After both teams dominated their respective competition so far in the playoffs, Las Vegas believes the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers will be competitive.
And once again, LeBron James' team will be the underdog.
The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook installed Golden State as a minus-260 favorite, with Cleveland at plus-220.
A $100 bet on the Warriors would win $38.46; the same bet on the Cavaliers would win $220.
Stations Casino opened odds on a Cavs-Warriors Finals on Wednesday at Golden State -220/Cleveland +180, with $10,000 limits. Sportsbook director Chuck Esposito told ESPN that the ticket count has been nearly identical, but larger wagers have been on the Warriors.
The odds were up to Warriors -330/Cavs +250 on Thursday afternoon.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, James will enter the Finals as an underdog for the sixth time in eight career appearances.
These are by far the slimmest odds the Warriors have had to win a series this postseason. Golden State was a minus-20,000 favorite against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the postseason, minus-10,000 against the Utah Jazz in the second round and minus-1,600 to win against the San Antonio Spurs.
Golden State's Kevin Durant opened as the favorite to be named NBA Finals MVP on Wednesday at William Hill, the first Nevada sportsbook to offer odds on the Finals MVP.
Durant is listed at 7-5, followed by Stephen Curry at 8-5.
James, a three-time Finals MVP, is next at 2-1.
The NBA Finals begin June 1 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. The Warriors are a 7-point favorite at Westgate.
