Odds To Win The NBA Eastern Conference: Heat vs Celtics, Who Ya Got?

The battle for the NBA’s Eastern Conference is now down to two teams, the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, with the Celtics holding the edge to make it to the NBA Finals based on odds from online sportsbooks.

According to the best basketball betting sites, the Celtics are -135 favorites to beat the Heat and advance to play for the 2019-20 NBA championship vs the Western Conference winner. The Celtics took down the Philadelphia 76ers and defending champion Toronto Raptors while the Heat dispatched the Indiana Pacers and No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks to set up this showdown.

The NBA playoff structure in 2020 is unconventional so if you’re new to betting and want to know how to bet on basketball, what NBA futures are, or even how betting works without fans in attendance, click on these links to get you up to speed.

Here are the full betting odds for which team will win the Eastern Conference final, which can also be found on our NBA Series Prices page.

Odds as of September 14 at Bovada

Why the Heat Will Win

Arguably the most balanced team left in the NBA playoffs, the Miami Heat have been running through the postseason like they were the championship favorites. At 8-1 SU and ATS through nine postseason games in the bubble, the Heat have been a bettor’s best friend and should give the Celtics all they can handle.

Jimmy Butler has fit into the Heat culture like a glove but it’s the supporting cast of the likes of Goran Dragic, Jae Crowder and Duncan Robinson who have paced this offense when Jimmy’s shot isn’t falling.

The Heat rank third in both three-point percentage and points scored per game in the postseason and it should be interesting to see how Celtics coach Brad Stevens combats the three-point barrage Miami can put up in any given game.

If the Heat can lock down Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on the perimeter and make them work for their points, this series could be over in a hurry.

Why the Celtics Will Win

Historically, talent reigns supreme in the NBA and there’s no question the Celtics have the talent edge over Miami in this series. The trio of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker can all drop 30 points in a given game while the Tatum/Brown combo has been excellent defending the three-point line in the postseason, helping the team rank first in opponent shooting percentage (Opp. 3-pt. percentage: 30.5%).

Defensively, the Celtics have been making mincemeat of their opponents in the playoffs, holding them to 100.9 points per game and only 40 percent shooting from the floor. Another factor that bodes well for Boston is the expected return of Gordon Hayward from an ankle injury, which would give the team another playmaker and competent shot-maker on the floor.

If the Celtics can continue to get consistent scoring from Tatum and not let centers Daniel Theis or Robert Williams be a liability in the paint, Boston could be looking at its first NBA Finals appearance since 2010.

Understanding NBA Eastern Conference Odds

At your betting site of choice, you’ll see Eastern Conference futures odds displayed like this:

Boston Celtics -135

Miami Heat +115

Similar to a moneyline bet where the favorites are represented with minus signs (-) and underdogs with plus signs (+), the team with the lowest odds is the front-runner. In this scenario it’s the Celtics, while Miami is the underdog.

Let’s say you’re loving the Celtics at -135 and you bet they make the NBA Finals. A $100 bet would get you a payout of $174.07 – you get your original money back coupled with your winnings of $74.07.

Our Odds Calculator will tell you how much you’d win based on the amount bet and odds offered.