Without Stephen Curry In Picture, Spurs And Cavs Are NBA Championship Favorites

If you take the league’s Most Valuable Player off of any team in any sport in any league, the chances of that team winning a championship are going to take a big hit. With reports that NBA MVP Stephen Curry will now be out two weeks with an MCL sprain, the Golden State Warriors will be fighting an uphill battle in the NBA playoffs.

In fact, NumberFire used its algorithm to determine the favorites for winning the NBA championship this year with and without Curry in the picture. Without their leader, the Warriors, who won more games than any other team in NBA history during the regular season, fall from the slight favorite to win the championship to the middle of the playoff pack.

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NumberFire estimates that the Warrior’s chances of winning the championship without Curry fall from 29.9 percent to 7.7 percent. The San Antonio Spurs’ chances climb from 29.8 percent to 38.4 percent. Without Curry in the picture, the Spurs would be the overwhelming favorites ahead of a distant second place Cleveland Cavaliers (14.3 percent).

The injury is not only a blow to Warrior fans, it’s also a blow to Under Armour Inc (NYSE: UA), a major Curry sponsor.

Disclosure: The author holds no position in the stocks mentioned.