NBA Championship Odds: LeBron vs the Spurs round 3

These are the odds for every team to win the NBA championship via bodog sportsbook.

TEAM:                                CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS:

Cleveland Cavaliers          5/2

San Antonio Spurs             4/1

Chicago Bulls                     11/2

Oklahoma City Thunder    11/2

Los Angeles Clippers        10/1

Dallas Mavericks               20/1

Houston Rockets               20/1

Golden State Warriors      25/1

Washington Wizards         33/1

Portland Trail Blazers        40/1

Indiana Pacers                   50/1

Memphis Grizzlies             50/1

Miami Heat                         50/1

New York Knicks               50/1

Toronto Raptors                 50/1

Brooklyn Nets                    66/1

Charlotte Hornets              66/1

Los Angeles Lakers           66/1

Atlanta Hawks                    100/1

Denver Nuggets                100/1

New Orleans Pelicans       100/1

Phoenix Suns                      100/1

Boston Celtics                    200/1

Detroit Pistons                    200/1

Orlando Magic                    200/1

Sacramento Kings              250/1

Milwaukee Bucks               300/1

Minnesota Timberwolves   300/1

Utah Jazz                             300/1

Philadelphia 76ers               500/1

     After looking at the list there were a few things in particular that stood out to me.

     As you can see Vegas predicts for the 3rd straight season LeBron James will be going up against Popovich and the Spurs in the finals as they are the two teams with the highest odds in each conference. Although it makes sense that last season's NBA champions and a team that has 3 all stars one of whom who has 4 mvp trophies are the two title favourites its hard for me to believe that James can make it to his 5th straight finals appearance and an ever aging Spurs team can make it to the finals for the 3rd straight year.

     The Dallas Mavericks like the Cavs also made a huge jump in the rankings and now sit at 20/1 tying for the 6th best odds with the Rockets, the team who they stole Chandler Parsons from during the offseason. Personally I would hold the Golden State Warriors' odds, which are 25/1,  as the same as the Mavericks' and Rockets' but I guess the inclusion of a new coach this season leaves people a little wary.

     Finally I was surprised to see the New York Knicks who failed to make the playoffs last season ranked the same as the Toronto Raptors who finished as the 3rd seed. The Knicks have a slightly different although largely unimproved roster while the Raptors are bringing back the same guys while adding depth on the bench so it's mind boggling to me as to why they share the same 50/1 odds. I'm unsure whether the belief is that the Raptors won't improve this season or whether Phil Jackson becoming the Knicks GM has garnered Championship hype but either way I don't see a team that has to rely heavily on J.R. Smith making key plays winning a ring anytime soon.