Last time I took to this column, I was discussing the ins and outs of March Madness, the annual NCAA basketball tournament. While I did correctly guess several outcomes of various games, the tournament is largely unpredictable due to its one-game nature. This contrasts with the playoff structure of professional sports, which are played in series. Coming up soon, we have the pleasure of being able to enjoy both the NBA and NHL playoffs, which begin on April 11th and April 17th respectively. We at Indy Sportsbook are waiting eagerly for them to begin, so here we will cover everything to consider when making your bets.
A team outside the top three seeds in either conference has only won twice in the history of the NBA, most recently in 1995. Keep this in mind if you are betting on a team to win the championship. Anything can happen, however, as evidenced by this historical March Madness tournament. With all of this considered, here are a couple teams who could be crowned come the NBA finals in June.
Celtics (+330): The Celtics are regaining their momentum at just the right time. At the beginning of the season, they appeared to be the runaway #1 seed and favorites to win the NBA Finals. However, a mid-season falter in form led the Celtics to drop the conference lead, and they now seem destined for the #2 seed. This could be a blessing in disguise, however, as this would cause them to miss a second-round matchup with either the Cavaliers or Knicks—two teams that have caused Boston difficulty all year.
Bucks (+240): While I personally do not have any belief in the Bucks winning the NBA (a little Boston bias, but also shown by their 41-point blowout loss at home to the Celtics), they do in fact have the best record in the NBA and are the odds-on favorite to win the championship. Giannis Antetokounmpo is having another dominant season (averaging 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game), but what really makes them the favorites is his surrounding cast. Khris Middleton is healthy, Jrue Holiday is on fire recently, and Defensive Player of the Year favorite Brook Lopez has put on an exhibition all year long. They have all the ingredients to win a championship and should be a team you consider when placing your bets.
Suns (+650): The Phoenix Suns failed to replicate their 2021 playoff success last year, but with the addition of Perennial All-Star Kevin Durant they look poised to make a deep run. I did state earlier that a non-top three seed has a very low likelihood of winning, but Devin Booker is in All-NBA form. With him and KD leading the charge, not many teams can say they have a better chance at the title. On top of all this, they face a potential first round matchup with Golden State, who have only won 9 out of 39 away games this season, which should only add to the confidence of Phoenix betters.
Nuggets (+750): The Denver Nuggets head into the NBA playoffs as the #1 seed in the west. Nikola Jokic is the MVP favorite and that does not come by chance. He leads the NBA in plus/minus (a stat that measures how teams fare when a player is on the court) showing that when he is on the court, the Nuggets are outscoring their opponents and winning games. With several different scorers on the roster, Denver could be looking at a real chance to hang their first NBA Championship banner.
While those are several teams that could win, nobody ever knows what will happen, so it is always fun to place a couple bucks on your favorite team and cheer them on to playoff victory.
Now, we would be remiss in forgetting to mention another sport with playoffs coming up. While I know quite little about hockey, with all the talent in the league right now the NHL playoffs should be one to watch.
Bruins (+380): The Boston Bruins have put on a show this year. The Bruins are on track to break the record for the most regular season wins and seem destined for a deep playoff run. However, the President’s Trophy curse may spell trouble. Awarded to the NHL team with the best regular season record, only eight out of the 36 Trophy winners have gone on to win the Stanley Cup, and none since the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013. While I personally have rarely watched the Bruins play this year, I often throw the Bruins moneyline in a parlay and it has never let me down to date.
Hurricanes (+1000): With the second-best record in the NHL, the Hurricanes are obvious contenders despite having to make their way through a stacked Eastern conference bracket. They have a deep, well-rounded roster and if goaltender Frederik Andersen can find top form, this team sure can make some waves.
Oilers (+1300): While the Oilers do not have the best odds to win the playoffs, they should not be discounted. Connor McDavid, runaway Hart Trophy (MVP) favorite, has led this team to the current #2 seed in their division. Additionally, being from the western conference, the Oiler have a far easier path to the finals than any team in the east, so look for them to still be around late in the playoffs.
While you can bet on both sports individually, you can also place a bet on an extremely intriguing Boston Championship parlay at +1964. If anyone is feeling some extreme New England pride, this option should offer some allure (I have already placed money on this).
Andrew Christie ’26 (andrewchristie@college.harvard.edu) is really hoping that the Celtics win, both as a Boston sports fan and someone with a large Celtics NBA champs bet (+330).