Can anyone stop the Golden State Warriors this season, or are San Francisco’s finest looking at a 7th NBA title?

It is safe to say the Warriors have had the NBA on lock in the last few years. Even before Kevin Durant arrived from the Oklahoma Thunder in 2016/17, the California team were regular fixtures in the finals, winning in 2015 before losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. Durant then became a 2 time NBA Final MVP as he helped the Warriors to victories in 2017 and 2018, both coming at the expense of the Cavaliers.



With 3 Championships in 4 seasons, Golden State are unsurprisingly odds-on favourites to secure a 3rd consecutive title at 4/7, and look uncontested in both the Western Conference, at 4/11, and the Pacific Division, at 1/50.

Interestingly, however, they aren’t followed by their usual foes. Despite appearing in the last 4 finals, including 2016’s triumph, the Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves at a whopping 200/1. That’s because they no longer LeBron James at their disposal.

James left Ohio for the Los Angeles Lakers, perhaps the most internationally recognisable NBA brand but nevertheless a side that hasn’t won a title since 2010. The arrival of a player that many think is the greatest of all-time is, in theory, a huge boost to the Lakers’ fortunes; yet they still only sit at 12/1 to win the Championship, in part because they find themselves in the same Pacific Division as the Warriors.

The side that perhaps look most likely to challenge the Golden State’s golden run are the Boston Celtics, the most successful team in the history of the NBA. News that Kyrie Irving would be resigning next summer appears to have helped the mood in the Celtics camp, with the Massachusettsans at a fixed odds price of 6/1. That despite the fact they haven’t won a Championship in a decade, and haven’t reached the playoff finals since 2010’s losing effort.

As for the other teams expected to be in the mix, the Houston Rockets are at 8/1, with the Phildadelphia 76ers at 12/1 and the Toronto Raptors at 14/1.