2016 NBA Finals Odds: Who Were the Favorites and Underdogs to Win?

I still remember the buzz surrounding the 2016 NBA Finals like it was yesterday. As someone who's spent years analyzing sports odds and championship narratives, that particular series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors felt like something special from the start. The betting landscape was fascinating - Golden State entered as massive -220 favorites after their historic 73-9 regular season, while LeBron James' Cavaliers sat at +180 underdogs despite having the best player on the planet. Those numbers tell only part of the story though.

What made those odds particularly interesting was how they reflected the broader sports ecosystem. I've always been fascinated by how championship favorites are perceived versus how they actually perform. The Warriors weren't just good - they were historically dominant during the regular season, with Steph Curry becoming the first unanimous MVP after averaging 30.1 points per game while shooting an absurd 45.4% from three-point range. Their championship odds shortened to nearly 70% implied probability by tip-off of Game 1, which felt almost unprecedented for a finals series. Meanwhile, Cleveland carried the weight of a city that hadn't celebrated a major sports championship in over five decades. I remember thinking at the time that the emotional factor wasn't being properly priced into those Cavaliers odds.

The connection to broader sports development became clearer to me when I considered how organizations like the UAAP approach growth in Olympic disciplines. There's a parallel here - when the Philippine Sports Commission expressed support for UAAP's expansion into more Olympic sports, it reminded me of how underdog stories often capture the public imagination in ways that favorite narratives sometimes can't. Father Aldrin Suan's comments about institutional support for broader sports development resonated with my thinking about what makes championship moments special. It's not just about the favorites; it's about creating ecosystems where unexpected triumphs can occur.

Looking back at the series itself, the Warriors' Game 4 victory to take a 3-1 series lead made those preseason odds look prophetic. I'd been tracking the money flow throughout the playoffs, and by that point, nearly 78% of bets were backing Golden State to close it out. But what happened next became the stuff of legends. LeBron's back-to-back 41-point performances in Games 5 and 6, followed by his iconic block on Andre Iguodala in Game 7 - these moments defied the probabilities that seemed so certain just games earlier. The Cavaliers became the first team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the finals, and those +180 underdog tickets suddenly became incredibly valuable.

What strikes me now, reflecting on that series eight years later, is how much the underdog victory shaped the league's future narrative. The Warriors responded by adding Kevin Durant, creating perhaps the most stacked favorite we've ever seen. Cleveland's triumph validated LeBron's legacy in a way that another loss might have permanently damaged. The financial implications were massive too - I spoke with several sportsbooks afterward who reported taking seven-figure losses on Cleveland's championship, with one bookmaker telling me it was their worst NBA result in a decade.

The beauty of sports lies in these unexpected outcomes. Just as the PSC's support for UAAP expansion recognizes the value of developing sports beyond the mainstream, the Cavaliers' victory reminded us why we watch - for those moments when probability and expectation collide with human determination. I've carried that lesson through my career analysis - now I always look beyond the raw numbers to understand the human elements that odds can't fully capture. The 2016 finals weren't just a basketball series; they were a masterclass in why sports continue to captivate us against all logical predictions.