NBA Finals 2016: Odds and Predictions for Championship Series

Las Vegas likes the Cleveland Cavaliers out of the Eastern Conference in the 2016 NBA Finals.

It’s not too hard to see why—the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors are still gridlocked in the Western Conference Finals while LeBron James and Co. get to sit back and rest.

That’s not the only reason, of course. Cleveland only losing two games the entire postseason is certainly one way to change the narrative surrounding the championship series, which previously looked like a Western Conference wash.

Here’s a look at the odds and predictions for the 2016 Finals. 

Championship Odds

Predictions The Team to Meet Cleveland is…

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…Oklahoma City.

This might be a different story if Stephen Curry and the Warriors hadn’t dug themselves such a hole. Going down 3-1 to a team headlined by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook isn’t ideal, though, to say the least.

Golden State stayed alive in Game 5, 120-111, but did so at home while getting 31 points from Curry and dominating the paint, outscoring the Thunder down low 48-30.

A repeat seems unlikely, though. Look at the two games that have already occurred in Oklahoma City. Game 3 was a 133-105 whipping in favor of the Thunder. It was more of the same in Game 4, a 118-94 throttling.

Just ask Curry, who understands how tough it is to go on the road in this series.

“It will take all of our IQ, all of our gamesmanship, and just 48 great minutes to get a win down there, considering how the last two games have gone,” Curry said, according to ESPN.com.

The Thunder have simply been the better team this series. As a bonus, Durant …

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