LeBron James won’t call the Cavaliers underdogs to the Warriors in the NBA Finals, but Las Vegas does.
And so does historical precedent – in a big way.
Golden State (73-9) won 16 more games than Cleveland (57-25). That’s the sixth largest win difference between Finals opponents in NBA history.
In the 10 completed Finals with the biggest win difference, the favorite is 10-0.
The 1975 Warriors (48-34), who beat the Washington Bullets (60-22), pulled the largest upset by win difference – 12. The 1995 Rockets (47-35) topping the Magic (57-25) is the only other time a team with 10 fewer wins beat its Finals opponent.
Here’s each Finals matchup, sorted by win difference adjusted to put each team on an 82-game schedule – favorites winning in blue and underdogs winning in wine:
| Finals | Adjusted win difference | Favorite |
| 2016 Golden State Warriors (73-9) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (57-25) | 16.0 | TBD |
| 2015 Golden State Warriors (67-15) d. Cleveland Cavaliers (53-29) | 14.0 | Won |
| 2014 San Antonio Spurs (62-20) d. Miami Heat (54-28) | 8.0 | Won |
| 2013 Miami Heat (66-16) d. San Antonio Spurs (58-24) | 8.0 | Won |
| 2012 Miami Heat (46-20) d. Oklahoma City Thunder (47-19) | 1.2 | Lost |
| 2011 Dallas Mavericks (57-25) d. Miami Heat (58-24) | 1.0 | Lost |
| 2010 Los Angeles Lakers (57-25) d. Boston Celtics (50-32) | 7.0 | Won |
| 2009 Los Angeles Lakers (65-17) d. Orlando Magic (59-23) | 6.0 | Won |
| 2008 Boston Celtics (66-16) d. Los Angeles Lakers (57-25) | 9.0 | Won |
| 2007 San Antonio Spurs (58-24) d. Cleveland Cavaliers (50-32) | 8.0 | Won |
| 2006 Miami Heat (52-30) d. Dallas Mavericks (60-22) | 8.0 | Lost |
| 2005 San Antonio Spurs (59-23) d. Detroit Pistons (54-28) | 5.0 | Won |
| 2004 Detroit Pistons (54-28) d. Los Angeles Lakers (56-26) | 2.0 | Lost |
| 2003 San Antonio Spurs (60-22) d. New Jersey Nets (49-33) | 11.0 | Won |
| 2002 Los Angeles Lakers (58-24) d. New Jersey Nets (52-30) | 6.0 | Won |
| 2001 Los Angeles Lakers (56-26) d. Philadelphia 76ers (56-26) | 0.0 | Even |
| 2000 Los Angeles Lakers (67-15) d. Indiana Pacers (56-26) | 11.0 | Won |
| 1999 San Antonio Spurs (37-13) d. New York Knicks (27-23) | 16.4 | Won |
| 1998 Chicago Bulls (62-20) d. Utah Jazz (62-20) | 0.0 | Even |
| 1997 Chicago Bulls (69-13) d. Utah Jazz (64-18) | 5.0 | Won |
| 1996 Chicago Bulls (72-10) d. Seattle SuperSonics (64-18) | 8.0 | Won |
| 1995 Houston Rockets (47-35) d. Orlando Magic (57-25) | 10.0 | Lost |
| 1994 Houston Rockets (58-24) d. New York Knicks (57-25) | 1.0 | Won |
| 1993 Chicago Bulls (57-25) d. Phoenix Suns (62-20) | 5.0 | Lost |
| 1992 Chicago Bulls (67-15) d. Portland Trail Blazers (57-25) | 10.0 | Won |
| 1991 Chicago Bulls (61-21) d. Los Angeles Lakers (58-24) | 3.0 | Won |
| 1990 Detroit Pistons (59-23) d. Portland Trail Blazers (59-23) | 0.0 | Even |
| 1989 Detroit Pistons (63-19) d. Los Angeles Lakers (57-25) | 6.0 | Won |
| 1988 Los Angeles Lakers (62-20) d. Detroit Pistons (54-28) | 8.0 | Won |
| 1987 Los Angeles Lakers (65-17) d. Boston Celtics (59-23) | 6.0 | Won |
| 1986 Boston Celtics (67-15) d. Houston Rockets (51-31) | 16.0 | Won |
| 1985 Los Angeles Lakers (62-20) d. Boston Celtics (63-19) | 1.0 | Lost |
| 1984 Boston Celtics (62-20) d. Los Angeles Lakers (54-28) | 8.0 | Won |
| 1983 Philadelphia 76ers (65-17) d. Los Angeles Lakers (58-24) | 7.0 | Won |
| 1982 Los Angeles Lakers (57-25) d. Philadelphia 76ers (58-24) | 1.0 | Lost |
| 1981 Boston Celtics (62-20) d. Houston Rockets (40-42) | 22.0 | Won |
| 1980 Los Angeles Lakers (60-22) d. Philadelphia 76ers (59-23) | 1.0 | Won |
| 1979 Seattle SuperSonics (52-30) d. Washington Bullets (54-28) | 2.0 | Lost |
| 1978 Washington Bullets (44-38) d. Seattle SuperSonics (47-35) | 3.0 | Lost |
| 1977 Portland Trail Blazers (49-33) d. Philadelphia 76ers (50-32) | 1.0 | Lost |
| 1976 Boston Celtics (54-28) d. Phoenix Suns (42-40) | 12.0 | Won |
| 1975 Golden State Warriors (48-34) d. Washington Bullets (60-22) | 12.0 | Lost |
| 1974 Boston Celtics (56-26) d. Milwaukee Bucks (59-23) | 3.0 | Lost |
| 1973 New York Knicks (57-25) d. Los Angeles Lakers (60-22) | 3.0 | Lost |
| 1972 Los Angeles Lakers (69-13) d. New York Knicks (48-34) | 21.0 | Won |
| 1971 Milwaukee Bucks (66-16) d. Baltimore Bullets (42-40) | 24.0 | Won |
| 1970 New York Knicks (60-22) d. Los Angeles Lakers (46-36) | 14.0 | Won |
| 1969 Boston Celtics (48-34) d. Los Angeles Lakers (55-27) | 7.0 | Lost |
| 1968 Boston Celtics (54-28) d. Los Angeles Lakers (52-30) | 2.0 | Won |
| 1967 Philadelphia 76ers (68-13) d. San Francisco Warriors (44-37) | 24.3 | Won |
| 1966 Boston Celtics (54-26) d. Los Angeles Lakers (45-35) | 9.2 | Won |
| 1965 Boston Celtics (62-18) d. Los Angeles Lakers (49-31) | 13.3 | Won |
| 1964 Boston Celtics (59-21) d. San Francisco Warriors (48-32) | 11.3 | Won |
| 1963 Boston Celtics (58-22) d. Los Angeles Lakers (53-27) | 5.1 | Won |
| 1962 Boston Celtics (60-20) d. Los Angeles Lakers (54-26) | 6.2 | Won |
| 1961 Boston Celtics (57-22) d. St. Louis Hawks (51-28) | 6.2 | Won |
| 1960 Boston Celtics (59-16) d. St. Louis Hawks (46-29) | 14.2 | Won |
| 1959 Boston Celtics (52-20) d. Minneapolis Lakers (33-39) | 21.6 | Won |
| 1958 St. Louis Hawks (41-31) d. Boston Celtics (49-23) | 9.1 | Lost |
| 1957 Boston Celtics (44-28) d. St. Louis Hawks (34-38) | 11.4 | Won |
| 1956 Philadelphia Warriors (45-27) d. Fort Wayne Pistons (37-35) | 9.1 | Won |
| 1955 Syracuse Nationals (43-29) d. Fort Wayne Pistons (43-29) | 0.0 | Even |
| 1954 Minneapolis Lakers (46-26) d. Syracuse Nationals (42-30) | 4.6 | Won |
| 1953 Minneapolis Lakers (48-22) d. New York Knicks (47-23) | 1.2 | Won |
| 1952 Minneapolis Lakers (40-26) d. New York Knicks (37-29) | 3.7 | Won |
| 1951 Rochester Royals (41-27) d. New York Knicks (36-30) | 4.7 | Won |
| 1950 Minneapolis Lakers (51-17) d. Syracuse Nationals (51-13) | 3.8 | Lost |
| 1949 Minneapolis Lakers (44-16) d. Washington Capitols (38-22) | 8.2 | Won |
| 1948 Baltimore Bullets (28-20) d. Philadelphia Warriors (27-21) | 1.7 | Won |
| 1947 Philadelphia Warriors (35-25) d. Chicago Stags (39-22) | 4.6 | Lost |
