Congratulations to the Milwaukee Bucks for winning this season’s NBA Championship in dramatic fashion. This is the franchise’s first world title since 1971.
After losing the first two games of the best-of-seven NBA Finals on the road to the Phoenix Suns, they took control of this series with four victories in-a-row both straight-up and against the closing spread.
With that series officially in the books in six games, bettors’ attention now turns to the early NBA futures betting odds to win next season’s championship.
The Early Favorite
A few online sportsbooks have already posted odds for this bet with the Brooklyn Nets getting the nod as +230 favorites.
If the bulk of the current roster stays intact, there is some solid value in those odds. With Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harding in the starting five, this team has the star power to win a title next year.
Injury issues during the regular season kept the Nets from meeting their full potential. As the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, they took Milwaukee to seven games in the conference semifinals before losing that final game 115-111 as two-point home favorites.
A key footnote to that series is injuries to both Irving and Harding. If each player had stayed healthy, Brooklyn would probably be celebrating a world title right now.
It is also interesting to note that the early favorite has gone on to win the NBA title in four of the past six seasons.
Second on the Futures Board
With LeBron James still the centerpiece the of the organization, the Los Angeles Lakers have been opened as +400 second-favorites. After winning the NBA Championship the season before, the Lakers took a rather big step backwards in 2021.
Assuming that James will have Anthony Davis by his side with a strong supporting cast, the motivation level for LA to get back on top would be rather high.
The Best of the Rest
Third on the list is Milwaukee at +900 betting odds. Given the new-found depth in the NBA at the top of the standings across both conferences, some of the value in those odds is lost.
However, given the dominating performance of Giannis Antetokounmpo when it mattered the most, this could be the start of a new NBA dynasty if his supporting cast remains the same or even adds a new player or two.
Fourth on the futures board is the Golden State Warriors at +1000 odds. The Warriors were back in the hunt this season after a major fade the previous campaign. They finished ninth in the final Western Conference standings at 39-33.
Golden State’s odds are a bit inflated. Yet, they are somewhat based on the player personnel moves the team may make in the offseason to get back on top.
The Utah Jazz and the Phoenix Suns have been opened at +1500 after earning the top two seeds in the West this season. Either one could be considered a value play at those longer odds.
The Philadelphia 76ers earned the No. 1 seed in the East behind the MVP-caliber play of Joel Embiid, who is also coming into his own as an elite NBA superstar. The controversy surrounding the team’s other top player Ben Simmons drains some value from their +1800 odds to take that next step to a NBA title.
The Los Angeles Clippers (+2000), Denver Nuggets (+2500) and Atlanta Hawks (+3000) round out the Top 10 teams on the 2022 NBA Championship futures board.
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