As the NBA Playoffs are starting to approach, there’s no better time to look and wonder how the NBA Championship will turn out to be. The parity in the league has been translated to very tight NBA Championship odds as the finals are slowly approaching.
The Phoenix Suns are still on the lead with odds of +300, followed by the Nets with +550, the Golden State Warriors with +650, the Bucks closely following at +700, and the Celtics with their +900 odds, rounding up all five potential champions.
However, a lot can change in the NBA news overnight, but experts say that this tight competition of the five leading teams competing for the NBA Championship will last until the finals. So, let’s discuss these teams further regarding their potential for the NBA Championship and how they will most likely end up in the playoffs.
Phoenix Suns
Seeing that their odds to win NBA Finals have improved again recently, the Phoenix Suns still own the current NBA record by a comfortable margin, which proved that their being in the Finals last season was by no means a fluke. Currently, the Suns are a top-three team on both sides, which gives them the best rating in the NBA.
As a result, they are looking to deserve to be everybody’s favorite, and now the books are starting to reflect that fact. Thanks to their MVP-esque player, Devin Booker, the Suns are still on top of their game and have managed to go 11-4 without Chris Paul. Also, now that CP3 is back and still doing CP3 things, the Phoenix Suns so far are still the top team to beat right now.
Milwaukee Bucks
Although they are currently the defending champion, they fell short of second on the odds right now. The Bucks currently have a 48-30 record, holding down the East’s number three seed in the current playoff race after a very bad start to the season. Although the defending champions are doing very well recently, they look very inconsistent and vulnerable at times.
Still, thanks to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, the Bucks are starting to shape up again and seem to be back in peak performance. Right now, they are considered to be the sleeping giant of the East.
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets slipped from being everyone’s favorite because of their deadline blockbuster trade, shipping superstars James Harden to Philly in exchange for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and other picks. If Simmons plays, he will arm the Brooklyn Nets with a dangerous two-way weapon with great defense and passing while overlapping less with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving’s preference on scoring.
On the other hand, Curry and Drummond will also be bolstering the rotation depth that’s seen all kinds of injuries in the current season. The Nets have been 5-5 over their last ten games on the court, which slots them into the eighth seed in the East.
However, with Durant now seemingly healthy and Simmons hopefully on his way, the Nets are a dangerous opponent in the play-in round. What makes it better though is that now that the health restrictions are lifted, Kyrie Irving might be able to play in home games, a badly needed boost for a championship-caliber team.
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors have recently lost traction again. The Dubs currently have the West’s third-best record at 50-29 and still have the upside to realize a supporting cast of Klay Thompson and the eventual return of Stephen Curry. However, things aren’t going very great as we haven’t seen this team play completely healthy yet, especially since Stephen Curry is still sidelined until the playoffs.
Currently, the Golden State Warriors have gone 3-6 in Stephen Curry’s absence and are now dangerously dangling from the West’s number four seed to fall into number three, which is just one game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks.
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are recently just new to the top five in the odds board because of their great performance during the second half of the season. With their great defense led by Marcus Smart and an improved playmaking-by-committee approach that has been helping them a lot recently, they have climbed from the end of the bracket to the number two seed. Currently, they are ranked second in net rating in all of the league.
Even with starting center Robert Williams out for probably 4-6 weeks due to a meniscus tear, experts say that the Boston Celtics can still go on during the postseason’s early-round even with less-than-full strength. Their two stars in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum will surely bring in the necessary star power for the Celtics in the playoffs.
Final Words
The playoffs are fast approaching and many teams are getting ready for a run toward the NBA Finals. Although there are many teams with championship potential, the five teams mentioned here have some of the biggest chances of getting to the finals. With many superstars returning, it seems that it will be a highly interesting playoff to be had.
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