NBA Playoffs Begin on April 20
NBA Finals Begin June 6
The NBA playoffs are underway, and the 16 best teams in the league compete for a place in the NBA Finals. This is a long, long playoff format. Each series from the First Round (Round of 16) onwards is played in a best-of-seven games format. This makes the NBA PLayoffs a two-month oddity, where the strength of a team’s bench is often as important as their starting five.
Here is a look at some of the favored teams and their players to watch over the next few months.
BetXchange NBA Title Odds:
- Boston Celtics – 13/10
- Denver Nuggets – 94/39
- LA Clippers – 62/5
- OKC Thunder – 14/1
- Milwaukee Bucks – 83/5
Boston Celtics (Eastern Conference No. 1 Seed)
The Celtics got off to a great start in their series against the Miami Heat, blasting the South Florida squad 114 to 94 at TD Gardens in Game 1. This went to form, with the Celtics being the No. 1 seed in the conference with 64 wins on the season and the Heat scraping into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed with just 46 wins.
The Celtics are favorites to win the NBA Title for good reason. They were an astonishing 14 games better than any other team in the East. They should breeze through the first few rounds and maybe even the Conference Finals. Compare this to the West, where two teams finished with 57 wins (and another with 56) to see just how dominant the Celtics were during the regular season.
They even benefit from playing Miami without its best player (Jimmy Butler) and should have plenty of rest for an assault on the NBA Title.
New York Knicks (Eastern Conference No. 2 Seed)
The Knicks held serve in both games at home to take a 2-0 lead over the Philadelphia 76ers in their First Round matchup. It hasn’t been easy, with the Knicks taking Game 2 104 to 101 in a game that went down to the wire. The 76ers have scored over 100 points in both games, meaning that the Knicks’ shooting has had to be on point to take this series to Philadelphia without dropping a game.
The presence of Joel Embiid for the 76ers makes the First-Round matchup challenging. If the Knicks get through it, it will be because of Jalen Brunson’s shot creation and their overall offensive-rebounding edge. I expect the Knicks to be the biggest challenger to the Celtics in the conference, but there is a wide, wide gap in class.
OKC Thunder (Western Conference No. 1 Seed)
The OKC Thunder will always have a chance as long as MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is healthy and in form. Their star guard needed to be just that in Game 1 against the New Orleans Pelicans, with the former Kentucky Wildcat pouring in 28 points, including the go-ahead basket with less than a minute to go.
The Thunder and the Pelicans are young, exciting teams. Still, they should have enough in their opening-round matchup, especially with Zion Williamson missing at least the beginning of the series.
This team relies on confidence, so they have every chance of pipping the Celtics if they get hot.
Denver Nuggets (Western Conference No. 2 Seed)
The Nuggets have taken a 2-0 lead over the Los Angeles Lakers in the First Round as they look to defend their NBA crown.
They did it the hard way, racing back from 20 points down to win with a Jamal Murray 15-footer at the buzzer in Game 2. That shot can propel a team through their current series, as well as future matchups on a wave of winning power.
A run is coming if the Nuggets can get past LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Nikola Jokic remains impossible to defend, putting up another playoff triple-double in Game 2 with 27 points, 20 rebounds, and ten assists.
If the Nuggets play the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, it becomes must-see TV.
