A rousing start to the playoffs has NBA fans and bettors clamoring for more.
Let's dive into the updated NBA playoff picture and odds as we progress towards the NBA Finals.
NBA Playoff Picture
Eastern Conference Favorite: Boston Celtics -210 To win Conference
Boston has been the most dominant team in the NBA this season. Their 64 wins and 122.2 offensive rating both pace the Association.
Jayson Tatum (+200 NBA Finals MVP favorite) is smack dab in the middle of his prime and ready to banish the ghosts of playoff past. Many prognosticators shook their heads when Brad Stevens traded for Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. Now, those moves look like masterstrokes for the NBA Championship favorites.
The Celtics are undoubtedly the team to beat as they chase their NBA record 18th Championship banner. The Celtics destroyed Miami 114-94 in Game 1 behind 23 points from Jayson Tatum. Boston dropped Game 2 before completing a professional 20-point beatdown of the Heat in Game 3.
Tatum, Jaylon Brown and co. put the nail in the Miami Heat's coffin with a 118-84 beatdown in Game 5. Joe Mazzulla's team will eagerly await the winner of the competitive Cavs-Magic series.
Contender: New York Knicks +480 to Win Conference
Racing out to a 2-1 series lead over the much more ballyhooed Philadelphia 76ers, the Knicks look like true Eastern Conference contenders.
Jalen Brunson (+1600 to win NBA Finals MVP) has been fantastic. But, it's contributions from guys like Josh Hart, who's averaged an uncanny 21.5 points and 14 rebounds per game that vault the Knicks into championship contenders. He played all 48 minutes the other night, but if Hart and the other New York role players can keep this up, the men from the Mecca could finally be poised for a deep playoff run.
Western Conference Favorite: Denver Nuggets +110 To Win Conference
While they failed to win the No. 1 seed in the West, Mike Malone and the battle-tested Nuggets look ready to roll to another NBA Finals.
Nikola Jokic (+290 to win NBA Finals MVP) is on the verge of capturing his third Most Valuable Player award, and Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. are playing some of the best basketball of their young careers. The Nuggets dropped just four games all of last year's playoffs en route to the title, so knocking them four times in seven games will be a tall task for any playoff foe.
Jamal Murray full 4th quarter takeover vs the Lakers and game winner 🏹pic.twitter.com/7fsKN6GoOI
— ⚒️🏆Championship Otto 🃏🏹 (@ChiefOttoSosa) April 25, 2024
Jamal Murray's insane fourth quarter gave Denver the win in Game 2 against Los Angeles. The Nuggets climbed the mountain and beat Lebron with an insane 20-point comeback. Denver beat LA for the 10th straight time before dropping Game 4. Having said that, few would bet on Lebron James' team to complete an unfathomable comeback. Led by Jamal Murray's heroics, the Nuggets overcame a stiff test from the Lakers in Game 5 to advance to the second round. However, Murray's calf, and the health of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will certainly give bettors pause.
At this point, the West is the Nuggets to win. Can anyone stop the Nuggets march to back-to-back NBA Championships?
Contender: Dallas Mavericks +500 to Win Conference
After a Game 1 blowout loss to the Clippers, many will write off the Dallas Mavericks in this year's playoffs.
That would be a grievous mistake. Since the NBA Trade Deadline, the Mavs are fourth in defensive rating and 12th in total rebounding. Over the past 15 games, Dallas has led the Association in defensive rating. Luka & Kyrie have transformed the Mavericks fortunes in a little over a season together.
Luka has been unconscious this season, averaging an uncanny 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists per night. He's my favorite value bet to win NBA Finals MVP. The Mavs front office has finally surrounded Doncic with a supporting cast good enough to win in the playoffs.
The questions of how Luka and all-world guard Kyrie Irving would gel have been dispelled. Jason Kidd's squad blew the doors off the Clippers in Game 5 to take a strangehold of their first round series. A less than 100% Luka dropped 35, while the Mavs defense held LA to UNDER 38% shooting from the field.
There's a reason the Mavericks are my favorite NBA Championship sleeper.
How to Bet on the NBA Playoffs
Now that you've chosen a few teams to make the postseason, you might want to look into other playoff futures and NBA Finals bets -- no worries, because we've got a wealth of information for you to browse through. Handicappers can use our daily NBA Computer Picks to aid in their quest to beat the books. Make sure you place your futures sooner than later, as the closer we get to the end of the regular season, the tighter the odds get.
