NBA Title Contenders Odds to Win the Finals

From the Team in Favorites to Win the Finals: All season long, we have been keeping an eye on the odds in the battle for the NBA Championship.

Along the way, we have seen teams fall out of contention, with the field now down to just 8 teams with a shot at winning it all this season.

My Analysis

The good news for basketball fans is that all 4 series are still hanging in the balance, with 2 of them tied up after 4 games. There is still a rather obvious favorite still standing, which we will see in a moment when we look at the current odds, but the postseason has shown that anything can happen, so perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to crown a champ. For now, let’s look at the odds of the 8 remaining teams.

Boston Celtics Odds -120

The bookies have had the Boston Celtics in as the favorite to win the NBA Championship essentially from day one, and you have to say that they have lived up to the hype. If there is a cause for concern, it is that they have lost twice at home in these playoffs after losing in Boston just 4 times in the regular season. It has not slowed them down, though, and they have a 2-1 series lead over the Cavaliers.

Denver Nuggets Odds +320

The defending champions are in a dogfight in their second round series with the Minnesota Timberwolves. That series is tied at 2-2, but we will have 2 of the final 3 games of this series, assuming they are all required in Denver, which gives the Nuggets the edge.

Minnesota Timberwolves Odds +700

If the T-wolves can knock off the champs, which they look more than capable of doing, these odds are going to shorten quite dramatically. Long story short, If you like Minnesota to go all the way, now might well be the time to get that wager placed.

Oklahoma City Thunder Odds +1400

Despite heading into the playoffs as the #1 seed in the Western Conference, the Thunder are not getting a ton of love from the bookies. They swept the Pelicans in Round 1 but find themselves down to the Dallas Mavericks in Round 2, with that series sitting at 2-1 in favor of Dallas.

Dallas Mavericks Odds +800

Much like the T-Wolves this might be the best odds you are going to get from Dallas, as they will see that number shorten in a big way if they take out the #1 seed and head to the Western Conference Final.

New York Knicks Odds +4000

The remaining odds have more to do with the dominance of the Boston Celtics in the East as opposed to an indictment of the remaining teams. The Knicks and Pacers are knotted at 2-2 in their series, but with the Celtics potentially up next, it could be a just delaying the inevitable for whomever moves on.

Indiana Pacers Odds +3000

The Pacers did well to take out a wounded Milwaukee Bucks team in Round 1, but the expectation was that they would fall to the Knicks. Right now, that is not the case, as they have that series tied up after 4 games.

Cleveland Cavaliers Odds +14000

The odds tell you all you need to know about the Cavaliers chances versus Boston. Yes, they stole a game on the road, but they are down 2-1 in the series and look unlikely to move on.

TWO GAME 4s TONIGHT ‼️

▪️ Celtics & Mavs look to go up 3-1
▪️ Cavs & Thunder seek to tie series up

The #NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel continue on TNT 🍿🍿 pic.twitter.com/bx7lTCGPt0
— NBA (@NBA) May 13, 2024