This year’s NBA “Final Four” is a bit of an unexpected one, especially if you take a look at the preseason title odds.
Obviously, entering the 2024-25 campaign, the reigning champion Celtics topped the oddsboard at +300. Second to Boston was the 2023-24 NBA champs, the Denver Nuggets, at +750.
Made perfect sense at the time.
However, now that the conference finals are set to begin, neither Boston nor Denver are still in the running, with both having lost in the conference semis — the Celtics fell to the Knicks in six and the Nuggets lost to the Thunder in seven.
The four teams that remain are New York, Indiana, Minnesota and Oklahoma City.
So, where were those teams on the championship oddsboard prior to the season beginning?
Going back in time, Minnesota was third on the board at +850. Dallas (+900) checked in at fourth, followed by Milwaukee and the Thunder tied at fifth (+1000).
Tied at seventh was Philadelphia and New York (+1600), and then down at 15th were the Pacers (+5000).
My times have changed quickly.
OKC went on to have the best record in the NBA during the regular season, earning the West’s top seed. Minnesota finished sixth in the West, but is 8-2 through 10 postseason games. Indy finished fourth in the East but is also 8-2 in the postseason, including a five-game trouncing of the East’s top seed, the Cavaliers. And New York, the East’s third seed, shocked the NBA world by dominating the defending champion Celtics in six games in the conference semis.
Why this era’s Celtics squad is ‘not an all-time great team’
With the conference finals beginning Tuesday, the Thunder are atop the board (-145), followed by the Knicks (+450), Timberwolves (+550) and Pacers (+600). OKC is a -330 favorite against Minnesota, while New York is a -145 favorite against Indiana.
Moving on to the early NBA Finals odds, regardless of who comes out of the West, that conference is favored to win it all.
At DraftKings Sportsbook, the Thunder are a -450 favorite in a potential series with the Pacers and a -370 favorite in a potential matchup with the Knicks.
As for the Wolves, they are a -165 favorite against Indy and a -150 favorite over New York.
Lastly, looking ahead to next year, the Thunder (+210) are favored to win the title in 2025-26, followed by the Knicks (+750), Cavaliers (+900), Wolves (+1000), Pacers (+1200), Nuggets (+1200) and Celtics (+1400).
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