Celtics open as underdogs against the Warriors in the NBA Finals
Warriors star Steph Curry is the favorite to win Finals MVP.
The Celtics are heading to the NBA Finals for the first time in 12 years, but if oddsmakers are to be believed, they won’t be taking home the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Boston opened as slight underdogs against the Warriors. The price varies from sportsbook to sportsbook. DraftKings Sportsbook has the Warriors to win the NBA Finals at -150 (bet $150 to win $100) and the Celtics to win the NBA Finals at +130 ($100 bet to win $130). FanDuel Sportsbook has the Warriors to win the NBA Finals at -160 and gives the Celtics the same odds as DraftKings.
In terms of predicting who wins and in how many games, the Warriors winning in seven games have the highest odds of happening (+310), on DraftKings. The Celtics to win in six games have the next best odds (+370).
The underdogs are 2-3 in the last five NBA Finals, with the Bucks’ 2021 NBA Finals win being the most recent win by an underdog in the Finals. Golden State’s been the favorite in its last five Finals appearances, winning three times.
Golden State held the better record in the regular season (53 wins to Boston’s 51 wins), giving the Warriors home-court advantage in the seven-game series. The teams split the regular-season meetings. The Warriors defeated the Celtics in Boston, 111-107, on Dec. 17. The Celtics got revenge on March 17 in San Francisco, defeating the Warriors, 110-88.
Both teams missed key players in both games. Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, and Al Horford didn’t play in the December matchup, while Steph Curry got injured during the game in March.
The Celtics have actually played the Warriors better than anyone else since Golden State began its title run in the 2014-15 season. Boston is 9-7 against Steve Kerr since becoming Golden State’s head coach in 2014, winning games in Oracle Arena (the former home of the Warriors) when very few teams did so.
Barring any changes, the NBA Finals will be the first time the Celtics will be an underdog entering a series this postseason. Boston actually opened up as the underdog against Brooklyn in its first-round series, but the odds switched quickly just hours after the lines opened.
As for NBA Finals MVP, Curry and Jayson Tatum are head-and-shoulders above the rest of the field. Curry is listed at +110 to win the Bill Russell Award while Tatum is listed at +170 on DraftKings. Jaylen Brown has the third-best odds at +1100 and Klay Thompson is fourth at +1500. Draymond Green (+1800), Andrew Wiggins (+2500), Jordan Poole (+3000), Marcus Smart (+4500), Al Horford (+9000), Kevon Looney (+10,000), Robert Williams (+20,000), and Grant Williams (+30,000) are all long shots to win the award.
Curry actually has yet to win an NBA Finals MVP despite winning three titles. He won the Magic Johnson MVP for his performance in the Western Conference finals while Tatum won the Larry Bird MVP for his performance in the Eastern Conference finals.
The Warriors are 3.5-point favorites for Game 1, via DraftKings.
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