The Knicks are the favorites to win the NBA championship following Wednesday's Game 1 victory in San Antonio.
The odds shift marks the first time all season that an Eastern Conference team has sat atop the oddsboard, a position dominated by the Thunder until their elimination.
The Knicks entered the Finals as +165 underdogs (37.7% implied win probability) against the Victor Wembanyama-led Spurs, but they're now priced at -125 (59.2%) on theScore Bet to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the first time since 1973.
New York was a 5.5-point underdog for the series opener and trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half. But Jalen Brunson's 30-point performance and Karl-Anthony Towns' defensive effort on Wembanyama helped lead the comeback and secure the Knicks' 12th straight playoff victory.
Brunson is now the favorite to win Finals MVP at even money, with Wembanyama trailing closely at +125, the same odds that the Spurs are to win the title. Towns ranks third on the MVP oddsboard at +900.
But Knicks fans shouldn't prepare to see the banner rise just yet. Three of the past five champions - the 2024-25 Thunder, 2021-22 Warriors, and 2020-21 Bucks - lost Game 1. Recent history has shown that Wednesday's result may not translate to the series' outcome.
Game 2 of the NBA Finals is Friday, and the Spurs - once again - are 5.5-point favorites.
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