With the 2017-18 NBA season set to start on Tuesday night, three teams find themselves at or near the top of the future odds to win the NBA Championship. All three teams will also be in action on NBA opening night with two competing in a rivalry that has really started to heat up over the offseason. Here's a look at the latest top NBA title contender odds for teams with the best chances of winning it all.
Golden State tops
It's not surprising that the reigning NBA Champions, the Golden State Warriors, are again the top contenders to win the NBA Finals.
They're bringing back their star-studded roster including two players who have a combined three MVP Awards amongst them. There's also All-Star players Draymond Green and Klay Thomspon for good measure.
The Golden State Warriors currently have 5 to 8 odds to win it all at the Vegas Insider website. They'll play on opening night this coming Tuesday when they host the Houston Rockets at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Most likely the banner will be raised to the rafters ahead of the game, while the players will receive their championship rings.
Cavs vs. Celtics
Last season's Eastern Conference Championship series was between the No. 1 seed Boston Celtics and No. 2 Cleveland Cavaliers. The Celtics' All-Star Isaiah Thomas became hurt early in the series and LeBron's team went on to win in a 4-1 outcome.
However, things became interesting during the offseason when Kyrie Irving requested to be traded. That was eventually granted as the team swapped Irving for the Celtics' Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and a draft pick.
The Cavaliers are the second favorites to win it all with odds of 7 to 2, while the Boston Celtics currently hold 8 to 1 odds to capture the NBA title.
The Cavs also added Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade to their roster in the offseason, while Boston moved Avery Bradley and Kelly Olynyk before signing coveted free agent Gordon Hayward. Boston also drafted Duke's Jayson Tatum with the No. 3 pick in the NBA Draft.
These two teams will meet in a highly-anticipated game on Tuesday night.
While Isaiah Thomas won't be on the floor, it's expected that Kyrie Irving will make his return to the city he began his career with.
Other contenders?
The shortlist of possible contenders for the NBA title also includes the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, and Oklahoma City Thunder. Each of these teams made offseason moves to try to compete in the Western Conference.
The Rockets acquired All-Star guard Chris Paul from the Clippers to join forces with NBA MVP finalist James Harden. The Spurs signed longtime veteran Rudy Gay to join their roster. Meanwhile, OKC made major waves as they were able to make trades for All-Star players Paul George from the Pacers and Carmelo Anthony from the Knicks.
As the time of this report, Houston and San Antonio had 12 to 1 odds to win it all, while OKC had 16 to 1 odds. The Minnesota Timberwolves who added Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson, and Jeff Teague this offseason are next closest with 33 to 1 odds.