NBA Finals Matchup Odds Preview: Warriors Back on Top?

We’re in the middle of the NBA Conference Finals but it’s never too early to look ahead to the NBA Finals matchup odds. If you guessed the Golden State Warriors are the favorites, you’d be right on the money. Thanks to the Dallas Mavericks taking out the Phoenix Suns, Golden State now stands unchallenged per the outright odds. Yet, we cannot count the other three teams out as money could be made if more upsets happen.

NBA Finals Early Preview: Potential Matchups

The 2022 NBA schedule currently has the NBA Finals set on June 2, which is less than two weeks away. If the NBA odds prove accurate, the Golden State Warriors will be hosting the Miami Heat for Game 1. The online sports betting odds have this as the most likely scenario with Golden State favored quite considerably at nearly 2-1.

Both teams won Game 1 of their Conference Finals series so their chances of making the NBA Finals are greater than 60 percent per playoffs history. How would a Warriors-Heat matchup look compared to the others?

Golden State Warriors vs Miami Heat

As mentioned, Golden State will be close to a 2-1 favorite if it takes on Miami in the NBA Finals. This will be the first time the two teams meet in the Finals and it would be a series between the two most successful franchises over the last 12 years. Golden State and Miami have combined to win five championships and 10 NBA Finals in this span. Nine of the last 11 NBA Finals featured either the Warriors or the Heat.

The Warriors defeated the Heat in both meetings this season. Stephen Curry has also won two of the three games he’s played against Jimmy Butler in a Heat uniform, however, Curry has not shot the ball well against Miami in these games at just 32.7 percent. The Warriors’ defense did shut down the Heat in their two games this year as Miami shot no better than 43.5 percent from the field.

Golden State Warriors vs Boston Celtics

This NBA Finals matchup odds is a throwback to the 1950s when two giants named Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell ruled the hardcourt. Russell’s Boston Celtics won all three series against Chamberlain’s Warriors including their only NBA Finals meeting. Flash forward to today and this is the second-most likely matchup per the NBA Finals betting odds. This time, it’s the Warriors who are favored.

Unlike the Heat matchup, Golden State is a smaller favorite here. This is likely because Boston split the season series with them 1-1. Golden State narrowly defeated Boston in the Chase Center back in December but most recently in March, Boston ran the Warriors out of the TD Garden. Curry hurt himself in the game, although Boston had already seized control before he did.

Miami Heat vs Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks stand as the most immediate threat to the Golden State Warriors’ return to the NBA Finals. Despite losing Game 1 and being the biggest underdogs – both to win their series and the NBA Championship, Luka Doncic’s Mavs have shown they can beat the odds, just a few games removed.

In the event Dallas makes the NBA Finals, the Miami Heat are their likelier opponent per the odds. This will be a rubber match as both franchises have won one Finals apiece with the most recent being an upset courtesy of Dallas in 2011. The NBA Finals matchup odds has Dallas as a slight underdog against Miami. They split the season series 1-1 with the road team winning both games.

Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks

The unlikeliest of NBA Finals matchups pits the Boston Celtics against the Dallas Mavericks. If this was to happen, both teams would have to overcome losing Game 1 of their series. Boston is heavily favored against Dallas in this potential matchup and it would be the first time the two meet in the Finals or in the playoffs.

Dallas won both meetings in the regular season and true to their natures, both were a defensive grind. The Mavericks’ win in Boston marked one of only three times the Celtics lost at home after the All-Star break. In seven games played between Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum, Doncic has won five including the last four. Times will indeed be interesting as we look to the NBA Finals matchup odds.