Odds for championship trending Warriors’ way

The Golden State Warriors, after adding All-Star forward Kevin Durant, became big favorites at the start of the the season. Now on the eve of the playoffs, the team is, in bookmakers’ eyes, even more likely to win the title, with odds of -175. That means bettors must wager $175 to win $100 on a Warriors championship.

It also means the odds of the Warriors going all the way are better than the other 15 playoff teams combined, said Jeff Sherman, basketball specialist at the Westgate Las Vegas sports book.

At the Westgate, you can bet that the Warriors won’t win the title — in essence a bet on all of the other 15 playoff teams — and get odds of +155 (bet $100, win $155, if Golden State isn’t the last team standing).

Casinos haven’t posted odds like these on a basketball team in two decades, Sherman said, since the Chicago Bulls went 72-10 in 1995-96. Following that season, the Bulls’ odds to repeat as champs were -125, not as dramatic as those of the Warriors.

Following the Warriors on the odds sheet are the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers at 3 to 1, the San Antonio Spurs at 8 to 1, and the Boston Celtics at 14 to 1. The Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors are all 20 to 1.

In the Eastern Conference, Cleveland remains the heavy favorite at 1 to 2 (bet $200 to win $100 if the Cavs win the East) despite inconsistent play down the stretch. Cleveland’s defense has been abysmal since the All-Star break, and during the season’s final month the Cavs lost to mediocre teams such as the Denver Nuggets and the Bulls.

The resurgent Celtics are next in the East at 9 to 2, with the Raptors and Wizards following at 6 to 1. So many people bet on Cleveland throughout the season, Sherman said, that even with some money coming in this week on the Boston Celtics and other Eastern Conference contenders, it doesn’t dramatically affect the betting line.

In the West, the Warriors are -350 to win the conference, followed by the Spurs at 4 to 1 and Rockets 10 to 1.

By law, Nevada sports books can’t offer betting on NBA MVP or Rookie of the Year, Sherman said, but online booking sites such as Bovada.lv can. The race appears to be down to two players: The favorite is the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook at -140 (bet $140 to win $100), and Houston’s James Harden is not far behind at -105.

For NBA Rookie of the Year, Philadelphia 76ers forward Dario Saric is the favorite at -240. He was a long shot until teammate Joel Embiid suffered a mid-season injury. But Embiid remains second in this category, with odds of +275.