NBA Championship Odds - AlexBrady's Blog

AlexBrady's Blog

NBA Championship Odds

Posted on February 21, 2019 at 02:58 PM.

Discounting any injuries, here are my highly subjective odds to win it all. I only considered teams that are currently above .500.

Golden State 1:2 -- This team has the confidence born of winning Championships. Have three dreadnaught scorers. They run the most effective offense in the game today. Cousins gives them more beef in the middle. When the playoffs begin will they turn on the collective 'A' game?

Toronto 5:2 -- In Kawhi Leonard they have the finest two way player in the game. Kyle Lowry is a true leader at the point. Pascal Siakim's game is rapidly expanding. On the downside, they are still too reliant on finesse and their long-distance shooting is erratic.

Denver 4:1 -- Coach Mike Malone is doing a heck of a job in Mile High. Run a true five man attack with lots of man and ball movement. Have plenty of muscle down low. They even like to play defense. The road record is concerning however.

Milwaukee 10:1-- Coach Budenholzer preaches a righteous gameplan. The Greek Freak is a super duper star and Khris Middleton is a worthy side kick. At point guard, Eric Bledsoe is talented but mistake prone. There is hardly any post up threat and the three-balling is erratic.

Oklahoma City 10:1 -- Paul George and Russell Westbrook are a good scoring duo. Unfortunately RW still forces shots, has poor range and overhandles.
Besides Adams there isn't much muscle down low. The outside shooting is shaky. It's unlikely they will be able to grind it out when the pace slows down.

Boston 15:1 -- This team has underachieved too often this season. However, they play feisty defense and have the requisite super star in Kyrie Irving. Al Horford is soft and unreliable in the clutch. Struggle to get the easy close in baskets that power a half-court offense in the playoffs.

Philadelphia 20:1-- Lots of muscular post up and penetrating threats. Are Embiid and Simmons still too raw? Are there enough touches to go around? There is no depth. They are too sloppy. The defense is questionable. JJ Redick is their most reliable perimeter threat but he can be cooled down by good defenses.

San Antonio 30:1-- Greg Popovich remains the best coach in the game and no one makes more effective in-game and between-game adjustments. LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan form an effective one-two punch. Boast plenty of dead-eye shooters. Disciplined at both ends of the court. Unfortunately Aldridge and DeRozan have a common history of folding in crucial playoff games. This club is miserable on the road.

Houston 50:1-- Rely too much on James Harden to generate scoring opportunities. Chris Paul is an inspirational leader but his game is going downhill. Launch threes at every opportunity yet miss too much. Not enough size down low. The overall defense stinks. Mike D'Antoni is a C-minus coach at best and his adjustments are ineffective.

Portland 75:1-- Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum make up an explosive backcourt combo. However, those two can't defend at all. The front-line is lacking quickness. Overall defense is shaky. Not a good passing team. Change is needed here.

Utah 100:1-- Quinn Snyder has instilled a nice sense of discipline within his team. They play feisty defense and Rudy Gobert can discourage layups and turn them into short jumpers. But this group just has too much trouble generating points.

Indiana 200:1-- Nate McMillan's tough and demanding style has him in the running for coach of the year. Losing the wonderful Victor Oladipo shattered any deep playoff run hopes. This team is highly flawed otherwise. The point guard play is questionable. They are a bit soft in the middle. Lacking shot creators and team quickness.

LA Clippers 300:1-- The trade of Tobias Harris signaled that this team isn't serious about making any noise in the money season.

Brooklyn 300:1-- Kenny Atkinson is coaching his butt of this year. They could conceivably beat Indiana if they were to matchup in the first round of the playoffs. But just winning a playoff game or two would still make this season a wild success.

Sacramento 400:1-- Will be delirious merely to qualify for the playoff tournament.