Warriors Back to Being Odds-On NBA Championship Favorites After Eliminating Rockets in Game 6 Without Durant
- Minus the injured Kevin Durant, Golden State still beat Houston 118-113
- The Warriors advanced to the Western Conference final for the fifth straight season
- They are odds-on favorites to win their third successive NBA title
Down Kevin Durant, the Golden State Warriors still downed the Houston Rockets 118-113 on the road in Game 6 of their NBA Western Conference semifinal series.
The win advanced the Warriors to the Western Conference Final for the fifth straight spring. It also left a question mark staring every other NBA playoff team square in the face – can anyone stop Golden State?
Golden State is the odds-on favorite to win it all according to the NBA championship odds.
2019 NBA Championship Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Golden State | -160 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | +230 |
| Toronto Raptors | +900 |
| Denver Nuggets | +2200 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | +2200 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | +3000 |
*Odds taken 05/11/19
The last team to threepeat as NBA champions were the 2000-02 Los Angeles Lakers.
They Are The Warriors
In Game 6 against the Rockets, the Warriors discovered what college kids soon learn after graduation. You can succeed in life without a steady diet of KD.
Onwards pic.twitter.com/sSv3abngNj
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 11, 2019
The loss of Durant for the remainder of the series due to a right calf injury was supposed to open the door to the Rockets. Instead, it was the Warriors who slammed it shut in the face of James Harden and his teammates.
Steph Curry showed why he’s an elite champion, pouring in all 33 of his points in the second half. Klay Thompson scored 21 first-half points. Andre Iguodala drained five 3-pointers.
Golden State displayed its depth. Eleven players saw time on the court. Nine of them contributed points.
Andrew Bogut: “This is the best victory I’ve been a part of as a Golden State Warrior.”
— Kerith Burke (@KerithBurke) May 11, 2019
This is what championship teams do. They don’t merely stare adversity in the face. They stare it down and ultimately win the contest.
Durant Or No Durant, Who’s Gonna Stop Them?
Go ahead, try and make a case for another team winning the NBA championship. Houston was supposed to be Golden State’s greatest nemesis. Instead, presented with a golden opportunity to erase the Warriors, they capitulated.
Whoever faces Golden State in the Western Conference final, whether it be the Denver Nuggest or Portland TrailBlazers, they are newbies to this whole postseason thing. You really think they’ve got the stones to stone the Warriors?
You come at the king, you best not miss. Congratulations @warriors
— Daryl Morey 🗽🏀 (@dmorey) May 11, 2019
In the East, the Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks are all intriguing entities. But none of them have been there and done that. Not one of those clubs have been to an NBA final in recent history, or in the case of the Raptors, ever.
You have to learn how to be a champion. Even LeBron James was a loser in his first two trips to the NBA Finals.
The @warriors advance to the Western Conference Finals! #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/UiSrzqWg9a
— NBA (@NBA) May 11, 2019
Golden State’s odds to win it all dropped to -160 from a playoff high of +120 after the Rockets were dispatched. Every other team except the Sixers saw their championship odds increase.
If you’re betting against the Warriors, you’re just wagering on hope. And those odds never work in your favor.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
