Early 2020 NBA Finals Line: Western Conference Opens as Heavy Favorite; Odds of a California Team and LA Team Winning Set Pretty Short

• The Clippers and Lakers are the two biggest favorites to win the NBA Championship in the 2019-20 season
• Six of the top-eight teams are from the Western Conference
• Only the 76ers and Bucks are considered serious threats from the East

Hollywood leads the way when it comes to the teams favored to win the NBA championship in the 2019-20 season. The Clippers are the early chalk at +340 odds, followed by the Lakers at +450. Add in the revamped Rockets and still-dangerous Warriors, and oddsmakers see the Western Conference as a huge favorite to win the 2020 NBA title.

Odds to Win 2020 NBA Finals

Odds as of 15/07/19.

It’s pretty clear why the West is heavily favored here. There are seven teams in the West that have a real chance to contend for a title. That’s scary. In addition the the trio of aforementioned California teams and the Rockets, each of the Nuggets, Jazz and Blazers have designs on a deep playoff run.

With Kawhi and LeBron not in the East anymore, only the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks represent the East in the top-eight title favorites.

Despite losing Jimmy Butler and JJ Redick, the Sixers arguably got stronger by adding the likes of Al Horford and Josh Richardson. That said, they have a lot of new pieces and counting on Brett Brown to piece them together properly is not a safe bet.

The Bucks had a very quiet offseason and will head into 2019-20 slightly weaker than last year thanks to losing Malcolm Brogdon in free agency.

Best Bet: Western Conference Champion (-350)

Will the 2020 NBA Title Come From California?

Sorry to the Sacramento Kings, but this is a shorthand way of referring to the Clippers, Lakers and Warriors.

It would be pretty cool to see the Kings make the playoffs, but the West is just too good for them to even sniff a playoff spot at this point in time.

I’m not ready to write off the Warriors just yet. They still have Steph Curry and Draymond Green, plus D’Angelo Russell and eventually Klay Thompson. The Warriors are still a top-five team in the West.

With that being said, they likely aren’t going to win a championship. Their roster just doesn’t have the depth to do so right now.

"I would put our roster up against anybody."

Anthony Davis feels as if the Lakers could win any 7-game series. pic.twitter.com/aZpThTGuuE

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 14, 2019

That’s not scaring me off this best, as a whole, though. The Lakers and Clippers have more depth from top to bottom and more firepower.

Your best bet is to go with California on this one.

Best Bet: California (+140)

Will a Los Angeles Team Win the 2020 NBA Championship?

The California odds are a nice way to throw the Warriors into the picture, but, as mentioned above, the Clippers and Lakers are the stronger teams right now. Nobody would knock you at this point for picking either.

It’s safe to say the Clippers, on paper, are probably the best team right now. Considering Kawhi Leonard just went to Toronto and won a championship and has multiple on his resume now, the Clippers have both the top-end talent and roster depth to go all the way. Paul George and Lou Williams paired with the NBA Finals MVP give the Clippers a ton of scoring to mix with strong role players in Patrick Beverley, Montrezl Harrell and Landry Shamet.

Meanwhile, LeBron James has a superstar in Anthony Davis and a year in Hollywood under his belt. He’s also got another dynamic big man in DeMarcus Cousins, an NBA champion in Danny Green, and good role players in Kyle Kuzma, Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley and Jared Dudley.

At +170 odds, I like this bet even more than the California bet, above, since I’m writing off the Kings and not putting any faith in the Warriors getting back to the NBA summit.

Best Bet: Los Angeles (+170)