NBA betting: What do NBA Finals odds look like now that Suns and Bucks are out?
The Phoenix Suns spent plenty of time as the favorite to win the NBA Finals this season. The Milwaukee Bucks, the defending NBA champions, were among the favorites and seemed like a good value most of the season.
Both teams were eliminated on Sunday. The Bucks were overwhelmed in the second half of Game 7 by the hot-shooting Boston Celtics, and the Suns were shockingly blown out at home by the Dallas Mavericks in that Game 7.
With both 2021 NBA Finals participants out, that caused some big changes in the championship odds. One team in particular is far ahead of everyone else.
Warriors favored to win it all
On Monday at BetMGM, the Golden State Warriors had taken over as a significant title favorite.
Warriors +120
Celtics +220
Miami Heat +425
Mavericks +650
The Warriors were the biggest beneficiary of the Suns being eliminated. Phoenix would have had home-court advantage in the Western Conference finals, but they're done. Golden State will have home court in the West finals. The Warriors are nearly even money to win it all, which says they would be clearly favored against either team out of the East in the NBA Finals if they advance.
If you think the Mavericks or either East team is being disrespected in the odds, now is the time to bet them.
Who will meet in NBA Finals?
The Mavericks are +200 underdogs to beat the Warriors and advance to the NBA Finals, which seems a bit steep. Dallas has been playing very well for a few months. The Kristaps Porzingis trade reshaped the roster and the Mavericks have been better as a result. Their Game 7 domination of the Suns was a surprise, but was also a message that the Mavs have been and continue to be overlooked.
Also, Dallas has arguably the best player left in the playoffs, Luka Doncic. That goes a long way.
Boston and Miami are also capable. The Heat are the No. 1 seed but yet underdogs in their series against the Celtics. Miami has been under the radar all season despite their consistency. The Celtics have been fantastic since the end of January and showed a lot of mettle to win two in a row after blowing Game 5. That should be a great series.
At very least, it doesn't seem like the Warriors should be runaway favorites to win it all. There are three other teams that have shown flashes of brilliance over the last few months and had impressive performances in the second round of the postseason.
We're down to four teams left in the NBA playoffs. With the final two from last season being bounced on Sunday, there was a shakeup in the odds for who wins the title.