NBA Finals Predictions 2/19/19, Will Warriors roll to another title?

NBA Finals Predictions

As the last state of the NBA regular season gets started later this week, it may be time to consider placing down a wager on who will win the NBA Finals. Which teams have the value to earn a payout for you?

According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the Golden State Warriors are the current favorite to win the NBA Finals, as they are getting odds of -200 to win. Other short odds to win are the Milwaukee Bucks (+1000), the Toronto Raptors (+1200), the Boston Celtics (+1400), the Houston Rockets (+1400) and the Philadelphia 76ers (+1400).

The Favorite

The Golden State Warriors are the understandable favorite and the team that would be hard to pass up when having to a pick a winner. Despite a slow start to the season, Golden State is back on top of the West right now and just recently added DeMarcus Cousins to the starting lineup. Golden State is 41-16 on the season with a 22-7 record at home and 19-9 record on the road. They have the most offensive firepower of anyone and still look to have that championship hunger in what could be the last season where all these stars stick together.

Other Top Contenders

Among the other favorites, the teams that stand out are the Toronto Raptors (12/1) and the Philadelphia 76ers (14/1). The Raptors have a lot of veteran experience and actually play some defense, which tends to be an important factor come the postseason. Kawhi Leonard is playing hard and has a chip on his shoulder in a wide open East. Philadelphia has arguably the most talent in the East, especially with adding Tobias Harris. However, Philly may not have the maturity to come through in big games. They are still relatively young and seem to get easily rattled. Both teams should have good top-4 seeding to open the East.

Stay Away

The Milwaukee Bucks (10/1) and Houston Rockets (14/1) are two teams I don’t have great feelings about with their shorter odds. Houston has just been a team that ultimately lets you down in the postseason and its hard to look past that. I also don’t look at Mike D’Antoni as a high-caliber coach come the postseason and James Harden has yet to have that signature moment in the playoffs as well. For the Bucks, I like their talent, but this is not a roster of players that have a lot of big-game playoff experience. You have to learn to crawl before you walk and I think the Bucks will learn some hard lessons this postseason before becoming a top contender next year.

Longshot options

The Oklahoma City Thunder are appealing to me at 25/1 right now. They are third in the West right now and have had flashes of playing the best basketball in the league. Paul George is shooting at a high level and giving Russell Westbrook someone he can rely on for scoring. If Westbrook can focus on being a point guard and not a scorer, the Thunder could really be a problem for anyone in the league, including the Warriors. The Denver Nuggets are at 40/1 and I think there is value there as well. Denver is second in the West, just two games behind Golden State. The Nuggets are 25-4 at home this year. If they can find a way to hold firm at No. 2, or even sneak into the top spot, they will be a very difficult out come the playoffs. The Nuggets haven’t been at full strength all year and still are playing very well. If they heal up, I think Denver has a real chance to make some noise.