NBA 2016-2017 Season Preview

There are plenty of teams capable of winning the NBA finals this season but to do that they will have to navigate their way past the likes of Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cleveland Cavaliers managed to get revenge on Golden State Warriors last season in an emphatic 4-3 win after losing 4-2 to them the season before. Cleveland Cavaliers managed to come back from a 3-1 deficit and pip Golden State Warriors to the championship in what would have been the Warriors second on the bounce. It’s not surprising to see both teams heading the list of favourites thanks to getting in the finals for the last two seasons running and odds would suggest both teams will be in the mix for the upcoming 2016/2017 season as well. The NBA betting odds have Golden State Warriors favourites to win the upcoming season at 5/6 with Cleveland Cavaliers following them closely at odds of 3/1. There are a few other teams in the mix this year all capable of winning the finals and with the experience of San Antonio Spurs doesn’t put them out of contention with odds of 7/1 either.

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It’s surprising to see Miami Heat struggling in recent years seeing as they were such a force in the previous 4 seasons prior to the last two – but with the loss of Lebron James to the Cleveland Cavaliers hasn’t done them any justice, they can still be backed at 40/1 to win the championship if you think they can change their fortunes around. Other teams such as the New York Knicks and LA Lakers don’t look like they have enough quality in their rosters to compete with the favourites which is why they can be backed at a massive 40/1 and 150/1 respectively.

oklahoma-city-thunderOklahoma City Thunder looked like they were getting backed for a fair amount when they were at 7/1 to win the upcoming championships; however, they have now drifted to a massive 33/1 which was all to do with Kevin Durant ditching them for the Golden State Warriors, making them even more superior in the process. That doesn’t necessarily put Oklahoma City Thunder out of contention either as they have managed to keep the core of their roster from last season so with a brilliant replacement they could be up there come the end of the season. Boston Celtics (20/1), LA Clippers (22/1), and Toronto Raptors (28/1) shouldn’t be written off just yet as they look to their roster for some additional improvements.

The Dallas Mavericks haven’t come up with a lot in recent seasons which is why they can be backed as high as 80/1. Other teams such as the Memphis Grizzlies (66/1) or Indiana Pacers (66/1) might spring a surprise but with the quality in front of them it would be hard to see anything happen. It’s definitely going to take something special for anyone other than the Golden State Warriors to get into another NBA final for the third time in a row especially now as they have Kevin Durant added to their already strong roster. The only teams that can pip them to the title this season is the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs, all of the other teams will definitely have to come up with something spectacular. Cleveland Cavaliers are playing great at the moment and with odds of 3/1 would suggest they have a very good chance of retaining their title. Boston Celtics have been tipped to the title at a massive 20/1, which is good enough for an each way bet at least.

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