The NBA’s preseason is a time of predictions, hopes, and expectations. However, despite data and expert opinions, some NBA teams have defied the odds and gone from preseason underdogs to winning the championship. These surprises always make for intriguing stories and a huge payday for the bettor who took the long-shot futures wager.
In this article, I present to you the ten biggest preseason betting underdogs to ever win an NBA championship in the history of the league. Let’s get straight into it!
The 2011–12 season was the 66th NBA season and the 24th for the Miami Heat as a franchise. The previous season had ended on a disappointing note after they won the Eastern Conference but ended up losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. Based on this strong challenge for the title, expectations were high for the new season. It just seemed a bit far-fetched to think they’d actually win the NBA championship.
The Heats, however, ended up winning the Eastern Conference again and then defeated Oklahoma City in the NBA finals. While their win was impressive and somewhat unexpected, they were obviously not the biggest of all underdogs to ever win NBA when compared to the other underdog stories on this list.
The Washington Bullets (currently Washington Wizards) is indeed one of the biggest underdogs to win the NBA championship. The team had been in the NBA for 16 seasons and had never won the championship once. This explains why preseason oddsmakers assigned them long odds of +2000.
The team ended up finishing with a win total of 44–38, which surprisingly was enough for them to make the playoffs.
To this day, it remains the lowest win total for any team that has won the NBA Championship. Now known as the Washington Wizards, the Bullets faced off against the favorite Seattle SuperSonics and defeated them in seven games. Interestingly, the 1978 title is the only NBA championship that the team has won till now.
The 2007–08 Boston Celtics season turned out to be one of their best ever. With preseason odds of +1000 and an over/under line set at 49.5, no expert betting enthusiast could have predicted the level of success they achieved. This title win was even more remarkable when you consider their incredibly poor campaign the previous season when they had a dismal 24–58 win total record.
Coming from such a disappointing campaign, many Celtic supporters were obviously praying for redemption in the following 2007-08 season. However, even the most optimistic fan wouldn’t have expected what turned out to be one of the best NBA seasons in their history. With a remarkable 66-16 win total record, they ended up winning their division, the Eastern Conference, and the NBA finals, where they defeated the Lakers 4–2.
The 2002-03 Spurs NBA championship was another good NBA underdogs betting story. With preseason odds of +1100 and an over/under line set at 55.5 wins, expectations were mostly for them to have a strong regular season, similar to their previous campaign. They, however, went on to achieve the unexpected, finishing the season with a league-best 60–22 win total record. They finished first place in the Midwest division, won the Western Conference, and went on to defeat the New Jersey Nets 4–2 in the NBA finals.
Coming off their first-ever NBA final loss, San Antonio Spurs came into the 2013-14 season to avenge their previous year’s defeat. However, with Preseason odds of +1200 and an over/under line set at 56.5, the oddsmakers weren’t really expecting them to win. This is easily one of the best picks for underdog in NBA betting because they actually had the potential of going all the way, even though they were not considered top favorites.
Right from the start of the season, the Rockets really showed huge potential. They went 15 games unbeaten at the beginning of the season. This immediately started changing people’s perspective, as nobody had really considered them as top favorites, especially with preseason odds of +1200 and a 47 over/under line.
They went on to deliver one of the biggest underdog wins in NBA betting, finishing with a season-win total record of 58-24. Led by the legendary Hakeem Olajuwon, who was the MVP in the regular season, finals MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year, they defeated the New York Knicks 4-3 in the NBA finals.
The Pistons won their 3rd NBA title in the 03/04 season. However, for the majority of the season, they never really looked like they would win it, so the +1500 preseason odds and 49.5 set line looked justified. However, they ended up being one of the biggest underdog to win NBA finals in a 4-1 win against the Lakers.
One major secret to the Pistons’ success was Larry Brown’s defensive approach. The head coach built a tough defensive team that gave them a 13-game winning streak. The acquisition of Rasheed Wallace mid-season also further contributed to their success. With him, they won 16 of their final 19 games to finish with a 54–28 win total record.
Going into the 18/19 season, the Raptors had never won any championship in their 26 years as an NBA franchise. In fact, they also had arguably the lowest NBA underdog winning percentage, having never even reached the NBA Finals before 2019. Therefore, it was natural to see their preseason championship odds set at +1850.
The 2018-19 season would, however, turn out to be a history-changing season for them. They ended their regular season with a win total of 58–24 record, which was good enough to earn them the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
For people who are familiar with the NBA underdog betting system, the 2010-11 Dallas Mavericks’ championship season is another unforgettable story. The Mavericks won their first and only NBA championship, defeating a LeBron-led Miami Heat in the final to claim the title.
With preseason odds of +2000, no one really expected the Mavericks to make it all the way. However, they surprised everyone by finishing the season with a 57-25 record, far exceeding the 49.5 preseason set win line. They practically breezed through strong favorites like the Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder on their way to the championship.
Every basketball fan would remember the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors championship run. If not for anything else, you’ll remember it for Steph Curry’s MVP performance. Together with Klay Thompson, Curry practically dragged the Warriors to their first NBA championship since 1975.
The Warriors were assigned preseason odds of +2800, which means they weren’t anywhere near favorites that season. However, they went on to achieve one of the best title-winning performances despite having a rookie head coach. They recorded a 67-15 win total and eventually ended the season with an aggregate of 83 victories, the third-highest in NBA history.
Betting on underdogs can be an attractive endeavor as the long odds offer huge returns, even with small wagers. However, before betting on any NBA underdog, ensure you’ve done the proper research and analysis enough to believe the team you’re betting on has a good chance of outperforming their odds.
Since it’s a very risky bet, it is also advisable to only bet with small wagers or simply with what you can afford to lose. Above all, always ensure that you choose a reputable platform for your wagers. Ensure your choice is a licensed fast withdrawal betting site with a good reputation in the market.
