Shorthanded performance has Cavaliers installed as 2016 title favorites
Continuity is an underdog against refinement around one unbelievable building block.
The otherworldly, herculean performance of LeBron James in the 2015 NBA Finals did not ultimately end in a third championship for the world's best player, but it has convinced bookmakers that another ring is coming sometime soon.
The title odds for the 2016 season have the Cleveland Cavaliers as 9-to-4 favorites, ahead of the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder at 5-to-1.
The Warriors won the 2015 title in six games over James' Cavs. With little roster turnover expected, an excellent system already in place, and one of the best seasons in league history in the books, the Warriors seem the obvious choice to win again in 2016. Continuity is a beautiful thing in basketball, and it can really help keep a team among the elite without outside help.
But the Cavs got to within two wins of a title amid ridiculous circumstances that essentially had James playing single-handedly. Next year, they'll get Kyrie Irving and Anderson Varejao back and healthy, they'll add the No. 24 pick in the draft, and they have an enormous trade chip in the $10.5-million, non-guaranteed salary of Brendan Haywood. They'll also have the opportunity to re-sign Tristan Thompson and Iman Shumpert, exercise an option on Timofey Mozgov, and potentially re-sign Kevin Love, or land a player in return through sign-and-trade.
Cleveland can nearly match continuity with the Warriors and have the flexibility to add to the core if the team's willing to eat a sizeable luxury tax bill. Considering where the Cavs are without Love, Irving, Varejao, and much of a bench at all, that should terrify the rest of the league.
"You're seeing what the Cavs are doing right now without their second- and third-best players," Jay Kornegay, the director of the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, told CBSSports on Monday. "With LeBron James carrying the entire team on his back, (they pushed) the current best team to (six) games in the NBA Finals."
A lot can happen between now and next season, with the draft and free agency still to come. It's unfair to the other 28 teams, but it's hard not to imagine a repeat of this year's incredible finals.
Here's a look at the 2015-16 NBA Championship odds in their entirety.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Cavaliers | 9-4 |
| Warriors | 5-1 |
| Thunder | 5-1 |
| Clippers | 10-1 |
| Spurs | 12-1 |
| Bulls | 12-1 |
| Hawks | 20-1 |
| Pelicans | 20-1 |
| Rockets | 20-1 |
| Wizards | 30-1 |
| Pacers | 30-1 |
| Grizzlies | 30-1 |
| Raptors | 30-1 |
| Heat | 30-1 |
| Trail Blazers | 40-1 |
| Mavericks | 40-1 |
| Celtics | 80-1 |
| Bucks | 80-1 |
| Pistons | 80-1 |
| Jazz | 80-1 |
| Suns | 80-1 |
| Lakers | 80-1 |
| Nuggets | 80-1 |
| Knicks | 80-1 |
| Nets | 100-1 |
| Kings | 100-1 |
| 76ers | 200-1 |
| Magic | 200-1 |
| Timberwolves | 200-1 |
| Hornets | 200-1 |
(Odds courtesy: Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook)