Basketball fans around the world have been waiting for this moment ever since the season was suspended. The NBA is finally returning soon and will be featuring 22 different teams. Each team will play eight regular season games in order to determine the final seeding and placement for all of the 22 teams that are showing up. After that the playoffs will resume as usual. As that day gets nearer and nearer, I decided to show my picks for Best NBA Odds, how I think the final regular season games and the upcoming postseason will play out.
Eastern Conference Title Odds
Milwaukee Bucks +225
The Bucks are the clear-cut favorite to make it out of the east in this year’s playoffs. With reigning MVP and superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the charge, they should have no problem locking up the one seed. After obtaining the one seed they should face little resistance in the first round and should be fresh going into their next matchup. Look for the Bucks to be in the finals.
Prediction: Finals Appearance
Boston Celtics +1200
The Celtics were beginning to hit their stride up until the season was abruptly cancelled due to COVID-19. Young star Jayson Tatum was beginning to prove why he was drafted so highly a few years ago, and that he is ready to take this team to another level in this year’s postseason. The Celtics have great depth outside of Tatum with players such as Jaylen Brown and Enes Kanter. New point guard Kemba Walker will be in the playoffs for the first time this season and will be more than ready to do whatever he can to take this team to the finals. I think they have the talent to compete with any team in the league but will ultimately fall short against Milwaukee.
Prediction: Conference Finals Appearance
Toronto Raptors +2000
Toronto has seemingly been on a quest to prove that they don’t need star Kawhi Leonard in order to compete for a championship. They recently lost Kawhi after he led them to a championship just over a year ago. Since this season has started, their entire team has stepped up and driven them to the second seed in the eastern conference. They will essentially have the second seed locked up for the start of the playoffs and should have an easy first round. After that I believe they will get stuck with a bad matchup and fall short. However, the Raptors should not be slept on for a possible final run.
Prediction: Eastern Conference Semifinals Appearance
Philadelphia 76ers +2000
The 76ers have been a very confusing team to follow. There were obvious chemistry issues before the season came to a halt and many experts believe that those issues will continue during the playoffs. After losing Jimmy Butler this past offseason and adding Josh Richardson and Al Horford, they have no true leader. Both Embiid and Simmons have taken a backseat in the leadership department and with such a big lack of depth on their roster, the 76ers badly need a solid leader. If they can fix some of the chemistry issues before the playoffs begin then I say that they lose in the semifinals. But I believe that there is no way they fix it with only 8 games remaining before the playoffs.
Prediction: First Round Exit
Miami Heat +3000
I feel like the Heat are a little slept on going into the postseason. I still believe that the leadership and grit of star player Jimmy Butler will be enough to motivate and push their young guys to play their best. Guys like Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn, and Duncan Robinson will need that strong leadership due to the new playoff environment as well as stadiums not having many fans in them to help boost their confidence. Some experts believe that they will be a first-round exit, but I think that they find a way to squeak out of the first round and put up a good fight in the semifinals.
Prediction: Eastern Conference Semi Finals Appearance
Brooklyn Nets +4000
The Nets were looking like a dark horse finals team a few weeks ago. Since then however, they have fallen back down as one of the worst playoff teams this season. With star player Kevin Durant choosing not to return for the postseason, Kyrie Irving will likely follow suit, leaving a few young players on their own against a top seed in the east. They did sign Jamal Crawford and Michael Beasley, but I don’t think that changes their outcome this season.
Prediction: First Round Exit
Indiana Pacers +7500
Indiana was pretty much a first-round exit lock before the season was postponed. Now, after their star player Victor Oladipo has declared that he will be sitting out the postseason in order to rehab for next season, the Pacers are looking guaranteed to exit in the first round. They will likely have to play a top four seed in the conference, and I think that there is a very big gap between the top four teams and the bottom four teams in the east. Whoever that Indiana will be placed up against will have an advantage over them. Without Oladipo there isn’t much that the Pacers will be able to do as they do not have a true leader and closer without him.
Prediction: First Round Exit
Orlando Magic +50000
There is no bigger longshot than these final two teams in the eastern conference. The Magic have very little star power to go along with a lack of depth at every position on the team. Bottom line, the Magic are just not very talented this season. However, they will make the playoffs due to the top-heavy eastern conference and barely get in as an eight seed. But unfortunately for them, they will be matched up against the Giannis led Bucks, where they will most likely be swept quickly. They have no real shot at a championship and will be bounced first round.
Prediction: First Round Exit
Washington Wizards +50000
The Wizards are another team that has no realistic shot at winning the championship. With John Wall still rehabbing from his injury from last year, Bradley Beal was the only star player left on a very bad team. Beal just recently stated that he will not be playing in Orlando to rehab from a shoulder injury that he sustained, which ultimately brings their playoff chances to below one percent. They were already a few games out of the playoff picture and after losing their top player it looks like they will just set their sights on next season.
Prediction: Miss Playoffs
Western Conference Title Odds
Los Angeles Lakers +225
This should come as no surprise as the Lakers have been the favorites to win the championship since the beginning of the season. The combination of LeBron James and Anthony Davis have already proven to overwhelm teams both offensively and defensively. Now add on an incredibly talented bench group and a few great role players and you have yourselves a title contender. I believe that the only main challenge for the Lakers would be the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Bucks aren’t even guaranteed to make the finals.
Prediction: NBA Champions
Los Angeles Clippers +300
The Clippers will be one of the few teams that will be able to match the Lakers. I do no believe that the Clippers will be able to defeat them in a series, but I do know that the combination of a fully healthy Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will be able to keep the series very close. I think that the Clippers will be able to amp up their intensity when the playoffs begin and exhaust teams offensively and defensively. They have a roster that is full of talent and more importantly, players that can defend at a very high level. This team will be competing for a spot in the finals in the near future.
Prediction: Western Conference Finals Appearance
Houston Rockets +1500
Houston is a very confusing team. Many people question the ability of James Harden and Russel Westbrook in the playoffs, and the fact that Houston management decided to pair the two together is an even more fascinating move. They also made another strange move mid-season, when they traded their starting center in Clint Capela. Capela was the only true defensive anchor for the Rockets and was the main pick and roll player to go with James Harden. After the trade, the Rockets played total small ball with P.J. Tucker playing the center position (Tucker is a few inches shorter than Capela). Then they began to drop game after game up until the season came to a halt. Houston is going to have to hope that their star duo is able to find a rhythm in the playoffs.
Prediction: First Round Exit
Denver Nuggets +2200
The Nuggets are a very slept on team that has a lot of talent on their roster. Lead by star player Nikola Jokic, who has appeared to have lost a lot of weight, they have great depth and solid role players that can contribute everywhere. Their downfall is that they have very little playoff experience. If Jokic can play at the top of his game throughout the postseason then the Nuggets will be a very scary team to play against for anybody in the western conference. I think this team will be able to knock out a lower seed in the first round but won’t be able to beat teams like the Lakers and Clippers in a seven game series.
Prediction: Western Conference Semi Finals Appearance
Dallas Mavericks +3500
Dallas has a very good roster but is stuck in an unfortunate spot. As of right now, they are the seventh seed in the western conference. Which would mean a matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round, which would most likely mean a first-round exit for the Mavericks. However, if they are able to go on a hot streak before the postseason starts behind star duo Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, they would have a much better chance to win a series. The rankings are pretty close towards the bottom seeds so I will take a guess and say that they will be able to jump to maybe the sixth seed. If they do then I see them winning a series, but that’s it.
Prediction: Western Conference Semi Finals Appearance
Utah Jazz +4000
Like most of the western conference teams, the Jazz are a big wildcard. Their starting guard Mike Conley has shown flashes of his greatness throughout the season but has been wildly inconsistent all year. Their center Rudy Gobert was the guy that got the NBA season suspended in the first place by being careless in regard to the coronavirus. His carelessness not only got him infected, but also got his teammate and friend Donovan Mitchell infected as well. Those three players need to be on the same page as one another if they want any chance to come out of the first round.
Prediction: First Round Exit
Portland Trail Blazers +8000
The Trail Blazers have been a big letdown compared to last season when they were swept in the conference finals. However, I believe that this extended break in the season will help this team the most. They will be getting their star players fully rested and healthy for the final push for the postseason and will be getting a few big players back from injury such as Zach Collings and Jusuf Nurkic. I think that Portland is a dark horse team to compete in the west this year, but it is yet to be seen if they can make up the ground, they lost in only eight games.
Prediction: First Round Exit
Oklahoma City Thunder +10000
The Thunder were supposed to be in a full rebuild this season and tank for a high draft pick after trading away their superstar duo of Russel Westbrook and Paul George this past offseason. But it turns out that the haul they got back for the two was more than enough to compete in this year’s postseason. They have officially made the playoffs this season and will be a tough opponent for any team. They will be underdogs in whatever series they play in but that is to be expected, they have continued to prove everybody wrong this season and will attempt to carry that into the postseason with them. I think the leadership of Chris Paul takes this team to another level, if he is able to stay healthy this team may win a series.
Prediction: First Round Exit
New Orleans Pelicans +10000
The Pelicans are a very scary team to watch out for in this year’s postseason if they find a way in. They are a very young and hungry team who is looking to fly back into the rankings behind poster child Zion Williamson. Their roster is incredibly athletic and always runs in transition, which really hurts a team throughout the course of a seven-game series. I believe that they will make the race for the eighth seed very interesting and may even get it.
Prediction: Miss Playoffs
Memphis Grizzlies +25000
Memphis is currently in the playoff picture in the eighth seed. They are only four games ahead of the ninth seed, so it is entirely possible that they fall out of the picture during the eight-game season. They will be competing heavily with teams like the Pelicans and Trail Blazers. I personally think that both of those teams have more talent than Memphis at the moment and will be able to catch up to them during this eight-game span. However, they are still in the driver’s seat for the last spot and will be looking to turn it up a notch in order to keep it. I think Ja Morant will try and will this team to victory, but I don’t think it will be enough this season
Prediction: Miss Playoffs
San Antonio Spurs +50000
The Spurs have one of the greatest coaches of basketball history in Greg Popovich and a 20 plus year streak of making the playoffs. I think that their streak ends this season. They just don’t have that one go to guy anymore to take them to the next level and have struggled all season long. Both of their star players, Demar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge, rely heavily on their mid-range game to score. In today’s NBA, the mid-range shot is the most inefficient shot in basketball. If you don’t have the ability to shoot the three ball in today’s NBA, then you will struggle mightily to find a place in the NBA on a winning team. I don’t see them climbing back into the playoff picture with a lack of three-point shooting.
Prediction: Miss Playoffs
Phoenix Suns +50000
Phoenix has a few really solid players on their roster, but it is nowhere near playoff standards. They have built a great one two punch with Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, but neither of those players are in their primes yet. They also surrounded them with some good role players but ultimately have a lack of depth on their team. There isn’t much to say about them for this season other than the fact that they will not be beating out the other teams for the eighth seed.
Prediction: Miss Playoffs
Sacramento Kings +50000
The Kings are another team in a similar situation to Phoenix. Sacramento has a number of solid young players but they just don’t have enough depth and chemistry to take that next step. In my opinion changing head coaches set them back even farther than they already were because it is making them restart their chemistry with their coach. That continuity tends to pay off after a few seasons but changing coaches so abruptly will now take a toll on the players. The Kings will be good in a few seasons from now, but not enough to climb back into the race.
Prediction: Miss Playoffs
