Boston Celtics Have Value At Current Price to Win NBA Championship
By
Dec 1, 2020
Celtics Odds Higher Than They Should Be Headed Into Shortened Season: Headed into December, the NBA oddsmakers have the Celtics at 15-1 to win the NBA Championship.
Boston Celtics Building Towards Big Things
The Boston Celtics certainly needed a cleansing of their roster after the 2018-2019 season, which saw the Celtics get embarrassingly dismissed from the NBA Playoffs in a five-game series loss at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round with three of the four losses by double-digit blowout margins.
The Kyrie Irving experiment had run its course, and his dismal play on the court and malcontent demeanor off the court prompted the Celtics to part ways with him and looked at adjusting their roster going into last season. They replaced Kyrie Irving with Kemba Walker signing him in the offseason to become the Celtics starting point guard. The switch was a good one for Boston. Walker provided much greater leadership and a better two-way presence at both ends of the floor. He was also more willing to facilitate the offense than his predecessor was.
The team played with much greater spirit and team chemistry this past season, with Kemba Walker at the point and outstanding seasons from Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. That trio will be the core of this Celtics team for years to come. The Celtics improved upon last year’s tumultuous season and disappointing finish by advancing past the second round knocking off the defending NBA champion Toronto Raptors in the process before being defeated in six games by the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Final. It was a positive season for the Celtics, who will begin the offseason looking to make subtle improvements to an already solid roster hoping that it puts them over the top and into the NBA Finals.
Celtics Offseason Focus
The Celtics had a tough decision to make on Gordon Hayward headed into 2021, and they made it without hesitation. While Hayward was able to return to the Celtics line-up at the tail end of the playoffs, his playing capacity was heavily limited. Ultimately, the Celtics decided to move on, trading Hayward to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for a second-round draft pick in a sign and trade deal.
Jayson Tatum is also eligible to begin negotiations for a max contract extension with the Celtics. That will become a focal point of the offseason for Boston trying to get a deal done with one of their cornerstone franchise players.
Celtics Odds to Win 2021 NBA Championship
The Boston Celtics’ improvement in team cohesion and chemistry after the disastrous end to the Kyrie Irving era paid dividends for the team and for bettors who backed the Celtics last season. Boston was an outstanding 41-27-4 ATS cashing at a 60% clip last season. Only Toronto, Oklahoma City, and the LA Clippers had as many or more point spread wins in 2019-2020.
The Celtics won’t have a lot of roster changes, and the continuity should be really good. Still, it will be difficult to duplicate last year’s phenomenal ATS record as NBA oddsmakers will likely elevate their power rating heading into next season after a trip to the East Final last season.
Boston was 34-37-1 O/U last season, cashing slightly more under. I don’t expect a massive increase or decline in either direction when it comes to totals for the Celtics next season with a very similar looking roster and no coaching/system changes to speak of. Boston is +1600 at Bet365 to win the NBA title. I wouldn’t talk anyone out of betting Boston to win the title. The Celtics were a terrific defensive team last season, and that, along with their own “Big 3” of Walker, Brown, and Taytum, will give them a chance to beat any team in any playoff series. Boston is right in the mix with teams like Milwaukee, Brooklyn, Toronto, Philadelphia, and Miami as one of the top six teams in the East going into next season that has a chance to at least make it to the NBA Finals.
It’s worth noting there are some questions about the top teams in the West with the LA Clippers, Denver, Houston, and even the defending champion LA Lakers, who may lack the same performance level or team health to go back-to-back. This is a season where a team from the East could win it all, and it could be Boston.
Keep it locked on Odds.com for all your NBA Odds throughout the offseason and into the 2020/2021 campaign.
FAQ: Boston Celtics 2021 Odds
Who are the Odds on Favorite to Win the 2021 NBA Championship?
The LA Lakers are the current favorite at 3-1 (+300)
What are the Celitcs Odds to win the NBA Championship?
As of late November. Bet365 has the Boston Celtics listed at odds of 15-1 to win the NBA Championship, and +525 to win the Eastern Conference Finals.