Vegas Sours on Cavs NBA Championship Odds After Struggles vs Pacers

• Cleveland’s championship odds have plummeted after a prolonged series against the Pacers. Can LeBron lead the Cavs back to the NBA Finals?
• Will the 76ers make quick work of the shorthanded Celtics?
• Are the Warriors a sure bet to return to the Finals for the fourth straight year?

LeBron James’ streak of seven straight NBA Finals appearances could be coming to an end. Cleveland’s average odds to win the 2018 NBA Championship have grown from +675 on April 12th to +1000 on April 30th across a number of top online betting sites. The Cavs are currently available as short as +1000 and as long as +1750.

Those ballooning figures are largely a reflection of the Cavs’ struggles against the Pacers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Cleveland needed seven games – and several fortuitous calls – to eliminate Indiana and advance to the second round against the Raptors.

LeBron was magnificent throughout, leading the Cavs in points, minutes, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, but his teammates pulled off the kind of disappearing act that would make David Copperfield jealous.

No other Cavalier averaged more than 11.4 points per game, and Cleveland averaged just 95 points per game on 43% shooting from the field. Their ineptitude was painfully obvious in Game 1, as the Cavs turned the ball over 17 times and were held to just 80 points. It was the first playoff-opening loss for LeBron in his 15-year career, and it left him searching for answers afterwards.

The Cavaliers will now face the Raptors, whom they took two of three against during the regular season. LeBron has historically beaten Toronto like a rented mule, but there’s reason to believe the Drakes are ready to turn the corner this year. The Raptors finished in the top five in offensive and defensive ranking this season and have the highest scoring bench in the league.

Toronto restructured its entire offense this year for the express purpose of defeating the Cavaliers, and Dwane Casey and Co. aren’t about to waste this opportunity to finally overthrow the King.

The Cavaliers’ longer odds are also a testament to the maturation of the 76ers, who have been showing off more poise than process lately. Philadelphia has won 21 of it’s last 22 games, and came close to sweeping the Heat.

The Sixers will now get to beat up on a Celtics team with more banged up bodies than an episode of The Walking Dead. Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward have both been ruled out and Jaylen Brown is doubtful for Game 1 after pulling his hamstring.

Make no mistake. What the Celtics have done after all the injuries is phenomenal. The season is already a success. Bos vs Phila a fan bonus!

— Bob Ryan (@GlobeBobRyan) April 29, 2018

One thing that hasn’t changed is that the Warriors are still favored to win it all with average odds of -105. Golden State made short work of San Antonio during its first round match-up and blew out New Orleans by 22 points in Game 1 on Saturday. The Warriors outrebounded the Pelicans 65-46 and limited their usually frenetic offense to just 11 fast break points.

Golden State’s first true test of the postseason will likely come in the Western Conference Finals, where they’re expected to tangle with the Rockets. Houston took three of four against the Warriors during the regular season and are the first team in NBA History to have three winning streaks of 11 games or more.

Be sure to check out our 2018 NBA Championship Odds Tracker to see how each remaining team’s odds fluctuate on their road to the Finals.