On April 20, Beijing time, the NBA playoffs are about to start, and 16 teams will compete for the championship. Just today, ESPN updated the odds of winning the championship, because the strength of the East is too average, the suspense of the Green Army to break out of the encirclement is not large, so it is ahead of the Nuggets in the odds of winning the championship. The Clippers are still favored, tied for third place with the Thunder, and the Suns' odds to win the championship are even worse than the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Greens are firmly in first place with +145, and the Nuggets are in second place with +275. In the author's opinion, this year's championship will be born in these two teams, the Green Army is very likely to break through from the East, facing the Heat without Butler in the first round, it is almost impossible to lose an upset, and the Green Army has brought in Holiday and Porzingis, which is stronger than last season. The Nuggets are the strongest team in the league, but the championship teams are all gathered in the West, so the Nuggets' odds to win the championship are not as good as the Green Army, but as long as they rush out of the West, the Nuggets still have a better chance of winning than the Green Army, however, Jokic will face James and thick eyebrows in the first round, which will not be easy.
The Clippers and Thunder are tied for third place with +1400, and the gap between the Green Army and the Nuggets is too big, and it can be seen that the playoffs have not yet started, and the outside world has predicted that the Green Army and the Nuggets will meet in the Finals. The Clippers are an unpredictable team that can lose to the Fish Belly or beat any strong team, and inconsistent form is the biggest drawback. Although Leonard has a knee injury, he has received injections to relieve the knee inflammation and should not miss the home game against the Mavericks at 3:30 a.m. the day after tomorrow, which is crucial and could decide the trend of the series. The Thunder is a super dark horse, and it is already a great success to achieve the No. 1 record in the West with 57 wins and 25 losses, and there is little suspense in reaching the semifinals, but it is difficult to win the championship.
The Mavericks are in 5th place with +1500, not much behind the Clippers, and one of the two teams is bound to encounter the first round, but from the odds, the matchup between the Mavericks and the Clippers is unpredictable, and it is also the most unpredictable matchup in the first round of the West. Doncic and Irving were on fire in the final month of the regular season, and the team's overall defense improved a lot, and they had the capital to compete with the Clippers.
The odds of the Bucks and the 76ers to win the championship are +1600, due to the absence of Brother Alphabet in the first round, the Bucks are likely to lose to the Pacers, and the probability of the 76ers eliminating the Knicks is very high. Both the Lakers and the Timberwolves are priced at +1,800 to win the championship, beating the Suns at +2,000, and if the Lakers go all the way to the championship, they will also set a new all-time record. The Suns have a big three roster of Durant and Beal and Booker, but the team does not have a single qualified defensive player, and the Timberwolves who face Towns and Gobert in the first round, Nurkic will definitely be blown up, and the Suns are highly likely to fall in the first round and then go into rebuilding mode in the offseason. Next are the Knicks, Cavaliers, Heat, Pacers, Magic and other teams, basically without any hope of winning the championship, and they are also escorts.
If you have to predict, the author believes that the Nuggets in the West still have the best chance of reaching the Finals, and if the Clippers eliminate the Mavericks, they will have a chance to meet the Nuggets in the West. The Green Army in the East looks like they have no opponent, and as long as the core is intact, it will be difficult for other teams to pose a threat.