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With the NBA Playoffs kicking off, it's time to assess the field and make a pick for the Eastern Conference, Western Conference, and next NBA Championship.
2021-2022 NBA Championship Complete Teamwise Odds
The Phoenix Suns are the odds-on favorites to win the NBA Finals this year, and they are the smart bet. Smart bets aren't always the favorites, but the Suns have been showing all season long why they are the best team in the NBA. The Memphis Grizzlies have risen as worthy foes, but I believe their inexperience will be their downfall in the Playoffs.
Coming out of the East, Milwaukee, Boston, or Miami will give the fans a great matchup in the Finals, but none of those teams are capable of beating Phoenix. Milwaukee had an incredible run last year that likely could not be replicated. The Bucks will be lucky to make it out of the second round this year. The East will come down to Boston and Miami; Brooklyn has shown they have too many issues to make a deep run.
Western Conference: Best NBA Teams to Bet On
As previously stated, the Suns are the proper bet to win the West, but for those that want a little more juice in their action, Grizzlies +1400 is a great value bet. The Warriors' injury woes will stifle them in the playoffs, leading to a Memphis vs. Phoenix Conference Finals. It shouldn't be overlooked that the Grizzlies were 2-1 against the Suns this year. The Western Conference will likely come down to a seventh game between Memphis and Phoenix.
Eastern Conference: Best NBA Teams to Bet On
It's open season in the Eastern Conference as the top five teams have a realistic shot of making the Finals. The Bucks are defending their championship, the Heat are the number one seed, Boston might be the hottest team in the NBA, KD should never be counted out, and the 76ers still have a solid chance.
Starting from the bottom, the 76ers have looked great at points in the season, but they have lacked consistency. The trade for James Harden looked like the right move to make the championship contenders, but the team hasn't shown significant improvement since the trade. However, they could still be considered a dark horse to win the east.
The Brooklyn Nets have the third-best odds to win the championship despite being the seventh seed. While KD and Kyrie can never be counted out, their road to the finals is too tough as they will likely have to play Boston, Milwaukee, and Miami to make a finals appearance -- it just doesn't seem realistic.
The three seed and defending champions are the favorites, but a repeat for the Bucks doesn't seem likely. They have a better record than last year, but they don't have the chip on their shoulder that helped carry them through the playoffs. Anything can happen in this wild Eastern Conference, but their juice aint there to justify the +220 squeeze.
This leaves the Celtics and the Heat. While it may seem like chalk, one of these two teams will emerge from The East. It will be a beatdown drag out where anything can happen, but ultimately the Heat are set up too well to fail. Eric Spoelstra will lead his team to an Eastern Conference championship for the sixth time in a hunt for his third NBA championship.
Guess the Lakers players!
