NBA Championship Predictions: Overall Winner and Sleeper Picks After the All-Star Break

Want to get more content on covers? Add us as a favorite source on your Google account here.

The NBA All-Star Break is deceptive.

This isn’t the middle of the season, but there’s only a third of the season left. The playoff picture is very clear.

Announcement

The NBA championship odds already reflect this, but they may overrate the Oklahoma City Thunder. My NBA picks tell you why the Celtics and Timberwolves are viable options.

Betting on the NBA championship

The post-All-Star break schedule can produce real absurdity as tanking takes hold and other teams advance to the postseason.

Truth be told, the most significant period of the regular season is the six weeks after December 1st. Everyone in the NBA still plays competitively, and season fatigue hasn’t set in yet.

Looking at the earnings in those six weeks, two teams are well ahead of the pack: The Oklahoma City Thunder at +10.8 and the Boston Celtics to +10.0.

Announcement

Betting on the Thunder is obviously a safe move, but those odds of just +130 aren’t rewarding enough for this thought process, especially since taking the price of Oklahoma City’s series in four consecutive rounds would likely create a rollover approach near that +130.

But the Celtics are worth considering at +1200.

Talk of Jayson Tatum possibly returning should be ignored at this time. Maybe it gets a risky return, but making this bet for this reason increases your risk profile. Instead, look at Boston’s roster as it is known.

At his best, Jaylen Brown can match anyone in a series. Derrick White is one of the most versatile players in the NBA. The addition of Nikola Vucevic should help both defensively in the post and on the glass.

Announcement

It may seem like an understaffed group when facing deeper Eastern Conference teams like the Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks or Cleveland Cavaliers, but the Celtics’ net rating has been 2.4 points better per 100 possessions than the Pistons in the six weeks since Dec. 1. You have to put some faith in that.

NBA Championship Prediction: Boston Celtics to win (+1200 on bet365)

NBA championship sleeper pick

Full disclosure: Yours truly did it Minnesota Timberwolves subscriptions. No one would be happier if the Timberwolves won the Western Conference (+1800). If they did, they would probably be the favorites in the NBA Finals.

Announcement

Look back at the same six-week period starting December 1. The three highest net ratings are the Thunder (+10.8), Celtics (+10.0) and Pistons (+7.6). Detroit has the longest title odds of that group at +1400.

Only two other teams had a net rating above +4.5. THE San Antonio Spurs (+5.5) are still +1400 away from winning the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

But the Timberwolves (+5.8) ​​are a very good +3500. There’s a disconnect there.

Minnesota has been better at the end of the season than at the All-Star Break in every year of Chris Finch’s tenureespecially the last two seasons. There’s a reason the Timberwolves have made it to the Western Conference Finals in each of the last two years.

Announcement

Adding Ayo Dosunmu at the trade deadline may seem like a low-impact move, but Minnesota added a quality contributor to its bench without sacrificing any existing pieces. Simply put, the Timberwolves have improved.

Just know that if Minnesota makes a run like this for the third straight spring, yours truly will tell you that he told you so from inside Target Center.

NBA sleeper prediction: Minnesota Timberwolves to win (+3500 on bet365)

Odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has carefully researched and selected every product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.

Announcement

MORE FREE NBA PICKS

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our top betting sites or check out our top sports betting promotions.