It's hard to believe that we are flying thus far through the 2024-25 NBA season. Before you know it, the All-Star Game will be there and then people are going to start thinking about the postseason. Which teams will be able to go on deep runs? Thus far, plenty of teams have looked strong, but the Boston Celtics remain huge favorites to win the 2025 Eastern Conference. Will they get the job done?
The Celtics continue to ride high after winning the title last season. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are easily one of the best duos in the game, which has been awesome to see. Not only that, the depth pieces for this team are playing at a high level as well. It's been great for Boston, with Joe Mazzulla's players showing passion too, which included a small scuffle recently vs. Atlanta.
| NBA Eastern Conference odds |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Celtics to win | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Cavs to win | +350 | +350 | +350 |
| Knicks to win | +450 | +450 | +450 |
| Bucks to win | +850 | +850 | +850 |
“It’s just competitive nature. It’s a fight,” Mazzulla told reporters in a recent interview. “I think that stuff is important and you need to show a level of spirit and we did that. That was great. You’ve got to feed off of that. It’s a representation of the Celtics and the mindset that we’re trying to have. It was great.”
According to the best sports betting sites, the Celtics hold -110 basketball betting odds to win the Eastern Conference this year, which should come as no surprise. Behind them, the Cavs, Knicks and Bucks hold the next best odds. We could see the Knicks giving people in Boston something to worry about, but we think the Celtics will pull away. We're going with Boston as our pick.
Celtics just passed Spurs for best WP% in NBA History... & now hold title for first time since they gave it up to Lakers in 1998.
So Boston now has the most wins, most titles, & highest WP% in NBA History.
— Justin Termine (@TermineRadio) January 15, 2025
Will the Oklahoma City Thunder fend off Denver to win the Western Conference?
Even though the postseason is still a long wait away, people are already wondering will the Oklahoma City Thunder fend off Denver to win the Western Conference? It's a great question, as these two teams are easily the best out west. However, the Thunder have proven to be the best team in the conference and they're going to want to make a statement down the road.
Last year, plenty of people thought Oklahoma City would be able to push to the NBA Finals crown, but the squad showed its youth in the postseason, unable to seal the deal. Now, though, the stars on the team, including Chet Holmgren, want to do their best to wipe away the bad memories from how their campaign ended last year.
Oklahoma City Thunder's last 7 50 point game players:
24-25: Shai 54 Points
16-17: Westbrook 51 Points
16-17 Westbrook: 50 Points
16-17 Westbrook: 57 Points
16-17 Westbrook: 58 Points
16-17 Westbrook: 51 Points
14-15 Westbrook: 54 Points pic.twitter.com/MEjRWwAN1X— Russ' TD ⚡ (@RussFcb) January 23, 2025
Looking to get in on the betting action? Currently, there are plenty of welcome bonuses being offered on Bovada, BetOnline and more for the NBA action this season. This shouldn't be a stunner at all, as those sites are always ready to see NBA fans get in on fun, responsible betting action. With the second half of the season coming soon, there's no better time to join in on the gaming than now.
Per the best NBA betting sites, the Thunder hold +110 odds to win the Western Conference this year. It's not going to be easy for them, though, as teams like Minnesota, Denver, Dallas and Phoenix are going to be ready to silence them. Will one of those teams be able to do so? We don't think so, as we're going with the Thunder as our pick to win the Western Conference this year.
Boston vs. Oklahoma City would be a thrilling NBA Finals matchup
With all of that said, Boston vs. Oklahoma City would be a thrilling NBA Finals matchup and it's one that plenty of people are hoping for. Will that end up being the case? Both teams are the favorites to win their respective conferences, with OKC eyeing a return trip to the Finals for the first time since Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were still in town.
We already talked about Holmgren above, but there's no arguing that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the best players on the planet right now. He's in the middle of an unreal season for the Thunder, scoring 32 points per game. On top of that, he's chipping in with 6.1 assists and 5.4 rebounds per night. There's a good reason he's in the MVP conversation.
Gilgeous-Alexander would love nothing more than to prove a lot of his haters wrong moving forward. He'll silence even his biggest doubters if the Thunder were able to reach the NBA Finals and take down Boston. Is that something that will end up happening?
We'll see how things end up going here, but if Boston and OKC due meet with the Larry O'Brien Trophy on the line, we'll go out on a limb and rock with the Thunder as our pick. It will be interesting to see if that happens or not, but we'd love to see the two powerhouses battle it out for all of the glory.
