From preseason favourites to NBA champions, the Boston Celtics did what was expected of them in the 2023-24 season. But can they do it again? Check out our latest NBA Finals odds.
The latest: Boston went 16-3 in the 2024 postseason to win the franchise's 18th NBA championship. All of the Celtics' most important players will be back, and the team is well ahead of the pack for next year's NBA Finals odds.
Check out the latest NBA Finals odds for the 2024-25 season.
NBA Finals odds
Check out the latest odds to win the NBA Finals. Click linked odds to add selection to your betslip.
Best NBA Finals odds
The favourites: Boston Celtics (+300)
It's okay to want to poke holes in the Celtics' 2023-24 championship season, as one Eastern Conference star after another got injured and lessened Boston's path of resistance.
But Boston had been knocking at the championship door for a while, reaching the conference finals or further in six of the past eight seasons. Finally, the Celtics proved they had the depth to go all the way.
Given that all the starters and key role players are under contract for 2024-25, it wouldn't be a surprise to see them do it again.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are the co-headliners, but Derrick White and Jrue Holiday make for one of the best two-way backcourts in the league. When healthy, Kristaps Porzingis fits in nicely — and Al Horford still has something to add in the twilight of his career.
Even though Boston clearly has the pieces to win another title, its odds relative to the rest of the league are somewhat of a surprise.
The Celtics' odds are more than twice as short as the next closest contender.
Raptors NBA Finals odds
The Raptors are long, long shots to win the title, and rightfully so. While amassing just 25 wins last season — their worst total in 12 years — the Raps gave their roster a rebuilding facelift.
Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby and Dennis Schroder finished the season on other teams.
This is Scottie Barnes' team now, with R.J. Barrett and Immanuel Quickley at his side. The roster is completely different then it was a year ago.
A trio of Barnes, Barrett and Quickley isn't a terrible place to start, but it's far from a championship-calibre Big Three.
On the bright side, next year's draft is supposed to be loaded. Toronto should be more focused on that than anything else.
NBA Finals betting notes
- Many people thought the Nuggets would rise from a crowded Western Conference field to meet the Celtics in the NBA Finals. Denver ran out of gas against Minnesota and an ascending Anthony Edwards, but it would be unwise to count the Nuggets out next year. They lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Orlando Magic, though, so they're making a significant bet on their youth.
- How deep is the Western Conference? Preseason title odds have four West teams with 10-to-1 odds or shorter (Nuggets, Thunder, Timberwolves, Mavericks). The East only has three teams in that bucket (Celtics, 76ers, Knicks).
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led a young, deep Thunder squad to the No. 1 seed in the West ... but then the team ran into a Luka Doncic-sized buzzsaw in the second round. OKC already began retooling its roster by swapping out Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso, while also picking up Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency.
- Paul George left the Los Angeles Clippers to join forces with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in Philadelphia, vaulting the 76ers to a tie for the third-shortest odds. There are some questions about the depth and if the team can stay healthy, but Philly could be dangerous is a few things break right.
