Celtics Odds: Vegas Bookmaker Makes C’s Sizable Favorite Vs. Bucks

The Boston Celtics are onto the second round of the NBA playoffs after sweeping away Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons and the big, bad Brooklyn Nets.

It was a damn impressive showing for the C’s, who were 12-1 to win the series in four games.

After the Milwaukee Bucks inevitably eliminate the Chicago Bulls, Boston and Milwaukee will meet for a chance to reach the Eastern Conference finals. But you can already bet that series in Las Vegas.

The Westgate SuperBook wasted no time after the Celtics’ victory on Monday night to post Boston -200 in a likely series with Milwaukee. Those probability odds imply a 67% chance of Boston advancing. Remember, the Bucks are without second-leading scorer Khris Middleton for the foreseeable future.

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“I would have made it Boston -175 with Middleton,” SuperBook vice president of risk management Jeff Sherman told NESN. “Opening -200 without him doesn’t seem too high. Boston is power-rated above Milwaukee and it really helped that the Celtics won at Memphis on the last day of the regular season to wrestle away home court. Hosting that seventh game is crucial to the price.”

Boston’s menacing defense and Jayson Tatum’s late-game scoring prowess have catapulted the Celtics to the betting favorite to win the East at multiple American sportsbooks. And the only team with shorter odds to raise the Larry O’Brien Trophy is the Golden State Warriors.

Since the theme of this story is to get ahead of ourselves, I can only wonder what a potential series price would be between Boston and Miami. The Heat would have home court, sure, but that still feels like a coin flip. Maybe the books would open Miami as a short favorite. We’ll see.

There’s no doubt Boston would be the betting underdog against Golden State or the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals. Both of those teams have higher power ratings and better regular-season records, so the C’s would have to rock the road greens for a potential seventh game.

All that said, it’s impossible to ignore how much Las Vegas respects the Celtics.