Celtics Fans Aren’t Only Ones Still Confident In Series Win Vs. 76ers

Chances are the majority of Boston Celtics fans are not thrilled with the fact the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers stands at two games apiece with a now best-of-three on the docket.

But as tends to be the case with Green Teamers, and perhaps for good reason, there remains plenty of optimism ahead of a pivotal Game 5 at TD Garden on Tuesday night.

Oddsmakers are just as optimistic.

Despite dropping a series-tying verdict Sunday afternoon at Wells Fargo Center, the Celtics remain a heavy favorite to eliminate the 76ers. FanDuel Sportsbook has the Celtics -310 to win the best-of-seven affair while DraftKings Sportsbook views the Celtics as a -330 favorite. The prices are right back to where they opened on FanDuel. It currently represents the most one-sided series price on the board with the Sixers (+250) the biggest underdog of any of the four matchups. Of note, two of the four series have yet to play a fourth game with Heat-Knicks and Warriors-Lakers scheduled for Monday night.

As it pertains to the Celtics, Boston has outplayed the 76ers for the majority of four games. The Green’s Game 1 loss was largely because they were outplayed down the stretch while Sunday’s Game 4 defeat was there for the taking despite a poor first half. The final minute of overtime featured at least two questionable lapses by the Celtics, each of which played a huge role in the result.

A number of Celtics players nevertheless remain confident.

“I know that everybody’s feeling down,” Al Horford told reporters in Philadelphia, per The Athletic. “We lost the game and things like that. I’m pretty encouraged by our group. I saw something.”

Oddsmakers continue to see something, too, it seems. As it currently stands, the Celtics are on the top line to win the Eastern Conference (-175) and NBA Finals (+165).