The 2024/2025 NBA season has already been a memorable one well before its official end. The regular season is nearly over and with only a few weeks before the Play-In tournament starts and the Playoff picture becomes clear, a lot of questions remain. Who will make the playoffs, who has already clinched their spot in the most competitive part of the campaign in April and May and is there a chance for certain teams to squeeze in with a good stretch of games?
If you are a fan of the best basketball league in the world, keep reading to learn about the current NBA Playoff picture as well as some early predictions about how it can all unravel. All of this is very important for those among you who enjoy sports betting and want to get the latest odds, or if you have your own platform and fans to cater to. Visit odds88.io if you are interested in a quality sports odds aggregation for all of your needs in one place.
The Cavs and OKC Still Paving the Way
The Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference have been leading the league all season. With very similar records and with many games ahead of the rest, they are the two most logical choices of fans for the big finals. At the moment of writing, the Cavs are 55 and 10 and OKC has a record of 54 and 12. They are the first teams to clinch the playoffs and are looking at home-court advantage for the entire playoffs. Behind them, respectively, are the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks who have also clinched postseason in the East, and the Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets who are yet to do so.
Potential Playoff Teams in the East
Apart from the aforementioned trio of Cavs, Celtics, and Knicks, the teams currently seeded from the fourth to sixth include the Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, and Detroit Pistons. In the Playin tournament, it will probably be the current foursome of Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, and Chicago Bulls. The Eastern Conference will probably finish according to the current standings because the differences in records are wide enough for limited changes to take place.
This would mean that the Cavs would go either against the Heat or the Bulls, the Celtics will play either Magic or Hawks, while the Bucks and Pacers and Knicks and Pistons meet in the first round. When the odds of making it to the finals from the Eastern Conference, the Celtics lead the odds with 1.80 followed by the Cavs with 3.10, Knicks with 11.00, and Bucks at 26.00.
Potential Playoff Teams in the
The Western Playoff picture, to nobody’s surprise considering it is the tougher conference, is much tighter right now. The only guarantee is OKC who are leading the conference by leaps and bounds. Currently, they are 12 games ahead of the Grizzlies and Nuggets. From four to six, it is the LA Lakers, Houston Rockets, and Golden State Warriors. However, the playing picture is quite interesting as well since the Minnesota Timberwolves have almost the same record as GSW, with the LA Clippers, Sacramento Kings, and Dallas Mavericks all within a few games of each other.
A lot can change between the second and the tenth place in the final 15 games of the season, with even the Phoenix Suns who are in the eleventh spot with a chance to make the play-in tournament. It is impossible to guess who would play who in the first round of playoffs at this stage as the OKC is the only safe team with 1.80 odds to take the West. They are followed by the Nuggets and Lakers with 7.00 each, and then the GS Warriors with 10.00. So as you can see, betting on the East is much safer this time around.
Championship Odds
The way things are looking right now, the Oklahoma City Thunder get the slight edge over the Boston Celtics with 3.10 odds for their first franchise title over 3.20 the odds that the Celtics repeat. The Cleveland Cavaliers, despite their magnificent play the whole season and with multiple double-digit win streaks, are yet to prove themselves in the postseason so their odds to win their second championship are only 7.50. The Nuggets are the fourth in the odds race with 15.00. The dream of most NBA fans this season would definitely be an OKC vs Cavs finals series with two young, sharpshooting, and athletic teams going at it for the glory.
FAQs
Who are the favorites to win MVP?
Shai Gilgeous Alexander of OKC and Nikola Jokic are the two frontrunners to win the MVP title this year. Both are playing their best seasons ever and SGA is leading the odds due to his team being so much ahead of the competition. Jokic is having a better and more impactful individual season though.
What is the Play-In Tournament?
The Play-In Tournament determines the 7th and 8th seeds in each conference. Teams ranked 7th through 10th compete in three games, 7th vs. 8th seed (secures 7th seed), the 9th vs. 10th seed, and the loser of game 1 vs. the winner of game 2 (secures 8th seed).
When do the NBA playoffs and Finals take place?
The playoffs are set to begin on April 19, 2025. The NBA Finals are scheduled to conclude in June 2025, with the exact dates depending on the playoff series length.
