NBA

The 5 NBA Teams Most Likely to Win the Finals Other Than the Warriors and Cavaliers

An NBA Finals rematch seems inevitable, but these teams could crash the party.

The last two NBA Finals have featured the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and once again, all signs point to these two teams meeting next June for the rubber match.

Our projections give Golden State a 51.2-percent chance of winning the finals, while Cleveland has a 15.6-percent chance. Vegas looks at these two teams as favorably, making the Warriors the favorites at 2/3 odds, per Vegas Insider, and Cleveland second at 13/4 odds of winning the title.

Golden State turned over its roster much more than any two-time reigning Western Conference champion typically would, but when Kevin Durant becomes available and you do not need to cut ties with any marquee players to add him, it is a no brainer. For what it's worth, the Warriors appear to be clicking already offensively, winning six of seven preseason games and averaging over 112 points per game.

Cleveland is running it back with mostly the same squad as last year and are once again perceived to be in a league of their own in the East. The core of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love is head and shoulders above any other in the Eastern Conference and will likely do just enough to grab home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs.

While these two are clearly the most likely to represent their respective conference in the Finals, there are still other teams ready to capitalize in case either of these teams stumble. According to our NBA team power rankings, here are the five most likely teams to win the NBA title if it is not Golden State or Cleveland.