NBA Odds: Celtics’ NBA Finals Lines Worsen Under Return Plan
Has an unprecedented hiatus made the Boston Celtics even longer shots to win it all?
Caesars Palace set the Celtics’ odds to win the NBA Finals at +1500 on Thursday. These lines put the Celtics outside the ranks of betting favorites, as the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks’ NBA Finals odds are significantly better than those of the Celtics and other contenders like the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors.
NBA is BACK
Who ya got to win it all? pic.twitter.com/HCTsbKsrwH
— br_betting (@br_betting) June 4, 2020
Caesars Palace released these latest lines after the NBA’s board of governors approved a NBA’s 22-team return format. The National Basketball Players Association approved the plan Friday.
Caesars Palace oddsmakers had set the Celtics’ NBA Finals lines at +1400 in January. Boston’s revised lines suggest the betting community believes their road to glory has become slightly more difficult due to the NBA’s three-plus-month pause due to the coronavirus pandemic and looming return under a novel competition format.
The Celtics’ lines to win the Eastern Conference seemingly have remained stable in recent months, as they currently stand at +700, according to The Action Network. DraftKings Sportsbook had set the Celtics’ Eastern Conference odds at +700 in February.
ESPN’s Jalen Rose insisted Thursday on “NBA Countdown” the Celtics would reach the NBA Finals. Their lines are second-best in the Eastern Conference, behind the -180 Bucks, so the betting world will have to consider Rose somewhat of a prophet if his prediction comes to pass.
