NBA Odds: Celtics’ Title Future Took Obvious Hit After Game 5 Collapse
If you still believe in the C's, 10-1 is decent value
Let's be honest: You don't actually need to see the betting odds to know the Celtics are up against it.
Boston choked away a golden opportunity Wednesday night, watching a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead evaporate against the Milwaukee Bucks. As a result, the Bucks are one game away from closing out the NBA playoff second-round series, as the series shifts back to Milwaukee.
To say the Celtics have their work cut out for them -- having to beat the defending champs twice, including once on the road -- is quite clear.
A quick look at the betting odds, though, really paints the picture. The Celtics are now +200 to win the series at DraftKings Sportsbook, while FanDuel Sportsbook has Boston's chances at a slightly longer +220.
It's going to be tough for the Celtics even to extend the series and get it back for Boston for a Game 7. The consensus viewpoint is Milwaukee is a 1.5-point home favorite for Friday night at Fiserv Forum.
Getting a road win is not out of the realm of possibility, though, for the Celtics. The road team actually has won three of the five games in the series thus far, including Boston's Game 4 win that evened the series at two games apiece earlier this week. The last three games of the series have been decided by 13 combined points, reinforcing the fact this has been quite the rock fight.
Bettors who believe the Celtics can come back in this series might be more willing to consider an NBA Finals bet on Boston. After being the Eastern Conference favorite for the last week or so, the Celtics now have the fifth-longest odds of the eight teams remaining at +850 at DraftKings Sportsbook. FanDuel, it seems, doesn't have as much current exposure to Boston with the Celtics currently 10-1 to win it all.
NBA Title odds via FanDuel Sportsbook:
Golden State Warriors +220
Phoenix Suns +220
Milwaukee Bucks +400
Miami Heat +550
Boston Celtics +1000
Philadelphia 76ers +3000
Memphis Grizzlies +3900
Dallas Mavericks +4500
The good news, if you want to be an optimist regarding the Celtics, is the tweaks are fairly evident and not major. That being said, even if they can correct the fatal mistakes that cost them Game 5, the Celtics still have to worry about trying to slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo in addition to the Bucks' undeniable resiliency.
Nobody said it was going to be easy.
