Based on the Nba Playoffs 2018 odds, fans may see another Cavs vs. Warriors rematch for the championship. LeBron James is attempting to reach the NBA Finals in yet another NBA postseason run, this time with a rebuilt Cleveland Cavaliers' roster. After the departure of Kyrie Irving via trade, the team faltered in the first half of the season, bringing on a large trade that moved Isaiah Thomas and Channing Frye to the Los Angeles Lakers. Now the Cavs have new personnel on board with stars James and Kevin Love that includes Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr., Rodney Hood, and George Hill.
How are oddsmakers expecting them to do in this latest NBA Playoffs?
In a report on Friday from Odds Shark, the first-round NBA Playoff series odds are listed for the Eastern and Western Conference matchups. It's no surprise that the No. 1 seed Toronto Raptors are a heavy favorite to win their series over the Washington Wizards. Toronto is currently listed as a -650 favorite against the Wizards (+500).
However, the Cleveland Cavaliers are also -650 favorites as a No. 4 seed to defeat the No. 5 seed Indiana Pacers. Meanwhile, the second-overall seed, the Boston Celtics, are small favorites at -170 versus the No. 7 Milwaukee Bucks at +150. Boston suffered bad fortune this season in terms of injuries to the two major All-Star players they brought to the roster with Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving.
With neither in the lineup for the postseason, it has Milwaukee chomping at the bits for a possible upset.
Oddsmakers believe that the Cleveland Cavaliers are the favorites to emerge as the winner of the Eastern Conference. At Vegas Insider they list the Cavs as 11 to 10 favorites, followed by Toronto at 9 to 5, and the Philadelphia 76ers at 17/5.
This could be the first postseason in the past several where Cleveland will have some challenges ahead if they want to reach the NBA Finals, based on Toronto claiming the top spot, and Philadelphia's surge behind their young rising stars.
Based on the odds for what series fans will see as the 2018 NBA Finals, another Cavaliers vs.
Warriors matchup may be in store. The current price for that series is +345. Coming in second is a Raptors vs. Warriors Finals at +368 and a Cavs vs. Rockets matchup at +469. Many fans may be hoping for a bit of variety with a new championship series to watch next month.
In terms of winning that 2018 NBA Championship, the Cleveland Cavaliers are considered third-best for the odds to win. Currently, Lebron and company are +650 on the listing, with the Houston Rockets (+160) and Golden State Warriors (+135) above them on the list.