Six Biggest Longshots To Win NBA Finals
Since preseason odds have been tracked (1984-85 season), the NBA has been a story of wagons. Rarely do NBA longshots win, since the NBA is a league about who has the most talent. Also given the format of playoff series, underdogs have a tougher path to upsets versus other sports. Since 1985, just nine teams with +500 or greater preseason odds have won an NBA championship; only four teams were slated at +1500 or greater. Let's take a look at the six biggest preseason underdogs to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy among NBA longshots.
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T5. 1993-94 Houston Rockets: +1200
With Michael Jordan out of the NBA (at least temporarily), the race for an NBA title was up for grabs. Favorites that season included Patrick Ewing's New York Knicks, Charles Barkley's Phoenix Suns, Mark Price's Cleveland Cavaliers, and Gary Payton's Seattle SuperSonics. Instead, the Houston Rockets, led by Hakeem Olajuwon, came out of the Western Conference and traded blows with the Knicks in the Finals. The Rockets ended up pulling off a thrilling series win in seven games, establishing one of the most well-regarded NBA Finals of all time. Houston capitalized on the absence of Jordan, who would return two seasons later, capturing two Finals titles in that time. Biggest Longshots To Win The Stanley Cup in the NHL
T5. 2013-14 San Antonio Spurs: +1200
This year begins a trend on this list that will come up many, many times: an underdog upending a LeBron James-led team. It was the fourth and final year for his Miami Heat era, whose dynasty(?) came to an abrupt and early end. The legendary trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili was coming to an end, but the group had one last hurrah under coach Gregg Popovich. The defining factor to this team was the emergence of Kawhi Leonard, who grew into the next crop of elite superstars in the NBA. The favorites in the west were the Kevin Durant-led Thunder, followed by the Rockets and then the Spurs. It was a year where experience trumped talent and established that Pop and his crew of Hall-of-Famers should never be discounted. Looking back, this Finals could have been the final nail in the coffin for the NBA's biggest villains since the 'Bad Boy' Detroit Pistons.
Up To $1500 in Bonus Bets Paid Back if your First Bet Does Not Win 4. 2003-04 Detroit Pistons: +1500
Aside from the Pistons being one of the largest NBA longshots in preseason history, Detroit pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NBA Finals history, too. The Los Angeles Lakers, operating with emerging superstar Kobe Bryant and established superstar Shaquille O'Neal, were an incredible -550 favorite coming into the series. It was looking to be a lock for coach Phil Jackson to win his 10th NBA title. That is, until the defensive-juggernaut Pistons came to town and took the series 4–1. Detroit held L.A. to just 81.8 points per game, down from their season average of 98.2. Those who picked Detroit on a prayer to win the title benefitted greatly. It also solidified the legacy of players like Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace, Richard Hamilton, and Ben Wallace.
3. 2018-19 Toronto Raptors: +1850
The past three seasons before this one, the Raptors were a perennial playoff team that always won their first round matchup. They even found themselves in an Eastern Conference Finals in 2016. However, Toronto had a LeBron James and Cavaliers problem, with the Raptors being bounced easily by Cleveland three straight seasons (Toronto went 2-12 in those series). That's when superstar Kawhi Leonard was dealt to Toronto in a move that shocked the NBA world. The Raptors became an immediate force to be reckoned with, though preseason odds didn't exactly reflect it. Leonard also established himself as a superteam killer in those Finals, as their opponent, Golden State, opened as a hefty -275 favorite. Injuries riddled the Warriors, but that didn't take away from Toronto's first-ever NBA championship.
2. 2010-11 Dallas Mavericks: +2000
The storyline that dominated airtime and headlines in 2010 was the first season of the Miami "Heatles" composed of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. Dallas was not only an afterthought, they were projected for just 49.5 wins in the preseason and third in the Western Conference. Dirk Nowitzki and Dallas turned red hot for the playoffs and ended up taking care of Miami's superteam in six games. Even going into the Finals, the Mavs were +160 to win and the top-two favorite outcomes were Heat in seven games and Heat in six games. Who could have seen this one coming? Not many, apparently.
1. 2014-15 Golden State Warriors: +2800
The longshot of all NBA longshots. Believe it. At one point, the powerhouse known as the Golden State Warriors were considered serious longshots. It was the first year under coach Steve Kerr and just a season after the Warriors were bounced in the opening round of the Western Conference Finals. Steph Curry was just beginning to explode onto the NBA scene, and it wasn't until midway through the 2015-16 season in which Golden State's trio was considered a Big Three. That season, LeBron James returned to Cleveland to play with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, making them the preseason favorites to win the title. The Warriors were behind the Spurs, Thunder, Clippers, and Mavericks in the West in terms of title odds. In hindsight, the Warriors were always the choice to win the title this season. However, in the moment, the Warriors were quite an underdog story.
New Users – Bet $5 Get $200 in Bet Reset Tokens for 5 Days PRESEASON ODDS OF NBA CHAMPIONS SINCE 1985
| Year | Champion | Odds |
| 1985 | Los Angeles Lakers | +200 |
| 1986 | Boston Celtics | +250 |
| 1987 | Los Angeles Lakers | +400 |
| 1988 | Los Angeles Lakers | +120 |
| 1989 | Detroit Pistons | +400 |
| 1990 | Detroit Pistons | +300 |
| 1991 | Chicago Bulls | +700 |
| 1992 | Chicago Bulls | +250 |
| 1993 | Chicago Bulls | +120 |
| 1994 | Houston Rockets | +1200 |
| 1995 | Houston Rockets | +450 |
| 1996 | Chicago Bulls | +350 |
| 1997 | Chicago Bulls | +100 |
| 1998 | Chicago Bulls | +140 |
| 1999 | San Antonio Spurs | +450 |
| 2000 | Los Angeles Lakers | +400 |
| 2001 | Los Angeles Lakers | +180 |
| 2002 | Los Angeles Lakers | +200 |
| 2003 | San Antonio Spurs | +1100 |
| 2004 | Detroit Pistons | +1500 |
| 2005 | San Antonio Spurs | +400 |
| 2006 | Miami Heat | +350 |
| 2007 | San Antonio Spurs | +450 |
| 2008 | Boston Celtics | +1000 |
| 2009 | Los Angeles Lakers | +350 |
| 2010 | Los Angeles Lakers | +225 |
| 2011 | Dallas Mavericks | +2000 |
| 2012 | Miami Heat | +225 |
| 2013 | Miami Heat | +225 |
| 2014 | San Antonio Spurs | +1200 |
| 2015 | Golden State Warriors | +2800 |
| 2016 | Cleveland Cavaliers | +280 |
| 2017 | Golden State Warriors | -128 |
| 2018 | Golden State Warriors | -187 |
| 2019 | Toronto Raptors | +1850 |
| 2020 | Los Angeles Lakers | +450 |
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