Cavaliers again the favorite to win the 2015 title

Photo Credit: USA Today

The Cleveland Cavaliers began the year as the favorite to win the 2015 NBA title thanks to their acquisitions of LeBron James and Kevin Love in the offseason. However, the first few months featured plenty of hiccups, and things got so bad that there was some talk of rookie head coach David Blatt getting fired.

But since James returned from some injuries in January, the Cavaliers have looked like the title contender that many thought they would be, and that’s even with Love still struggling to find his shot. Trades for Timofey Mozgov, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert have helped balance out the roster, and both sides of the ball have been much better.

With the resurgence, Cleveland is once again the favorite to win the title this year after its odds dropped thanks to the slow start. The Cavaliers now have 11/5 odds to win it all, per Bovada. It remains to be seen if Cleveland can go ahead and win it all in James’s first season with his new Big Three, but a title certainly wouldn’t shock anybody.

The Golden State Warriors had most recently been the favorite, and the Warriors aren’t far behind the Cavaliers with 15/4 odds to win the championship. Golden State has slipped a bit of late as Klay Thompson has cooled off and the defense hasn’t been as dominant, but it’s not time to panic. Stephen Curry has looked better than ever, and I expect the defense to lock in when it’s really needed.

If you thought the Atlanta Hawks would have the third-best odds, you’d be wrong. That honor belongs to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder have 7/1 odds to win the title despite Kevin Durant’s myriad injuries and a record that barely has them in the Western Conference playoff picture. Oklahoma City is just a game ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans (200/1 odds) for the eighth seed in the West, but the assumption is that when healthy, the Thunder are a legitimate title contender.

The Hawks come in next with 15/2 odds, and there are still some doubts about whether Atlanta can get the job done when it matters, despite a 48-12 record. The Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs are both at 9/1, and the Chicago Bulls are at 14/1 despite the injuries to Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler. Of course, it must be noted that Rose and Butler are expected back before the postseason.

Here’s the full list of championship odds:

Cleveland Cavaliers 11/5

Golden State Warriors 15/4

Oklahoma City Thunder 7/1

Atlanta Hawks 8/1

Memphis Grizzlies 9/1

San Antonio Spurs 9/1

Chicago Bulls 16/1

Los Angeles Clippers 18/1

Houston Rockets 20/1

Dallas Mavericks 22/1

Portland Trailblazers 25/1

Toronto Raptors 33/1

Washington Wizards 66/1

Indiana Pacers 150/1

Miami Heat 200/1

Milwaukee Bucks 200/1

New Orleans Pelicans 200/1

Detroit Pistons 300/1

Phoenix Suns 300/1

Boston Celtics 500/1

Brooklyn Nets 500/1

Charlotte Hornets 500/1