Ranking NBA teams in order of their odds to win 2024 NBA Finals
Eight NBA playoff teams remain in the second round as the race for the Larry O'Brien Trophy continues.
Several of the second-round series have drawn even through the first four games, and all eight teams are still in a spot to make a run for the NBA Finals.
According to the latest odds from BetMGM, the talented Boston Celtics are well ahead of the other seven teams in chances to win the NBA Finals. They were the only team to finish the regular season with more than 60 wins and have three players to average more than 20 points per game (Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis).
Here's how all eight remaining playoff teams rank in terms of their odds to win the 2024 NBA Finals.
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NBA power rankings: Final eight playoff teams by odds to win NBA Finals
1. Boston Celtics (-125)
The Celtics are odds-on favorites to win the NBA Finals after an excellent regular season. Boston won its first series against the Miami Heat in five games and currently lead the Cleveland Cavaliers, 2-1, in the second round. If the Celtics can keep playing at the levels they did in Games 1 and 3 and get Porzingis back by the Conference Finals, an NBA Finals win would be well within reach.
2. Denver Nuggets (+375)
The reigning champions flipped the script on the Timberwolves after falling to a 2-0 series deficit at home to begin the second round. After winning both games in Minnesota, the Nuggets have drawn the series even and are back in good position to be the team to come out of the Western Conference. With three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić and home-court advantage back on their side, Denver are in a great spot to win the West and even the Finals for a second straight year.
3. Minnesota Timberwolves (+700)
Minnesota seemed poised to knock off the Nuggets quickly after two impressive wins on the road to begin the series. Now that it's an even 2-2, the Timberwolves will need to win at least one more game in Denver to advance to the Conference Finals. With emerging superstar Anthony Edwards leading the way and a defense that can strangle opponents' offensive production, nothing feels truly impossible for this squad.
4. Dallas Mavericks (+850)
The Mavericks stole home-court advantage from the No. 1 seed in the West with a Game 2 win in Oklahoma City and established a series lead with a four-point win in Game 3. Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving have been a strong dynamic duo so far, and P.J. Washington has stepped up in a big way during this series. Current odds reflect their lead over the Thunder and leave them hot on the Timberwolves' tail.
5. Oklahoma City Thunder (+1300)
Oklahoma City secured the No. 1 seed in the West with a talented young team but face a must-win Game 4 in Dallas on Monday night. A win draws the series even, but a loss pushes them to a 3-1 deficit and to the brink of elimination. The key for the Thunder moving forward is getting their second and third options (behind young star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) producing. If they can get that going consistently, they could make a push to the Finals with home-court advantage through the Western Conference Finals.
6. New York Knicks (+3000)
7. Indiana Pacers (+5000)
8. Cleveland Cavaliers (+25000)
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When are the NBA Finals?
The NBA Finals begin June 6.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA power rankings based on NBA Finals odds
