I’m generally not into guarantees. But during the third round of the NBA Playoffs, I signed off a live shot from Paycom, trying to mimic the style in which Charles Barkley guarantees wins. He’ll say, “The Celtics are going to win the East. And I guarantee it!!” Of course, his pronunciation is something akin to ‘I Ga-RONE-tee-it.’

That particular night, after the Thunder's Game 5 home win over Denver, knowing my days of doing this are coming to an end very soon, I said, “The Thunder will win this series and then go on to win the NBA title; I Ga-RONE-tee-it!”

And the closer we get to Game 1 on Thursday against the Pacers at Paycom, the more convinced I am that it is indeed about to happen.

OKC is the second biggest favorite since Cleveland in 2018. OKC has -750 odds to win. SportsOddsHist

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