There's been plenty of idle talk about the Los Angeles Clippers becoming instant contenders with their deal for Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Now Caesars has gone and made it official. The bookies shared their adjusted odds for next year's championship winners and the Clippers are well out in front.
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The odds of a Los Angeles title more generally are even better, with the Lakers coming in right behind the Clippers in a tie with Giannis Antetokounmpo's Milwaukee Bucks. The Lakers were on top for a few weeks because of the Anthony Davis trade.
Caesars seems to think the new, giant Philadelphia 76ers might have a shot at becoming champs. The team of all big men, antithetical to this era of small shooters, is at least intriguing enough to bump up their chances of winning it all among the oddsmakers. The Golden State Warriors are +1000 and the Rockets are +1500. Other odds have the Raptors as far out as +8000 with Charlotte and Cleveland bringing up the rear at +100000.Â
We're definitely looking at the most wide-open NBA title race we've seen this decade, but the west coast looks likely to win no matter what.