Warriors tip off as favorites against Cavaliers in 2017 NBA finals

The 2017 NBA Finals tip off this Thursday with Game 1 in Oakland, a familiar site for the annual championship series as the favored Golden State Warriors have home-court advantage against the underdog Cleveland Cavaliers for the third consecutive year.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Last year, the Cavs rallied back from a 3-1 deficit to stun the Warriors and win their first-ever NBA title. This year, Cleveland is again listed as a dog to win the NBA Finals at +200 (bet $100 to win $200) while Golden State is -240 chalk (bet $240 to win $100).

The big difference this time around obviously is that the Cavs are the defending champs, with the Warriors countering their title by adding Kevin Durant last offseason. Golden State beat Cleveland in six games two years ago for the title, although the Cavs lost point guard Kyrie Irving at the end of Game 1 and did not get much from anyone but LeBron James the rest of the way.