One for the thumb? Bookmakers set Golden State Warriors as early 2023 NBA title favorites

Whatever doubts Draymond Green and Stephen Curry used to motivate them for their fourth NBA title since 2015 Thursday night certainly didn’t emanate from most sportsbooks trading rooms.

“I tried to go aggressively low with them last year, and that’s even more the case now,” Las Vegas Superbook NBA analyst Jeff Sherman said.

Sherman set the Golden State Warriors as a competitive 8/1 preseason choice to win this year’s title, a mission that went fulfilled on the parquet floor of Boston, with Curry scoring 34 points in the series-sealing, 103-90 Game 6 triumph.

This time around, Sherman has made the Warriors the 6/1 favorite to win next year’s NBA title, with the Los Angeles Clippers (7/1) and the returning-finalist Celtics even with Eastern Conference rivals Milwaukee and Brooklyn both at 8/1.

Tipico Sportsbook on Friday posted the Warriors as the +480 favorite, followed by Boston at +600, Brooklyn at +650 and the Clippers at +700.

A Caesars Sportsbook bettor in Colorado put $10,000 on the Warriors to repeat even before the NBA Finals were underway.

“In the anticipation of (Golden State betting) support off wining the ring, the combination of those three stalwarts (Curry, Green and Klay Thompson), the new, young core (including Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins), the return (from) injury of (7-foot 2020 No. 2 overall pick) James Wiseman, this team has the potential to actually improve upon what it just accomplished,” Sherman said.

While LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers remain respected 20/1 longshots after naming a new coach in Darvin Ham and positioning for the unknowns of free-agency activity, the rival Clippers are slotted as the Superbook’s second choice mostly because of the impending return of 2019 NBA champion Kawhi Leonard from the ACL injury that kept him from playing this past season.

“By putting them there (at 7/1), I…