The NBA playoffs are finally here, folks. 16 teams remain, but only one will be crowned champions. Seven franchises who have earned the right to play after 82 games will look for their first-ever NBA title, while the other nine squads will look to add to their trophy room.
Essentially, it’s a new season; every team starts at 0-0, and whatever you did in the regular season should be thrown out the window. However, there are some teams who are favorites over others, and as the playoffs begin, there is one clear favorite to win the whole enchilada. According to Fan Duel SportsBooks, the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, and the overall number one seed, the Boston Celtics, are the heavy favorites to take home the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania shared the news via X.
The Celtics are the favorites with -120 odds, followed by the reigning champion Denver Nuggets at +320. The number one seed in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder, sits at +1300 to round off the top three.
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Following the top three are the Dallas Mavericks (+1600), Philadelphia 76ers (+1700), Los Angeles Clippers (+1800), Minnesota Timberwolves (+2400), Phoenix Suns (+2400), New York Knicks (+2700), Milwaukee Bucks (+2700), Los Angeles Lakers (+3000), Cleveland Cavaliers (+3600), Indiana Pacers (+5000), Orlando Magic (+12000), and New Orleans Pelicans (+13000). The Miami Heat, Boston’s opponent in the first round, have the worst odds at +24000.
The Celtics are arguably the best team in the league, and they’ve shown it all season long. Coming into the playoffs, Boston ranks first in average score margin, first in effective field goal percentage, first in defensive rebounds per game, first in blocks per game, and first in turnovers at 11.9 per game.
Boston won 64 games in the regular year and only fell 18 times. Their 2017 draft pick and 26-year-old superstar Jayson Tatum will be tasked to lead Boston to their first title since 2008. Tatum had himself one heck of a season. The Louisville native averaged 26.9 points per game on 47.1% shooting from the field, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in 74 games and 35.7 minutes of play.
While Boston is seen as a favorite entering the playoffs, it’s been a long road for this historic franchise. Since winning it all in 2008, they have only been to the NBA Finals twice, in 2010 and 2022. The Celtics fell short both times. In 2010, they lost to their archrivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, in seven games. In 2022, the Celtics were dropped in six games to the Golden State Warriors. In between those times, they’ve come up short many times, especially in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Leprechauns will look to redeem themselves in 2024. They’ll look to break the tie for the most titles in NBA history with the Lakers and secure their 18th title for their franchise and the city of Boston.
You won’t want to miss these NBA playoffs.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.