Thunder Favored by 9.5 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals

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00:00The Thunder are a large favorite, both to win an NBA championship and game number one,

00:05and maybe make this NBA Finals a rather quick affair.

00:09Nine and a half points spread now in favor of OKC, 230 and a half is that total.

00:15I think as basketball fans, from a content perspective, to make this Finals feel significant,

00:22we all want to see it go the distance.

00:24We want to see it even get to six games.

00:27But when you truly dive into the odds, is that how we anticipate the NBA Finals playing out?

00:34Donnie Wrightside, in your estimation, how does game number one start tonight in Oklahoma City?

00:39I'm hoping maybe a lot of people out there feel stupid when they wake up tomorrow and be like,

00:43what kind of bet did I lay in this game?

00:45Because me, taking Oklahoma City, which I think they win by double digits, put it this way, Ben.

00:50I don't think this game plays out this way.

00:52Oh, man, what a close victory for OKC.

00:54OKC, they won it at the end on a great defensive play by Chet Holmgren to preserve a one-point victory.

01:00Like, it feels like, to me, it's Pacers outright or Thunder by double digits.

01:04Like, no in-between at this point.

01:06Because if it does play out where, OK, look at that, Pacers lost by seven and covered.

01:10That's like, you know what?

01:11That's exactly probably what the books don't want,

01:13because the majority of the bet's still coming in from a Pacers perspective here.

01:17But starting out in game number one, I'm buying into it.

01:20I'm buying into the disrespect of the Indiana Pacers.

01:22I like the Pacers.

01:23They're a good ball club.

01:24But I don't think there's any in-between tonight.

01:26And if we're hanging nine and a half out there, it's just so easy to look at that number and say,

01:31I'll take the Pacers with double digits and live with it.

01:34Because quite frankly, Ben, if they get deep by 25 and you take the nine and a half,

01:37you go, hey, give it my best effort at this point.

01:39Like, I wouldn't even be that mad.

01:40But for me, I'm looking at it from an OKC perspective.

01:42If there's enough respect out there in the marketplace to hold an NBA Finals game number

01:47one at nine and a half without an avalanche coming over from the one side pushing that

01:52number lower and lower, I'm just going to read the line.

01:54And I'm going to take OKC in a runaway victory tonight.