The Boston Celtics are overwhelming favorites to win the NBA Finals.
The Celtics are -225 at BetMGM to beat the Dallas Mavericks after Dallas defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night to win the Western Conference. Dallas easily eliminated the Wolves in Game 5 after Minnesota extended the series with a win in Game 4 on Tuesday night.
Boston, meanwhile, hoped Minnesota could continue the series a little longer. The Celtics advanced to the Finals on Monday by completing a sweep of the Indiana Pacers.
While the Celtics return just $4.44 on a $10 bet to win the series, Dallas is at +180 to win the NBA Finals. The Mavericks entered the playoffs as the No. 5 seed in the West, defeating the Los Angeles Clippers and the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder before the Wolves.
The Mavericks made some important moves at the trade deadline to get them to the Finals. Dallas traded for PJ Washington from the Charlotte Hornets and Daniel Gafford from the Washington Wizards. Both players have played big roles for the team in the playoffs, especially when Maxi Kleber was sidelined for much of the postseason with a shoulder injury.
Kleber returned for Game 5 against the Wolves, playing nine minutes as Dallas put the game away before halftime.
The Celtics are ready to bring back Kristaps Porzingis for the Finals. The former Maverick suffered a calf injury in the first round against the Miami Heat and Boston hasn’t missed a beat without him. The Celtics are 12-2 so far this postseason after entering the season as the favorite to win the title following the offseason acquisitions of Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.
Boston posted the best record in the NBA during the regular season and had no pressure on the top seed in the East as everyone else in the conference struggled and dealt with injuries to key players.
Oddsmakers also like the chance of a short run. A 4-1 Celtics win is +300 and is the favorite exact result of the series. A Boston win in six games is +350, while a Celtics win in seven games is +450. A Boston sweep is +500.
The most likely outcome for the Mavericks is a six-game win at +400, followed by a seven-game win at +600.
