After a three-year hiatus, the Warriors are back in the NBA Finals. (1:45)
The Golden State Warriors are the favorites to win the NBA Championship over the Boston Celtics.
The Warriors are -160 favorites over the Celtics in the best-of-seven series that starts Thursday in San Francisco. The Golden State opened as a 3-point favorite.
The Warriors were 10-1 to win the title at the start of the season. They knocked off the Dallas Mavericks in five games to reach their sixth NBA Finals in the past eight years, a feat accomplished by only three other NBA teams: the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and the Celtics.
Boston was a 50-1 long shot to win the title at the start of the season. The Celtics are the biggest long shot to win a title in the past 35 years, according to sports betting archive SportsOddsHistory.com.
In the second half of the regular season, Boston found its rhythm and went on to win the title.
The Warriors and Celtics split their season series, each winning on their home court. Since Steve Kerr took over in Golden State, the Warriors have had only one winning record against Boston.
Heading into the NBA Finals, there are some big bets on each team. A bettor in Arizona placed a $25,000 bet on the Celtics to win the title. If Boston wins the title, the bet will pay $250,000. A bettor in Iowa placed a $12,000 bet on the Warriors to win the championship. The bet would bring in $120,000. The bets were placed with a bookmaker.
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