NBA Finals Betting Odds: Cavs The Favorite In The East? Warriors, Rockets With The Top Overall Odds?

To little surprise, betting odds for the NBA Finals have dramatically shifted since the start of the conference semifinals and look particularly one-sided for the Eastern Conference teams. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics both have 3-0 leads in their best-of-seven series, leaving the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers as major underdogs.

There had been some doubts about Cleveland after a somewhat uninspired regular season and with the Raptors looking like a team on the rise. But the Cavs are now 6/1 favorites to win the NBA title, while the Celtics, who lost two star players, are listed at 20/1.

Cleveland is the favorite to come out of the East at 4/7 odds, while Boston is at 7/5 odds. The Sixers have 30/1 odds to reach the finals, while the Raptors are a 100/1 longshot.

Before the start of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Raptors, who owned home-court advantage throughout the conference playoffs, had the best odds of any East team to win the NBA title at 41/4, according to BetOnline. The Sixers had the second-best odds at 23/2. The Cavs and Celtics were listed at 33/2 and 80/1, respectively.

But the winner of the finals is still expected to come from the Western Conference.

Ahead of Sunday's Game 4, the Golden State Warriors have a 2-1 lead on the New Orleans Pelicans, while the Houston Rockets have a 2-1 lead on the Utah Jazz. Both the Warriors and Rockets are expected to advance, as oddsmakers like their chances of taking the title: the Warriors have 5/9 odds on winning the NBA FInals, while the Rockets are listed at 2/1.

Oddsmakers don't expect any upsets in the Western Conference playoffs. The Pelicans and Jazz both have 60/1 odds to reach the finals. The defending champion Warriors (10/19) have the edge over the Rockets (8/5) to advance to the finals.

The Warriors, who have reached the finals three straight years, have long been considered the favorite to win the finals in 2018. In October 2017, Steve Kerr's squad was listed at 5/8 odds to win the finals and 4/11 odds to reach the finals.

NBA Finals Betting Odds (VegasInsider.com)

Golden State Warriors, 5/9

Houston Rockets, 2/1

Cleveland Cavaliers, 6/1

Boston Celtics, 20/1

Philadelphia 76ers, 100/1

Utah Jazz, 125/1

New Orleans Pelicans, 150/1

Toronto Raptors, 250/1