Halfway through the second round of the 2022 NBA postseason, it still seems to be very up in the air as to which team will win this year’s Finals.
There are several strong candidates and a lot of parity among remaining teams. Here is a breakdown of each team’s odds and how appropriate they are. Odds are courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.
Golden State Warriors: +200
Despite holding the shortest odds to win the Finals, the Golden State Warriors’ odds at +200 are probably pretty spot on. There are a couple other teams with a strong post presence that could match up well with Golden State, but their championship experience bodes very well for their chances.
They have an extremely talented group of guards between the starting lineup and the bench, led by the legendary Splash Brother duo of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Between championship pedigree, depth, and the way they are playing at the moment, no team looks more likely to win a championship this year than Golden State.
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Phoenix Suns: +280
For whatever reason, this Phoenix Suns’ team doesn’t look like the team that won the Western Conference a year ago and had the NBA’s best regular season record this year.
A large part of that has to be credited to the apparent regression of Chris Paul, who’s struggled so far in this postseason. The Suns will need his veteran presence and leadership to make another Finals run, so a lot of this hinges on the Point God. It seems like this just might not be the Suns’ year, so it would be wise to pass on this, at least while the odds sit at +280.
Boston Celtics: +440
The Boston Celtics are one of the hottest teams in the NBA and have shown some very impressive fight so far in their series against the remaining champs in Milwaukee. The concern with Boston is its reliance on wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Most other teams left have strengths in their guards and/or big men, which could present a matchup issue for Boston in this and possibly future series. It’s surprising to see the Celtics here in the third-highest position, and at +440 this is bad value. Wait for better odds or pass on this bet altogether.
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Miami Heat: +650
The Miami Heat is showing great depth against the Philadelphia 76ers, winning multiple games without starting point guard Kyle Lowry. This is arguably the best shooting team in the playoffs, while also having great leadership from Jimmy Butler.
If the Heat can finish the job against Philly, this team will put themselves in great shape to get back to and possibly win the NBA Finals. At +650, this is definitely worth a shot.
Milwaukee Bucks: +800
This is without a doubt the best value available, as the Milwaukee Bucks somehow find themselves at +800. Giannis Antetokounmpo is still playing and dominating, and he has made up for the absence of his second option in Khris Middleton while he recovers from his knee injury.
Milwaukee probably has the most depth of any team in the playoffs and while Middleton remains out indefinitely, his return would mean trouble for the rest of the league. If they can close Boston out, which they should be able to do, their odds will skyrocket back to reality. Jump on this now before it is too late.
Philadelphia 76ers: +1400
The Philadelphia 76ers finds themselves in a 3-2 hole to Miami and historically have not been able to dig themselves out of such a deficit. They absolutely have the star power to do it, between Joel Embiid and James Harden, but have struggled to put it all together for multiple games in a row so far in the playoffs.
A big part of this has been due to Embiid playing through multiple injuries, which aren’t going away any time soon. At +1400, this could prove to be quite a tremendous value, but it might simply be too late for the Sixers at this point.
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Dallas Mavericks: +2200
The Dallas Mavericks are playing Phoenix very tough so far in this round, but seem to lack the firepower to make a deep run, even if they can pull off the extreme upset. Luka Doncic again doesn’t have the supporting cast necessary to win a championship so this may never happen for him before he eventually leaves Dallas.
While the odds are great for a team that very well can advance to the Conference Finals round, that likely would be the ceiling for this bunch.
Memphis Grizzlies: +8000
After the news that rising superstar point guard Ja Morant may miss the remainder of the playoffs, it seems extremely unlikely that his Memphis Grizzlies can make it out of this series with Golden State. This team will be back with a vengeance next year and for years to come, but it seems that this year’s magical run is coming to a quick halt at the hands of the Warriors.
With such parity in the remaining playoff field, it’s definitely worth taking a shot at multiple teams left on the board. There are favorable odds to be found for multiple teams, so do your research and make some magic happen. Good luck and enjoy what should be a thrilling remainder of the 2022 NBA postseason.
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