There has been talk in recent years of eliminating conference affiliation when it comes to the NBA playoffs because the Western Conference has been so much better than the East for years. Good teams aren’t making the playoffs in the West, while clubs with .500 records are in the East – and there might be a few with losing records to do so this April.
Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
Commissioner Adam Silver has floated the idea of simply seeding playoff teams 1-16 by overall records and regardless of conference. Just last week there was a report that the NBA could instead opt to reseed in just the conference finals.
Alas, no changes this season and it’s a bit of a shame because arguably the NBA’s two best teams and the two championship betting favorites both reside in the West. And to be more specific, in Los Angeles. To be even more specific, the same Staples Center building.
LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Lakers are the +275 title favorites after missing the playoffs a year ago. James was limited to 55 games in 2018-19 due to injury but looks healthy and back to his prime years in leading the NBA in assists while also putting up his usual 25 points and eight rebounds or so per night. James will be 35 in December. Davis is also off to a monster start.
The Clippers, meanwhile, finally saw All-Stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George share the court for the first time last week and haven’t lost yet when both play; George missed the first chunk of the season following offseason surgery and Leonard had missed a few games due to knee soreness. The Clippers have looked terrific with their dynamic duo and they are a deeper team overall than the Lakers. The Clippers are +300 to win it all; they have never even played in the Western Conference Finals.
The Eastern Conference team with the shortest odds is the Milwaukee Bucks at +550. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the reigning NBA MVP and somehow the Greek Freak, who will shortly turn just 25 years old, has raised his game. Antetokounmpo now can actually make three-pointers, which makes him essentially unguardable.
The Philadelphia 76ers are +750 behind stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Do they have enough perimeter shooting? The Boston Celtics have gotten off to a hot start but don’t have oddsmakers’ attention yet at +1600 to win the NBA title. The Toronto Raptors are +2000 to repeat and haven’t fallen off a cliff yet as many expected after losing Leonard in free agency.
