The regular season is coming to a close and after months of heated action on the court it’s almost time to turn our attentions to the main attraction – the playoffs.
With fans of teams all across the country – not in Canada, sorry Raptors fans – starting to dream of an NBA Championship win, we thought it would be the perfect time to trawl through the latest NBA playoffs odds and profile the 5 teams most likely to lift the Larry O’Brien Championship trophy.
Read on to find out who they are…
Phoenix Suns – +1800
We’ll start our journey through the odds with the fifth favourites (according to DraftKings) who are the +1800 rated Phoenix Suns. At the time of writing the Suns find themselves in 6th position in the Western Conference with a record of 37-27.
The teams recent win over the defending champions the Denver Nuggets solidified many people’s belief that this Suns team can go deep in the playoffs this season.
Yet their passage to the post season party is far from confirmed. According to the latest Basketball Probability Index, the Suns have a 1 in 3 chance of missing out on the playoffs altogether.
The only reason then that they find themselves so high in the odds is the perception that the team have, and the fact that they have the pedigree to win when the chips are down. If they do make it to the playoffs it would take a brave person to bet against them, but getting there is the issue…
Milwaukee Bucks – +700
From the Suns to the Bucks the betting odds take a major leap and it’s not hard to see why. Currently the Bucks find themselves in second position in the Eastern Conference behind only the Boston Celtics with a 42-23 record.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard on their roster, the Bucks have enough firepower and raw talent to blow anyone away. Add to that their steely and resolute defense and it’s fair to say that this Milwaukee team have all the raw ingredients of a Championship winning outfit.
Will it all play out that way in the playoffs though? Only time will tell.
(The Bucks have been great so far this season, can they translate their regular season performances into playoff results?)
Los Angeles Clippers – +500
Back to the Western Conference this time we have the LA Clippers who are currently sitting in fourth spot with 41 wins and 22 losses to their name. Since their six game losing streak at the start of the season the Clippers have looked every bit the super team that the media have billed them as.
The criticism that poured their way following that challenging start to the season was used as fuel by the players, most notably by James Harden who has called out his doubters in recent weeks. And speaking of Harden…
In the 34-year-old the Clippers have a real talent, someone who is more than capable of winning games on his own and a player who is desperate to get his hands on a Championship ring.
Denver Nuggets – +370
The Nuggets were the best team in the NBA last season and rightly won the Championship. Thus far this season they have only been the second best team in the Western Conference, sitting just behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Nuggets record of 44-20 speaks for itself though. In recent weeks they have upped the tempo too and look to be going into the playoffs at the peak of their powers. With the success of last year and the undoubted talent in their roster, it seems that the Nuggets are the only team remotely capable of challenging the…
(Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets won the Championship last season, would another victory this time round really be that unbelievable?)
Boston Celtics – +230
Depending on who you listen to, the NBA playoffs are a done deal with the Boston Celtics all but guaranteed to walk away with the Larry O’Brien Championship trophy and it’s hard to argue with that assessment.
The Celtics have been superb this season and unsurprisingly sit atop of the Eastern Conference with a phenomenal 49-14 record. If they continue in this vein they will post the third best regular season record in their history and go into the playoffs safe in the knowledge that they are the best team in the NBA by some distance.
If we were to make a bet of our own, it would be an oh so safe on the Boston Celtics.