NBA Championship Odds, Picks and Predictions – SportsBlog.com (blog)

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

This article is a collaborative effort by us and our friends from Australia. To see the full length article including odds from both the Western and Eastern conferences you can visit our friends NBA odds and Predictions.  

With less than 25 games remaining in the regular season, it’s time to start thinking about who will win the NBA Championship. Current NBA Championship odds show the Golden State Warriors are heavily favored at -200 with the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs far behind in second and third at +300 and +350, respectively. Any analysis presented here will be based on the assumption key players from all teams will stay healthy for the duration of the regular season. Note: Stated odds are reflective of what’s available at selected online sportsbooks and may vary from one site to the next.

Eastern Conference 

 As of this writing, the Eastern Conference is wide open. While current NBA playoffs odds show the Cavaliers favored at -400 to win the conference, the Toronto Raptors at present represent great value at +600 based on the fact they are only 2.5 games back for the #1 seed and have actually won the regular season series against the Cavaliers 2-1. The only other team that seems to have a realistic chance to make it to the NBA finals would be the Boston Celtics at +1000 who have won 17 of its last 21 games. Also, the Celtics are the fourth highest scoring team in the league, #1 in the conference, which make them dangerous against any team in the conference. As indicated above, the conference is competitive and anything could happen. With that said, the conference’s #4 and #5 teams, Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls, respectively, are dealing with serious injuries. Barring a miracle, it just doesn’t seem likely that either of these two teams nor anyone else have the firepower to defeat the Cavs, Raptors and Celtics in an extended series.

Analysis: It’s hard to pick against a team led by Lebron James. However, the Cavaliers have some internal issues that are becoming increasingly more problematic for a team that desperately needs team chemistry. The Raptors look like the right play. With great team chemistry and a couple of exciting young players in DeMar Derozen and Kyle Lowry, this is a team on the come. They play good defense and can score with anyone in the league except perhaps the Warriors. Should the Celtics continue improving, they could upset the apple cart. However, they just seem a player away from reaching the promise land. Assuming the Cavaliers and Raptors meet in the conference finals, the Raptors have the feel of a team on the improve while the Cavaliers appear to be going the other way.

The Pick: Toronto Raptors

Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports

Western Conference 

This is indeed the wild wild west. The league’s three best teams, the Warriors, Spurs and Thunder all have the talent to go all the way. Even a healthy Clippers team could make some noise if Blake Griffin comes back at full strength. With all that said, the conference title still goes through the NBA’s defending champion Golden State. Not only is the team on target to break the NBA’s record for wins (72), but they have also dominated the other three teams under consideration with a record of 6-0, including 3 wins on the road. It’s worth noting the Warriors have 17 home gains remaining on the schedule and 3 games remaining against the Spurs. Losses in all three games could certainly change the playoff picture.

Analysis: Of course any of these teams could win a game or two, but it seems highly unlikely that anyone can win a 5 or 7 game series over the Warriors without solving the Stephen Curry/Klay Thompson problem. The Spurs have the best defense in the league, but in the team’s only meeting with Golden State to date, they were blown out 120-90 in Oakland. Current NBA playoffs odds for the Western Conference are Warriors -250, Spurs +225 and the Thunder at +550, indicating gambling exerts think it’s Golden State’s title to lose. This writer agrees.

The Pick: Golden State Warriors

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Who Will Win the NBA Championship?

In a Raptors/Warriors final, the odds differential would be enormous. It’s notable that current NBA Championship odds have the Warriors at the aforementioned -200 and the Raptors at +3000. For the final series, you can figure on the Warriors being much shorter odds. Not surprisingly, the Warriors won the season series 2-0, but both games were won by an average of only 4 points. That leaves very little margin for error.

Analysis: So who will win the NBA finals? One has to assume that both teams will kick it up a notch by the time the finals come around. NBA finals predictions are about identifying the team that comes in with the best resume, playing at the highest level. The Warriors have played at an unprecedented level since day one. They even survive a six-game stretch with Curry nursing an injury that cost him a few games. The final dagger in the hearts of the rest of the league is the fact the Warriors are undefeated at home and are almost assured of having home court advantage for the entirety of the playoffs. The reality is that in order to win the Western Conference, they will have defeated the other top teams in the league. They are young enough to endure everything thrown at them and until someone can figure out how to stop Curry and offset the team’s depth, the only reasonable NBA finals predictions would be for a two-peat.

The Pick: Who will win the NBA finals? Golden State Warriors

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

CURRENT ODDS TO WIN THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP – as of March 1

* All other teams are theoretically eliminated

With the Golden State Warriors playing in uncharted waters, this has been one of the most interesting NBA seasons in recent memory. The best part is we have been able to take the ride with you. For the remainder of the regular season all the way through the NBA finals, we will continue bringing you the latest news, lines and player updates.

Of course, the action doesn’t end with the NBA. We are also here with the latest news from the world of European football, the UFC, and horse racing from all around Australia, Europe and North America. We will also be bringing the latest lines and predictions from prognosticators around the world.

Slideshow: A look at some of the action so far

This article is a collaborative effort by us and our friends from Australia. To see the full length article including odds from both the Western and Eastern conferences you can visit our friends NBA odds and Predictions.  

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