Warriors vs Cavaliers, LeBron James, Stephen Curry
January 16, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates in front of Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada

Oddsmakers have tipped the Golden State Warriors (12-0) as the overwhelming favourites against the Cleveland Cavaliers (11-1) in the upcoming 2017 NBA Finals. Cavs, the reigning champions, made history during the 2016 NBA Finals by rallying back from a 3-1 deficit to capture a franchise-first title.

The teams steamrolled all competition in their respective conferences to set up a NBA-first third consecutive Finals match-up. Though the Warriors are favoured on paper, several analysts give the Cavaliers a psychological edge in the aftermath of last year's final. Golden State suffered a meltdown in a Game 7 at home, allowing Kyrie Irving and LeBron James to put the finishing touches on a historically-great 73-win team.

According to ESPN's Ben Hawkes, the Warriors enter the 2017 NBA Finals a -260 favourite, while the Cavs at +220. "A US$100 ($AU134) bet on the Warriors would win $38.46; the same bet on the Cavaliers would win $220. Stations Casino opened odds on a Cavs-Warriors Finals on Wednesday at Golden State -220/Cleveland +180, with $10,000 limits. Sportsbook director Chuck Esposito told ESPN that the ticket count has been nearly identical, but larger wagers have been on the Warriors."

2017 NBA Finals: Draymond Green, Warriors seeking redemption

This year, the Warriors have raised the bar with owner Joe Lacob and star forward Draymond Green calling out the Cavs on various occasions. Recently, Lacob said that his team has "unfinished business" with James & Co. “Honestly, I don’t really care who we play (shoots a sly grin). Ok, maybe a slight preference for Cleveland. Only because I feel we have some unfinished business from last season," Lacob told The Mercury News in an interview. When asked how much redemption Lacob felt, the Warriors owner said: “A lot. I kind of honestly feel that we’re on a mission. We’re not done. We got to go back and get some of what kind of feels taken from us last year. I’ll just leave it at that.”

The 2017 NBA Finals gets underway on July 1. The Warriors and Cavs are 1-1 wins apiece entering the trilogy of NBA championship rounds.

RELATED STORIES