded with sharpshooters (J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford), undervalued big men (Brandon Bass, Marreese Speights) and a decorated veteran (Paul Pierce), the Clips have the potential to amaze in one fell swoop. That’s for as long as Paul can command the heck out of this team whilst keeping his sometimes fiery demeanor to a minimum.
Oklahoma City Thunder (+3,300)
When the Oklahoma City Thunder gave the Warriors a true run for their money in the previous Western Conference Finals, many believed that Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook had the formula to put an end to Golden State’s reign of terror. Instead, Durant jumped the OKC ship and chose to wade in the safer waters of that very same Warriors team, whereas Westbrook was left to keep his team from sinking to new lows this upcoming season.
Westbrook will now try to steer the ship without his co-captain, and as discouraging as it sounds, it might just work out for the better for the Thunder. They’ve had great success with Russ as the only superstar back when KD was ailing through some injuries, and now Russ can go berserk without having to share touches with another superstar.
Fittingly, Westbrook is a sound candidate for the MVP award this season with a price +350, and take note that he has a major chip on his shoulder regarding Durant’s cold departure. He has young guns at his disposal such as Steven Adams, Enes Kanter and Domantas Sabonis to help fight for his cause and impart his cunning basketball IQ unto, so don’t count OKC as a mere tease from the rest of the crowded West.
Long Shot
Sacramento Kings (+25,000)
The lowliest of NBA teams are far from being contenders because of inexperience (76ers) or poor chemistry between coaches and players (Nets). Unfortunately for the Sacramento Kings, they embody both negative traits.
The Kings always have more off-court drama than most teams, which greatly affects their already strange chemistry as a basketball team. The upper management helmed by Vivek Ranadive and Vlade Divac don’t know how to run the franchise as a cohesive unit as they often find themselves in search of whoever wants to coach the team on a whim, a player that just wants to play for the money, or both.
The only bright spot for Sacramento is that they have a highly-talented big man in DeMarcus Cousins. However, Cousins has the personality of a spoiled brat, and that’s probably because he’s just as fed up with this flawed organization as the fans are. You’ve been warned: stay far, far away from these kings of dysfunction.
Writer’s Prediction
The Warriors (-175) find themselves back as the alpha males of the league when all is said and done.
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