2024-25 NBA Championship Betting Odds
We’re down to the last two teams standing with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers each looking for their first NBA Championship. OKC was a trendy pick to reach their first NBA Finals since 2012 taking over as the betting favorite midway through the regular season. The Thunder overtook Boston and didn’t flinch, finishing with 68 wins, which is tied for the fourth-most in NBA history. Indiana closed the regular season with a flurry to reach the 50-win mark. They advanced to their second straight Eastern Conference Final and prevailed as the underdog against New York in six games. Indy was a big dog last year and was swept by eventual champion Boston.
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Overlooked in the East, which was dominated by 64-win Cleveland and 61-win Boston, the Pacers snuck up on the field. They won 15 of their final 19 regular season games, beat Milwaukee in five games in the first round then stunned No. 1 seed Cleveland in the second round with heroics from Tyrese Haliburton. At around 50/1 in the NBA futures market before the season started, the Pacers are again facing long odds against the best team in the league. Indy is in the NBA Finals for the second time in its history. The Pacers lost in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000.
OKC has never won a NBA title but the franchise does have a championship. The Seattle SuperSonics made three trips to the NBA Finals, including back-to-back visits in 1978 and 1979 facing the Washington Bullets (now Wizards) both times. They won their first and only championship in the second meeting in five games. The club relocated to Oklahoma for the 2008-09 season. The Pacers were one of the most successful ABA franchises winning three championships in nine seasons before merging into the NBA in 1976.
The teams met twice during the season with the Thunder winning both games. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 45 points on 15 of 22 shooting in OKC’s 120-114 road win the day after Christmas. On March 29 SGA tallied 33 points giving the Thunder a season sweep with a 132-111 triumph.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Reaching the NBA Finals was the goal with OKC using the pain of last season’s second round loss to Dallas as motivation. The Thunder earned the No. 1 seed in the West for the second year in a row, had the best record in the league and set a NBA record for highest average scoring margin. They were led by MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was dominant in two wins over the Pacers during the season, and led the NBA in scoring during the season, but the club is much more. As good as the Thunder are offensively they’re even better on the defensive end. They allowed the third fewest points during the season and boasted the best defensive rating. In their Western Conference title clinching win over Minnesota the Thunder allowed just nine points in the first quarter and rolled to a 30-point decision. They didn’t swap relentless defensive pressure for offense, either. SGA was one of seven players to average double figures in points during the year and he and Jalen Williams are scoring more than 20 points per game in the postseason. They will have to keep the defensive intensity against a Pacers club that likes to push the pace.
Indiana Pacers
A sluggish start to the season coupled with the stellar play of Boston and Cleveland left the Pacers out of the spotlight. But if you haven’t been paying attention they’ve been one of the best teams in the league since January 1 going 46-18, including their 12-4 postseason record. History isn’t on their side since only twice has a team seeded as low as the Pacers won the championship. The Houston Rockets were a six-seed when they won the title in 1995. As a No. 4 seed in 1969, the Celtics beat the Lakers in seven games. There is a different vibe with the Pacers. They averaged 117.4 points in the first three rounds and their up-tempo attack was befuddling to the Bucks, Cavs and Knicks. However, when the offense doesn’t click they have problems. The Pacers scored at least 114 points in all 12 playoff victories, but in their four losses they averaged less than 100 points. Much like OKC they are balanced on offense making them tough to defend. Six players are scoring in double figures this postseason led by Pascal Siakam at 21.1 points per game. Tyrese Haliburton averages 18.8 points and a playoff-high 9.8 assists.
NBA Teams
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