The Oklahoma City Thunder enter the NBA Finals as colossal betting favorites, established as -750 favorites against the Indiana Pacers (+525) at ESPN BET. This positions OKC as one of the heaviest Finals favorites in the past two decades.
Since 2005, only the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors (-1075 vs. Cleveland) had shorter odds entering the championship series. The Thunder secured their Finals berth by defeating Minnesota in five games, marking their first appearance since 2013.
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Standing in their way are the Indiana Pacers, a true Cinderella story. Indiana began the season as 50-1 long shots to win the title – the biggest preseason underdog in 40 years. They defied expectations with a resilient playoff run, culminating in a Game 6 Eastern Conference finals victory over New York on Saturday.
However, history heavily favors the Thunder. According to SportsOddsHistory.com, only twice in the past 50 years has a Finals underdog with odds of at least +200 won the championship: the 2004 Detroit Pistons (+500) and the 2019 Toronto Raptors (+230).