NBA Western Conference Betting Online

NBA Western Conference Betting

When was the last time you didn’t see the Los Angeles Lakers as one of the favorites to win the Western Conference? The Lakers are unlikely to make the NBA Playoffs at all in what has become an injury-riddled disaster for Los Angeles. The Phoenix Suns won the Western Conference and made the NBA Finals in 2021 but lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the title series. The Lakers won the Western Conference and the NBA title in 2020, breaking up a run of five straight Western Conference titles for the Golden State Warriors who also won the NBA title in 2015, 2017 and 2018. The Suns are the top choice to win the Western Conference in 2022, followed by the Warriors and Grizzlies. Those are the only three teams listed with single-digit odds. The darkhorse contenders are the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers. The longshots are the Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs. The Lakers are still on the list, but they are expected to be eliminated from contention before the regular season ends.

NBA Western Conference Winner (2000)

Back in the early days, the Western Conference was the dominant one for sure. After losing the first ever NBA Finals (then known as the BAA Finals), the West went on to win six championships in a row. Of course, none of those teams were actually further west than Minneapolis, the team that ultimately became known as the Los Angeles Lakers. It was a struggle for the West at that point, as the Boston Celtics went on the most dominant run in NBA history. Between 1959 and 1970, the West didn't win a single title, a streak that the Bucks (now in the East, of course) snapped in 1971. The first true "west coast" team to win the NBA Finals was Los Angeles in 1972.

Up until the 2015 season, the teams that were on the Pacific Coast had a terrible time trying to win championships. Between Seattle, Golden State, Portland, Sacramento and the two LA teams, there have been plenty of opportunities, but the Lakers were literally the only ones to go on and win the NBA Finals from 1980 up until the 2015 season when the Warriors started their dominant run. The last time a team from the West outside of the states of Texas and California won the NBA title was in 1979 when Seattle claimed a championship.

Western Conference Finals Results By Team

Obviously, there's some strange teams to see on this list as "Western Conference champions." The Atlanta Hawks have, of course, always played in the East, but the team that preceded them, the St. Louis Hawks, won four Western Conference titles. The Milwaukee Bucks used to be in the West, while the Detroit Pistons were in the West when they were known as the Fort Wayne Pistons.

The degree of dominance in the West is clear, though. It's the Lakers and everyone else. Between the Minneapolis Lakers and Los Angeles Lakers, this franchise has won a whopping 32 Western Conference titles, 24 more than anyone else.

The Warriors though, have made up some ground and could continue to close the gap. The last team to win the Western Conference three straight years had been LA from 2008 through 2010. The Lakers also pulled off the same feat from 2000 through 2002, 1987-1989 and 1982-1985, the latter of which was the only four-peat in Western Conference history until Golden State matched it in 2018 and broke the record by winning it a fifth straight time in 2019.

What's sad about the whole thing is that nearly half of the teams in the current West have never ultimately seen the Promised Land in their current cities. The Nuggets, Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Pelicans and Clippers have never been to the NBA Finals, and Sacramento's only West title came while the team was playing in Rochester. The Pelicans and Clippers have never been to the Western Conference Finals, while the Grizzlies and Timberwolves have only been once apiece and lost both times.

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