Only three games remain in each conference to decide the final four NBA playoff participants. With the NBA play-in tournament set to begin, the stage is nearly set for the electrifying postseason.
Let's dive into the updated NBA playoff picture and odds as we progress towards the NBA Finals.
NBA Playoff Picture
Eastern Conference Favorite: Boston Celtics -250 To win Conference
Boston has been the most dominant team in the NBA this season. Their 64 wins and 122.2 offensive rating both pace the Association.
Jayson Tatum is smack dab in the middle of his prime and ready to banish the ghosts of playoff past. Many prognosticators shook their heads when Brad Stevens traded for Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. Now, those moves look like masterstrokes for the NBA Championship favorites.
"I'll be shocked if the Boston Celtics don't win the Championship..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 16, 2024
I think they added the missing pieces with Porzingis and Holiday" ~ Charles Barkley #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/mxQFvItfjN
The Celtics are undoubtedly the team to beat as they chase their NBA record 18th Championship banner. The Celtics destroyed Miami 114-94 game one behind 23 points from Jayson Tatum. Boston will look to exert some modicum of revenge on the team that has beaten them twice in the last four postseasons.
Contender: New York Knicks +600 to Win Conference
Racing out to a 2-0 series lead over the much more ballyhooed Philadelphia 76ers, the Knicks look like true Eastern Conference contenders.
Jalen Brunson has been fantastic. But, its contributions from guys like Josh Hart, who's averaged an uncanny 21.5 points and 14 rebounds per game that vault the Knicks into championship contenders. He played all 48 minutes the other night, but if Hart and the other New York role players can keep this up, the men from the Mecca could finally be poised for another deep playoff run.
Western Conference Favorite: Denver Nuggets +135 To Win Conference
While they failed to win the No. 1 seed in the West. Mike Malone and the battle-tested Nuggets won't be bothered in the slightest.
Nikola Jokic is on the verge of capturing his third Most Valuable Player award, and Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. are playing some of the best basketball of their young careers. The Nuggets dropped just four games all of last year's playoffs en route to the title, so knocking them four time in seven games will be a tall task for any playoff foe.
Denver will battle the winner of the New Orleans Pelicans vs Los Angeles Lakers play-in game in the first round. The Nuggets went 5-1 across six contests against those teams this season, and swept the Lakers in last years' Western Conference Final.
Contender: Dallas Mavericks +1000 to Win Conference
After a Game 1 blowout loss to the Clippers, many will write off the Dallas Mavericks in this year's playoffs.
That would be a grievous mistake. Since the NBA Trade Deadline, the Mavs are fourth in defensive rating and 12th in total rebounding. Over the past 15 games, Dallas leads the Association in defensive rating. Luka & Kyrie have transformed the Mavericks fortunes in a little over a season together.
Luka has been unconscious this season, averaging an uncanny 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists per night. He's my favorite value bet to win NBA Finals MVP. The Mavs front office has finally surrounded Doncic with a supporting cast good enough to win in the playoffs.
The questions of how Luka and all-world guard Kyrie Irving would gel have been dispelled. But can their partnership lift Dallas to an NBA Championship?
How to Bet on the NBA Playoffs
Now that you've chosen a few teams to make the postseason, you might want to look into other playoff futures and NBA Finals bets -- no worries, because we've got a wealth of information for you to browse through. Handicappers can use our daily NBA Computer Picks to aid in their quest to beat the books. Make sure you place your futures sooner than later, as the closer we get to the end of the regular season, the tighter the odds get.
