Updated NBA Championship Odds – February 20th

With the 2018 All-Star game complete and championship hopeful teams in both conference starting to get really serious in their efforts to improve prior to the postseason, this look at the latest NBA Championship odds comes at a perfect time to help you identify the teams that are most likely to win this season’s title. With a full slate of NBA betting action going down the lane, let’s get started.

Updated NBA Championship Odds – February 20th

From #InsideStuff, @Steve21Smith catches up with the @Warriors 5-time All-Star #StephCurry to break down his ball-handling brilliancy! pic.twitter.com/Hmk35uWAMD

— NBA (@NBA) 20 de febrero de 2018

The Favorites

Golden State Warriors

• NBA Championship Odds: 5/8

In the case of the reigning champion Dubs, while it’s true it looks like they’re more vulnerable this season than in the past few years and apparently going to face a stiff challenge out west against Houston, Golden State still has a quartet of all-star players, one of the game’s best head coaches and a bench of both veteran and youthful contributors. While they’re currently a half-game behind the Rockets at 44-14, until I see otherwise, I believe they will somehow find a way to win the Western Conference at the very least.

Houston Rockets

• NBA Championship Odds: 9/2

Having said all of that, if there’s one team that I believe is built to beat the Warriors and it’s the Houston Rockets (44-13). While I said the same thing a year ago, clearly Houston has improved because of the addition of future Hall of Fame superstar point guard Chris Paul, who has been re-invigorated himself after leaving the perennially-underachieving Los Angeles Clippers. Combined with James Harden, one of the MVP candidates, a blossoming big man in Clint Capela and a cast of competent veterans like Eric Gordon, Trevor Ariza, and Ryan Anderson, Houston could very well find itself as the Western Conference champs at the very least this postseason.

Cleveland Cavaliers

• NBA Championship Odds: 5/1

As far as LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are concerned, they have been completely transformed and re-invigorated by the handful of impressive trades that brought them veterans Jordan Clarkson, Rodney Hood, George Hill, and Larry Nance Jr. and now look like a lively bunch that actually wants to play together. Clarkson and Hood are guys that can flat-out put the ball in the bucket while Hills bring some serious stability to the point guard position for a Cavs team in desperate needs of some leadership following the failed acquisitions of both, Isaiah Thomas and former league MVP Derrick Rose. Nance Jr. brings a level of youthful enthusiasm and fresh legs that the Cavs just weren’t getting from Channing Frye, Kevin Love or Tristan Thompson for that matter. They may not be the favorites, but Cleveland clearly improved its chances of pulling off the Finals upset.

Top Contenders

Toronto Raptors

• NBA Championship Odds: 12/1

The Toronto Raptors have surpassed the Boston Celtics as the likely favorites to dethrone James and the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference, but until I see Kyle Lowry stop choking in the playoffs and see Toronto actually got two big men Serge Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas with more regularity, then I’m going to remain skeptical at best.

Boston Celtics

• NBA Championship Odds: 16/1

In the case of the Celtics, they’ve cooled off considerably following their stunning league-leading start of approximately two months. Still, the C’s have a flat-out superstar in point guard Kyrie Irving, even if he does believe the earth is flat. Boston also has an all-star big man in veteran Al Horford and another capable scoring big in recently acquired veteran Greg Monroe, not to mention a pair of gifted young wings in second-year swingman Jaylen Brown and rookie forward Jayson Tatum. It’s a damned shame the C’s lost small forward Gordon Hayward in the first game of the season, but they still have the look of a team that is going to be difficult to dispatch once the playoffs roll around.

Oklahoma City Thunder

• NBA Championship Odds: 28/1

Oklahoma City has a pair of legitimate superstars in Russell Westbrook and Paul George and a fading one that can still score the ball in Carmelo Anthony, but the Thunder are wildly inconsistent. One night, they can beat the Warriors or Rockets and the next, they’re looking inexplicably incompetent against the Denver Nuggets or Utah Jazz.

San Antonio Spurs

• NBA Championship Odds: 33/1

The San Antonio Spurs are still very good and they’ll reach the 50-win mark for the umpteenth time under venerable head coach Gregg Popovich, but they have no real shot of getting past Golden State or Houston with their best player in all-star forward Kawhi Leonard.

Minnesota Timberwolves

• NBA Championship Odds: 50/1

As far as the Minnesota Timberwolves are concerned, they’ve got a really nice trio of stars in Karl Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Jimmy Butler and a couple of other excellent veterans in point guard Jeff Teague and forward Taj Gibson, but what they don’t have is a bunch of quality depth on the bench, nor a whole lot of desire to play quality defense, even under task-master and defensive genius head coach Tom Thibodeau. So, there you have it, an expert look at the eight teams with the best chances to win the 2018 NBA Finals.

Rest of the Bunch

• Milwaukee Bucks: 66/1
• Washington Wizards: 66/1
• Philadelphia 76ers: 80/1
• Utah Jazz: 80/1
• Denver Nuggets: 125/1
• Indiana Pacers: 125/1
• Detroit Pistons: 150/1
• Miami Heat: 150/1
• Charlotte Hornets: 250/1
• Los Angeles Clippers: 250/1
• New Orleans Pelicans: 250/1
• Portland Trail Blazers: 250/1
• Chicago Bulls: 500/1
• Los Angeles Lakers: 500/1
• New York Knicks: 1000/1
• Brooklyn Nets: 2000/1
• Memphis Grizzlies: 2000/1
• Orlando Magic: 2000/1
• Atlanta Hawks: 5000/1
• Dallas Mavericks: 5000/1
• Phoenix Suns: 5000/1
• Sacramento Kings: 5000/1