The NBA playoffs are finally here after a long regular 2022-2023 season. There are a lot of exciting matchups in the making this year, and many teams will have the chance to win it all. The Golden State Warriors are the reigning champions, and they will begin their title defense against the Sacramento Kings.
The NBA regular season 22/23 ended on April 9th after six months of nonstop action. This is the 77th season of the NBA, and it has been an interesting one so far, as we’ve had a lot of high-scoring games. Damian Lillard and Donovan Mitchell both had 71 points in a game this season, which puts both of them in the top ten highest points ever scored in a game.
The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are tied for the most NBA championships with 17 titles each. The Lakers have gone to more finals, but they have also lost more than Boston. The Golden State Warriors come after them in third place with seven championships, four of which were in the last eight years. LeBron James is the player with the most playoff points scored in history (7,631).
| ℹ️ Tournament: | National Basketball Association (NBA) 2023 Playoffs |
| 🏟️ Venues: | Venues across the United States |
| 🗓️ Dates: | 15 April – June 2023 |
Here’s a look at the odds of winning the NBA Eastern Conference from the best basketball bookmakers:
The Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks are the two clear favorites in the Eastern Conference. The Milwaukee Bucks have won the title only once and were the runners-up five times. Giannis Antetokounmpo is putting up MVP numbers this year, and he will be ready for the playoffs.
The Boston Celtics have the most Eastern Conference championships, with 10 titles. They have two superstars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and they will have their chances. The Philadelphia 76ers have won five Eastern Conference championships. They have a great superstar in Joel Embiid, who is arguably having the best season of his career.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have a very young team that can cause problems in the playoffs. They are hungry to win, and they have some good players like Donovan Mitchell, who is putting up great numbers this year. The New York Knicks are the fifth team on the list despite having a tough first-round matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. They have won four Eastern Conference championships.
The Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls will be fighting for the last playoff spot through the play-in tournament. The Atlanta Hawks qualified as the seventh seed with a win against Miami earlier in the tournament. The top two favorites to win the NBA Finals are from the East, and they will most likely meet in the Eastern Conference Finals. They are the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks.
The key injury for this conference is Julius Randle from the Knicks. New York will have a hard time against the Cleveland Cavaliers without him, and he might be out for a while.
Any team that has the Greek freak Giannis Antetokounmpo will have a chance at beating anyone. The Milwaukee Bucks finished at the top of the Eastern Conference standings with 58 wins and 24 losses, which is also the best record in the NBA this season. Milwaukee won the Eastern Conference two years ago and proceeded to win the NBA Finals after that. In addition to Giannis, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton should have a good tournament.
The Brooklyn Nets finished in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings, while the Philadelphia 76ers got third. Brooklyn traded their two superstars in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving this season, and they will be a good team for the future with their draft picks, but not now. Joel Embiid is on fire, and he is most likely going to win the MVP award for the regular season. Philadelphia should win this series in less than six games, and the 76ers winning 4-1 is the most likely outcome here.
Here’s a look at the odds of winning the Western Conference from the best US sportsbooks:
The Phoenix Suns had a lot of injuries throughout this season, but they are healthier now, and they are the favorites to win the Western Conference championship. The Denver Nuggets have had a great regular season. They finished first in the Western Conference standings with 53 wins and 29 losses. Denver has never won a title, and they will have their chances now.
The Golden State Warriors have the second-most Western Conference championships (7). They have Stephen Curry, who is one of the best players in the world, especially when he is in form.
The Los Angeles Lakers are the most successful team in the Western Conference with 19 championships. This could be the last year for LeBron James, and he will try to win it one last time. The Memphis Grizzlies are a young team and fun to watch, but they have never won the title before, and this will be a challenge for them.
Seven teams have qualified for the Western Conference playoffs, and the winner of the Minnesota Timberwolves vs Oklahoma City Thunder game will join them to complete the NBA playoffs bracket. Los Angeles Lakers got a seventh place after beating Minnesota in the play-in tournament.
The key injury for this conference is Paul George from the Los Angeles Clippers, who will miss some games from their series against the Phoenix Suns. Rudy Gobert from the Minnesota Timberwolves will be back from suspension for his play-in game against OKC.
The Golden State Warriors have dominated the NBA Finals in recent years. The Warriors have gone to the finals six times in the last eight years and won four championships in this period. Stephen Curry is always on fire in the playoffs, and he will have Klay Thompson back after a long injury to help him. Steve Kerr, Golden State’s coach, has the most experience when it comes to the playoffs.
According to the NBA betting odds, the Phoenix Suns are the clear favorites in this series. It makes a lot of sense for a Suns player to be the top scorer in this series, and it should be between Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. Booker outscored KD this season by more than 100 points and is used to playing with the team more. There’s a lot of value in Booker in this series.
Here’s a look at the odds of winning the NBA outright finals from the best basketball bookmakers:
As shown in the odds, a lot of teams will have their chances to win the NBA Finals. The Milwaukee Bucks are first on the odds list and one of the most balanced teams in the league. Jrue Holiday, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Khris Middleton are the big three for Milwaukee and should go deep in the playoffs. The Boston Celtics are behind them in second place, and they should always be considered with their current strong roster. The Boston Celtics went to the NBA Finals last year and gained a lot of experience from that.
The Phoenix Suns have created a super team with their trade moves this season. Kevin Durant is one of the best players in the league, a former MVP, and he will be a great addition to them. Phoenix are just like Boston; they went to the NBA Finals two years ago and have more experience now. The Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid always play well in the regular season, but they will need to prove themselves in the playoffs with their strong squad.
The Phoenix Suns have made one of the biggest moves in this year’s trade, as they got Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets. Phoenix already had a very good team before getting KD, and he will be a great addition to it. The Suns went to the finals two years ago, and this will be one of the few opportunities left for Chris Paul to win his first championship.
The Boston Celtics finished second in the Eastern Conference, only behind the Milwaukee Bucks by one win. Boston has the second-best record in the NBA, with 57 wins and 25 losses. The Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown duo is one of the best in the league, and they will have decent chances to win a ring this year. Boston is tied for first among the teams with the most NBA championship titles, and they will want to be clear first.
Jayson Tatum, the Milwaukee Bucks’ small forward, has been very impressive this season with his team. Jayson is averaging 30.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game in the NBA regular season. Most of the time, the winner of the Finals MVP award is chosen from the winning team, and the Boston Celtics are good contenders for the title. Tatum is the top scorer this season and should have a good playoff.
There are many exciting matchups in the first round of this year’s event. We will be going with the Phoenix Suns to be the outright winners, as they are loaded with stars this season. Make sure you use our 2023 NBA playoffs predictions, bet on them at the live sportsbooks, and take advantage of the free bets to have more fun watching the games.
