Who’s Favored in the NBA Finals?

The 2017 NBA Finals are just around the corner, and fans are wondering who’s favored to win it all. The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers are the two teams that have made it to the Finals for the last three years in a row, and both teams have strong records this season. So who’s favored to win the 2017 NBA Finals?

The Teams

The Los Angeles Lakers are favored to win the NBA Finals. They have the best record in the league and are led by two of the best players in the world. The Lakers are a complete team and have been the best team in the NBA all season. The Miami Heat are the defending champions and are led by one of the best players in the world. They have a lot of experience and have been to the Finals in three of the last four seasons.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league’s Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their home games at Staples Center, an arena shared with the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association. The Lakers are one of the most successful teams in the history of the NBA, having won 16 NBA championships, their last being in 2010.

Miami Heat

The Miami Heat are a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Southeast Division. They play their home games at the American Airlines Arena. The team owner is Micky Arison, while Pat Riley serves as the team president and head coach.

The Miami Heat were formed in 1988 as an expansion team. They won their first NBA championship in 2006, after which they went on to win two more titles in 2012 and 2013. They are currently the only NBA team to have won three consecutive championships since the 1970s Boston Celtics.

The Heat have made the NBA Finals six times, losing on three occasions to the Dallas Mavericks (2011), the San Antonio Spurs (2014), and the Houston Rockets (2015).

The Players

When it comes to the NBA Finals, there are always a few players that rise to the occasion. These are the players that have what it takes to take their team to the next level and win the championship. This year, there are a few players that are favored to do just that.

LeBron James

LeBron James is widely considered one of the best basketball players in the world and has been since he was drafted first overall in 2003. He’s a four-time NBA MVP, three-time champion, and 14-time All-Star. James is also one of only four players in NBA history to average more than 27 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists per game for his career.

During the 2017-18 season, James averaged 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game while leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to their fourth consecutive NBA Finals appearance. He’s widely expected to be named MVP of the Finals for the third time in his career if the Cavaliers are able to win the title.

Anthony Davis

Entering his seventh season in the league, all with the Pelicans, the 6-10 Davis has averaged 23.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 29.5 percent from three-point range. He’s been an All-Star in each of the past six seasons and was named first-team All-NBA in 2015 and 2017. He was second-team All-NBA in 2016 and 2018.

Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing one year of college basketball for Tyler Junior College, he transferred to Marquette University. Butler was drafted with the 30th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. He was named to the NBA All-Star team in 2015 and 2018. In 2019, he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, where he led them to the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals.

The Coaches

Both the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers have great coaches. Steve Kerr of the Warriors has been praised for his ability to manage egos and get the best out of his players. Tyronn Lue of the Cavaliers has been praised for his defensive game plans. So, who’s favored in the NBA Finals?

Frank Vogel

The Los Angeles Lakers are favored to win the 2020 NBA Finals. They are coached by Frank Vogel.

Erik Spoelstra

Erik Spoelstra is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach of the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A native of Portland, Oregon, Spoelstra played college basketball for the University of Portland Pilots. He later became a video coordinator and assistant coach for the team. In 1997, he joined the Heat as their video coordinator, and eventually rose to become their assistant coach and eventually their head coach.

Under Spoelstra, the Miami Heat have appeared in four NBA Finals in 2006, 2011, 2012, and 2013, winning titles in 2012 and 2013. He is one of only 11 coaches in NBA history to win consecutive championships. In his 23 seasons as an NBA head coach (all with Miami), Spoelstra has compiled a regular season record of 620–434 (.587),[1] making him the winningest head coach in Heat history.

The Matchups

This year’s NBA Finals features the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors. The Warriors are looking to win their third straight title, while the Raptors are looking to win their first. These are two very evenly matched teams. Let’s take a look at the matchups.

Lakers vs. Heat

It’s been a long time coming, but the 2020 NBA Finals are finally here. After a tumultuous regular season and an even crazier playoff run, the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat will face off in a best-of-seven series to decide who will be crowned this year’s champion.

This year’s Finals matchup is a rematch of sorts, as the two teams met in last year’s playoffs, with the Lakers coming out on top in six games. But this time around, both teams look different. The Lakers have added All-Star big man Anthony Davis to their already stacked lineup, while the Heat have gotten much better production from their supporting cast, including breakout star Bam Adebayo.

So who’s favored to win this year’s NBA Finals? Let’s take a look at the odds:

The Lakers are currently favored to win the series by most oddsmakers, with most books listing them at -250 (meaning you’d have to bet $250 to win $100). The Heat, meanwhile, are listed at +200 (meaning you’d win $200 on a $100 bet), meaning most oddsmakers believe they have about a 33 percent chance of winning the series.

So why are the Lakers favored? Well, they certainly have the more talented roster on paper, with Davis and LeBron James leading the way. They also have more playoff experience than the Heat, which could be important in a close series. And finally, they’re playing at home for Game 1 and Game 7 (if necessary), which could be crucial in a close series.

Of course, anything can happen in a seven-game series, and we saw that last year when the underdog Raptors won it all. But if you had to bet on one team to win it all right now, the Lakers would be your best bet.

James vs. Butler

In the battle of the superstars, it’s clear that LeBron James has the edge over Jimmy Butler. James has won three NBA championships and been named Finals MVP twice, while Butler has never won a title or been named Finals MVP. Additionally, James has averaged more points, rebounds, and assists per game in his career than Butler.

Butler does have some advantages over James. He’s a better shooter, averaging a higher field goal percentage and three-point percentage than James. Additionally, Butler is known for his tenacious defense, something that could come in handy against a player like James.

Ultimately, it’s hard to bet against a player like LeBron James in the NBA Finals. He’s done it before and he’s proven that he can rise to the occasion when it matters most.

Vogel vs. Spoelstra

The 2019 NBA Finals will feature two of the league’s best coaches in Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat and Frank Vogel of the Los Angeles Lakers. Both coaches have led their teams to the NBA Finals, with Spoelstra doing so twice and Vogel once.

Spoelstra is known for his player development, as he has helped turn players like Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic into All-Stars. He also has a reputation for being able to make adjustments on the fly, as he did in the 2014 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.

Vogel, on the other hand, is known for his defensive prowess. He was able to turn the Indiana Pacers into one of the best defensive teams in the league when he was their head coach. He also has experience coaching superstars, as he coached Kobe Bryant during his final season with the Lakers.

Given their experience and success, both coaches are sure to have their teams ready to compete for an NBA title. However, only one can come out on top. Who do you think will be victorious?

The Predictions

The Golden State Warriors are once again the favorite to win the NBA Finals. They’re coming off a dominant regular season in which they won a league-best 67 games. They’re battle-tested and they have the experience of winning two championships in the last three years.

ESPN

ESPN’s analysts have provided their predictions for the NBA Finals, and the results are in.

According to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index (BPI), the Golden State Warriors are favored to win the NBA Finals. The Warriors have a 58.6 percent chance of winning the championship, while the Cleveland Cavaliers have a 41.4 percent chance.

In terms of individual matchups, ESPN’s BPI gives the Warriors a significant advantage in every matchup except for LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant. In that matchup, James is actually favored to come out on top.

The Cavaliers are going to need James to play at an MVP level if they want to have any chance of winning the championship.

Bleacher Report

According to Bleacher Report, the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks are favored to meet in the 2020 NBA Finals. The Lakers are led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, while the Bucks are led by Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Sports Illustrated

Golden State is favored to win the 2019 NBA Finals.

The Warriors are five-time NBA champions, and they have won three of the last four NBA Finals. They have a strong core of experienced players, including two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant, three-time All-Star Stephen Curry, and five-time All-Star Klay Thompson.

The Warriors are also well coached, with head coach Steve Kerr winning Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2016. He has led the team to the playoffs in each of his five seasons as head coach, and the Warriors have won at least 60 games in each of those seasons.

The Raptors are a strong team, but they have never won an NBA Championship. They have never even been to the NBA Finals. They are led by two-time All-Star Kawhi Leonard, who was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016. Leonard is a great player, but he has never been to the NBA Finals himself.

The Raptors also have a good coach in Nick Nurse, who was named Coach of the Year in 2018. However, Nurse has only been head coach for one season, and he has never coached in the playoffs before.

So while the Raptors are a good team, they are not as experienced or as well coached as the Warriors. That’s why Sports Illustrated is predicting that the Warriors will win the 2019 NBA Finals.