- The series most likely to happen according to the odds is the Thunder vs the Knicks at -101.
- A potential matchup between James Harden and the Cavaliers against his former team in the Thunder is +559.
OKLAHOMA CITY – Just over a week away from the NBA Finals beginning, what would be the most interesting matchup to watch out of the possible pairings?
There are a few things to consider when making this list, namely how competitive the series would be, star power, and narratives.
At this point, the Thunder remain as the favorite to win the title at -110 odds, followed by the Spurs at +200, then the Knicks at +450, and lastly the Cavaliers, who are long shots with +3000 odds.
#1: Oklahoma City Thunder vs New York Knicks (-101)
The most likely series, according to the odds at NBA betting sites, there would be plenty of storylines heading into this matchup. With the Thunder, you automatically have the two-time MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and attempt at back-to-back titles built into the narrative, but it is amplified even more when facing the biggest media market in America.
The Thunder had won their first eight games of the postseason before losing Game 1 to the Spurs, while the Knicks are currently riding an eight game win streak of their own after pulling off their biggest playoff comeback in franchise history in Game 1, overcoming a 22 point deficit.
A championship for New York would mark their first NBA championship since 1973, ending a 53 year drought. They have +450 odds to pull off the feat ahead of Game 2.
#2: San Antonio Spurs vs New York Knicks (+206)
The two biggest media markets remaining in each conference almost took the number one spot, but is trumped by the Thunder’s chance to make history as the first team to repeat since the Warriors in 2018.
If Victor Wembanyama were able to take home Finals MVP with a Spurs victory, he would be just the fourth player in NBA history to win the award at the age of 22 or younger, joining Magic Johnson (who did it twice), Kawhi Leonard, and Tim Duncan.
It would also be an extremely entertaining matchup for the guard position, as Jalen Brunson would face off against the trio of Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and De’Aaron Fox (assuming health) who’ve given SGA a hard time through the first two games.
#3: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Cleveland Cavaliers (+559)
The biggest player headline of any series would certainly be James Harden facing off against the team that drafted him and sent him to the Rockets early in his career. Harden is widely regarded as one of the greatest players to never win a ring, so for him to have an opportunity to do it against his former team would be an awesome narrative to follow.
The problem with this series would be that the Thunder would likely come in as heavy Oklahoma sports betting favorites and the potential to win in five games or less, mainly because of Cleveland’s disability to assert themselves as true contenders. They’ve gone to seven games in each of the first two rounds and blew a 20+ point lead in Game 1 of the conference finals.
#4: San Antonio Spurs vs Cleveland Cavaliers (+917)
Spurs vs. Cavs takes the final spot on the list simply because of how great the other matchups would be. It also has the longest odds to happen out of any possible series at legal sports betting sites.
It would be intriguing to see how the Cavs’ big man tandem of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley could match up against Wembanyama, as well as the veteran guard duo of James Harden and Donovan Mitchell against San Antonio’s youthful backcourt.
The Cavaliers won both games against the Spurs in the regular season, both in December, but each team looks dramatically different than they did back in the winter, especially considering the fact that Harden was not on the team either game and Wembanyama was out for the second matchup.
