Odds to Win the 2016 NBA Championship: Cavaliers, Warriors, Spurs
Gambling911.com has your odds to win the 2016 NBA Championship for teams that were currently among their respective conference leaders heading into Thanksgiving Day. These teams included the Warriors (16-0 at press time), Cavaliers and Spurs.
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San Antonio Spurs Odds to Win the 2016 NBA Championship
Offseason Changes
Marco Belinelli and Aron Baynes left for extraordinarily large contracts elsewhere, while Tiago Splitter was traded to Atlanta for the rights to Georgios Printezis (who probably won't leave Greece). The Spurs also traded a second-rounder for Ray McCallum Jr., then the real action began. Tim Duncan (two years, $10.4 million) and Manu Ginobili (two years, $5.8 million) took smaller deals so Danny Green (four years, $45 million) and Kawhi Leonard (five years, $90 million) could get bigger ones, while Matt Bonner came back on the cheap. On the free-agent market, Jimmer Fredette, Boban Marjanovic, Jonathon Simmons and David West all signed small deals, while the massive deal went to LaMarcus Aldridge, who left Portland for $80 million over four years.
Strengths
Getting Aldridge was the move of the offseason as he allows Duncan to play as little as possible, which leaves him fresh for the playoffs, where he was the Spurs' best player last season. Leonard coming back was huge, as was Green, as they have both bought into the Spurs' culture of winning. Boris Diaw and West off the bench is a scary thought for the opposition, while the Spurs have a few backups for Tony Parker as he gets older. And of course, it all starts with Gregg Popovich, one of the best coaches that the NBA has ever seen. He doesn't care what anyone thinks, he does what is best for the Spurs, and that's why they've been so good for so long.
Weaknesses
Parker and Ginobili are going to miss some games, that is a fact, so that is where the likes of Green, Patty Mills and company have to step up and keep the team ticking; luckily, they have a monster of a frontcourt, so they don't have to do everything. But that's really about it in terms of weaknesses for the Spurs, who are only going to be slowed down by injuries.
Golden State Warriors Odds to Win the 2016 NBA Championship
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Strengths
It is one thing to come up with a plan to shoot a lot of three-point shots, but to be great at it is another thing. Curry and Klay Thompson broke their own NBA record for most three-pointers by a pair of teammates, and the Warriors shot a staggering 39.8% from beyond the arc. If you try to double-team Curry or Thompson, they're good enough passers to find the open man and defenses are left scattering around the perimeter. Everyone accepts their roles in Steve Kerr's (who set the record for wins by a rookie head coach) system and it led to Andre Igoudala coming off the bench during the regular season, yet winning the Finals MVP. The key to it all might be Draymond Green, who is physical enough to play the center at times, and that allows the Warriors to play havoc on the offensive end.
Weaknesses
Green played at center so much partly because Andrew Bogut could only play 23.6 minutes per game, but Marreese Speights and Festus Ezeli filled in for him when the Warriors went to a traditional lineup. Harrison Barnes wants a contract extension and reportedly turned down $64 million over four years, so that could hang over the team. However, this is just nit-picking. The biggest worry is that the rest of the league has come up with new ways to slow down the Warriors, who led the league with 110.0 points, more than three points higher than the Los Angeles Clippers. And even then, implementing that plan is easier said than done.
Cleveland Cavaliers Odds to Win the 2016 NBA Championship
- Tyrone Black, Gambling911.com
