Houston Rockets can upset Golden State Warriors to claim NBA crown

Recommended NBA Bet:
NBA Championship outright winner – Houston Rockets @ 9/4 (3.25) with Centrebet

It’s Conference Finals time in the NBA, with the Houston Rockets facing Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference and the Boston Celtics up against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference.  

The reality is that whoever wins the Western Conference series will be the overwhelming favourite to win the championship.

The Rockets were the NBA’s best regular-season team, but they face a Warriors team who are attempting to win a third championship in four seasons and secure a fourth straight trip to the Finals.  The Rockets have home-court advantage against the Warriors and they do have a tremendous home record, having won 39 out of 47 home games this season (including postseason).

Over the course of the regular season, the Rockets scored at an average of 112.4 Points per Game, compared to the Warriors 113.5.  Both teams contain a wealth of scoring options. With regards to Points Allowed per Game, the Rockets conceded an average of just 103.9, compared to the Warriors 107.5.

Houston’s star turn is guard James Harden, who has already had a couple of 40+ point outings in these playoff games, but there’s a strong supporting cast too.  The likes of Chris Paul, Clint Capela and Eric Gordon give the Rockets arguably the best chance of any team of stopping the Warriors in the Steph Curry/ Kevin Durant era.

The Cavaliers have been the Warriors opposition in the last three championship finals themselves and, despite losing the first game in the series against the Celtics, are most people’s NBA betting tip to reach a fourth consecutive Finals.

The Boston Celtics have been hit by injuries to star players Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, with Jayson Tatum proving to be a key player in their absence.

The Warriors are a best price of 7/10 (1.70) with William Hill to secure another NBA championship and it would certainly surprise nobody were they to do so.  

The Cavaliers (despite their record as the Warriors closest rival over recent years and the Lebron James factor) are 8/1 (9.00) with bet365 while the Celtics are the big underdogs at 14/1 (15.00) with Unibet, but the best betting value looks to be with the Rockets priced at 9/4 (3.25) with Centrebet.