We are beginning to wind down the NBA regular season. The clear favorites have emerged, and a handful of teams are still trying to hang on to their playoff hopes.
Going back to those favorites, a few stand above the others. There are just five teams that could really, genuinely have a strong chance of winning it all when the NBA playoffs roll around.
Boston Celtics
When looking at championship NBA betting odds, you will find no NBA team with a better chance of winning than the Celtics. They have been the class of the Eastern Conference all season long and have not looked beatable very often. While that’s fine and well on the surface, what lies below makes the difference.
The Celtics are in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive ratings. That’s an important mark because championship teams traditionally must fall in the top 10 on both. The Celtics are first in offensive rating and second in defensive rating and don’t look like they have a flaw. That said, Jayson Tatum needs to make this his playoff run.
Denver Nuggets
The defending NBA champions have put themselves among the frontrunners. The best team in a tough Western Conference, the Nuggets look battle-tested and are getting another MVP-caliber performance out of Nikola Jokic. Repeating is much easier said than done, but this looks like the kind of team that can get it done when the playoffs roll around.
At this point, the depth of the West is the biggest challenge for the Nuggets. They would stand a much better chance of reaching the Finals in the East. But against this loaded conference, they can run into anyone who could knock them off.
Milwaukee Bucks
Expectations were enormous to start the year, and it might be good that the Bucks failed to live up to them for a while. After adding Doc Rivers as head coach, things seem to have finally turned a corner, and the Bucks are now among the best teams in the NBA.
Giannis has one of his best seasons and could easily be the best player in the East. They’ve been to the Promised Land before, so it would shock no one if they made it all the way. That said, team defense is still a sore spot, and their depth is questionable.
Oklahoma City Thunder
If there is a team to challenge the Nuggets in the West, it will be OKC. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a leading MVP candidate and heads a team in the top 5 in terms of offensive and defensive rating. They also play tenacious, making it challenging to handle for 60 minutes.
The only mark against the Thunder is their inexperience. They haven’t been tested, but the playoffs will do that. They have the skill, the energy, and the youth to make a deep push, though.
Los Angeles Clippers
On paper, the Clippers can compete with anyone. They have more star power than virtually anyone else in the league. That said, it’s hard to trust the Clippers because they seem to have a funk around the franchise.
James Harden can be as good as anyone but hasn’t been the best in the playoffs. There is also the matter of Kawhi putting in a major-league performance in the playoffs for the first time in what feels like ages. If anyone can flip a switch and make a run, though, it is the Clippers.
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