Who are the 5 biggest betting long shots that have won NBA Finals?

Here are the five biggest preseason long shots to win the NBA championship, according to Sportsoddshistory.com, which has tracked odds since the 1984-85 season:

2003-04 Detroit Pistons, 15-1

The Pistons whiffed on Darko Milicic, the second overall pick of the 2003 draft, but pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NBA history by beating Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in five games in the NBA Finals. Detroit was 15-1 in the preseason to win it all. It was the longest shot ever before the Finals, at 5-1, according to Sportsoddshistory.com. Chauncey Billups was named Finals MVP as Detroit denied Los Angeles its fourth title in five years.

2022-23 Denver Nuggets, 18-1

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic entered the season as the two-time reigning NBA MVP. He didn’t win the award a third year in a row, but settled for leading Denver to the franchise’s first championship with a five-game win over the Heat. The Nuggets finished first in the Western Conference after placing sixth in the West the previous season and losing in five games in the first round of the playoffs.

2018-19 Toronto Raptors, +1850

The Raptors acquired Kawhi Leonard from the Spurs before the season. Leonard proceeded to lead them to the franchise’s first championship with a six-game victory over the two-time defending NBA champion Warriors. Toronto outlasted Philadelphia in seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals, with Leonard’s buzzer-beater over Joel Embiid giving the Raptors a dramatic 92-90 win in Game 7. The Raptors lost the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Bucks before reeling off four straight wins.

2010-11 Dallas Mavericks, 20-1

Dallas, led by Dirk Nowitzki, swept the two-time defending NBA champion Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals and beat the Heat — led by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh — in six games in the NBA Finals, a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals won by Miami.

2014-15 Golden State Warriors, 28-1

The Warriors had their breakout season in Steve Kerr’s first season as coach, leading the league with a 67-15 record. They also went 39-2 at Oracle Arena for the second-best home record in NBA history. Stephen Curry became the first Warrior since Wilt Chamberlain in 1960 to win the NBA MVP award. He then led Golden State to the franchise’s first league title in 40 years by beating the Cavaliers, who featured LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.