A Surprising Number of People Are Betting on the Knicks to Win the NBA Title This Season

There are a large number of people who have bet on the Knicks to win the NBA title this season, according to Las Vegas sportsbooks.

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You only have a few hours left to get your bets in and pick who you think is going to win the NBA championship this season. And while it would appear to be a foregone conclusion that the Warriors are going to collect another Larry O'Brien Trophy, betting on them to win the title at 2-to-3 odds wouldn't even double your money, so really, why bother?

That seems to be the mindset that many people have right now because, according to ESPN, the Knicks—yes, the Knicks!—are the team that has received the majority of the betting action in Las Vegas in the months, weeks, and days leading up to the start of the 2016-17 NBA season. Granted, the chances of them winning a 'chip are very small, but they opened up as 100-to-1 longshots to win the title at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, which attracted plenty of action. People aren't necessarily betting the house on them—the average wager on the Knicks is reportedly $25—but they've bet on the Knicks so much that the odds have dropped dramatically all the way down to 60-to-1 at the Westgate SuperBook. And other sportsbooks, like the one at the MGM Grand, have the Knicks at 20-to-1 odds. It's clear people are willing to throw their money away take a risk on a team that finished just 32-50 last season.

While the Knicks have the largest number of bets behind them, the Warriors have the most money riding on their championship chances, which makes perfect sense since you would have to lay down quite a bit of money to turn a profit. At William Hill's Nevada sportsbook, 36 percent of all the gambling dollars that are being thrown down on teams to win the title are being put on the Warriors. It has made the Warriors the biggest favorites since the 1997-98 Bulls, who won the title that year.

Other "favorable" odds include the Cavaliers at 11-to-4, the Spurs at 6-to-1, the Celtics at 20-to-1, the Clippers at 20-to-1, and the Thunder at 30-to-1. The biggest longshots are the Nets at 1,000-to-1 and the Lakers, 76ers, and Suns at 500-to-1. Consult your bookie accordingly—and make sure you read this before you do.

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