The Vegas Golden Knights can never be counted out.
Last night in Raleigh, the Golden Knights trailed the Carolina Hurricanes 2-0 just over 12 minutes into Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, only to rally for a 5-4 win.
Vegas could be found as high as +560 to win at FanDuel.
With the victory, the Golden Knights became the first team in NHL history to complete a multi-goal comeback on the road in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Teams in similar spots were previously 0-55 all-time.
While it might have seemed unbelievable for anybody who bet the Hurricanes to win Game 1, it wasn’t a fluke.
Vegas has set a franchise record with 28 comeback wins dating back to the regular season, including an NHL-best seven come-from-behind victories this postseason.
That mark includes three comeback wins in as many games against the Hurricanes.
The Golden Knights have registered a franchise-record seven straight playoff wins dating back to May 14th.
Vegas improved to 20-4-1 since John Tortorella took over as head coach back in late March, including a 13-4 record this postseason.
With last night’s win in Carolina as a +134 underdog, the Golden Knights odds to win the Stanley Cup have flipped from +146 to -162 at FanDuel.
Vegas is +138 to win Game 2 on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes have gone from a considerable favourite at -176 to +134 to win it all at FanDuel since the Stanley Cup Final match-up was set.
Carolina is -166 to win Game 2.
Historically, teams that win Game 1 of a best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final have gone on to win the series 76 per cent of the time (65-21).
Suddenly, all the pressure is on the Hurricanes to respond in Game 2 and avoid going down 2-0 on home ice.
Speaking of pressure, the focus is set to shift from the ice to the hardcourt for Game 1 of the NBA Finals tonight.
The San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks will clash in a rematch of the 1999 NBA Finals, which San Antonio won in five.
Spurs fans are hoping for a repeat, only this time around it’s with a 7’4’’, 22-year-old superstar leading the charge.
Victor Wembanyama has put the association on notice in his first career NBA postseason.
Can Wembanyama carry San Antonio to a title in his first trip to the NBA Finals?
Let’s set the stage for the NBA Finals in this Morning Coffee column for Wednesday June 3rd, 2026.
A Remarkable NBA Finals Trend To Consider Ahead Of Game 1
The Spurs are a -190 favourite to win the NBA title.
In terms of implied probability, those odds represent a 65.5 per cent chance that San Antonio will win it all.
The Spurs are coming off an impressive seven-game series against the Oklahoma City Thunder in which they won three of the final four games including a Game 7 on the road to advance.
If they can carry over the momentum and confidence that comes with knocking off the defending champions, Wembanyama could make history in his first trip to the NBA Finals.
At just 22-year-old, Wembanyama is already the youngest player in NBA history to lead his team in points per game (23.2) and rebounds per game (10.8) entering the Finals.
He’s also the second player in NBA history to lead his team in points and rebounds entering the Finals in his first career postseason, something that hasn’t been done since Elgin Baylor did it for the Los Angeles Lakers all the way back in 1959.
The Lakers were swept by the Boston Celtics that season.
While the Knicks will lean heavily on Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Mikal Bridges, it’s a former Raptor that could be the key to a potential upset in this series.
O.G. Anunoby has averaged 19.7 points on 58 per cent from the field in 12 games this postseason.
More importantly, his opponents have been held to 40 per cent from the field and 27 per cent from beyond the arc when Anunoby is the primary defender, per ESPN.
Per GeniusIQ, Wembanyama has shot 7-for-17 from the field when he’s faced Anunoby as the primary defender in his career.
I’m fascinated to see how Anunoby is deployed as a potential X-Factor in the series.
Meanwhile, how will the 22-year-old Wemby handle the pressure of the moment in his first trip to the NBA Finals?
With Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper leading the way, the Spurs are the first NBA Finals team ever with multiple players younger than 23 that have scored at least 200 points in a postseason.
After surviving a seven-game series versus OKC, their maturity and resilience will be tested again by the Knicks.
All of this brings me to one remarkable NBA Finals trend to consider before betting on Game 1 at FanDuel.
Over the last 11 seasons, outright winners have gone a combined 62-3-3 against the spread in the NBA Finals, per Steve Makinen of VSIN.com.
That’s a 95.4 per cent win cover rate for outright winners.
In last year’s seven-game series between the Thunder and Indiana Pacers, the outright winner went 7-0 ATS.
Looking at tonight’s Game 1, the Spurs are -190 to win outright and a 4.5-point favourite.
The Knicks are +158 to pull off the upset win.
New York is a veteran team that is well rested after rattling off 11 consecutive wins, including a four-game sweep against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Final.
My biggest question is whether the Knicks will struggle out of the gate the same way they did after a long layoff entering Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final, when they trailed by as many as 22 points in the fourth before rallying to beat Cleveland.
In the win over the Cavaliers, they had home court advantage against an inferior opponent.
That won’t be the case tonight in San Antonio.
As for my FanDuel Best Bet for the NBA Finals, I’ll lock in Wembanyama to lead the series in rebounds at -170.
Sure, it’s chalky, but Mitchell Robinson will be limited in terms of both talent and potential injury concerns, and that should pave the way for Wemby to clean up on the boards while playing big minutes.
As for a longshot bet, I’ll throw some coffee money on Anunoby to win NBA Finals MVP at +4500.
Anunoby is second to only Brunson in scoring for the Knicks with 19.7 points per game and third on the team with 6.9 rebounds per game this postseason.
He’s also New York’s best defender and will play an integral role as they try to slow down Wemanyama.
If the Knicks are going to somehow pull off the upset, Anunoby will need to play a critical role.
At +4500, I’ll roll the dice on Anunoby to win NBA Finals MVP as a longshot bet.
Have a great day, everyone!
