Once again, the NBA regular season has come to an end, and viewers across the nation are tuning in to watch some of the best athletes in the world compete for the ever-coveted NBA championship. While this season has been one for the ages, there are still some things that reign true: Lebron is quickly approaching 40, yet he still averages over 25 points per game. The Celtics are in the playoffs for the 10th season in a row (and are favorites once again), and fans of the Washington Wizards are stuck at home after yet another disappointing season.
A recent addition to the NBA has also taken the basketball world by storm. The most hotly anticipated prospect since Lebron James, 7’4” rookie Victor (Wemby) Wembanyama, has lived up to the hype. Coming from the French Professional Basketball scene, Wembanyama chose to bypass the typical one-year college route and go straight to the NBA draft. This decision was well warranted, as Wembanyama immediately proved himself after the San Antonio Spurs drafted him first overall. He has the mobility and handling ability of a guard while simultaneously leading the NBA in stocks (steals and blocks). This is just one of many statistical categories that highlight his utter dominance, and, as such, he was anonymously voted by NBA players as the best player to start a franchise with. Unfortunately, the rest of the team is still in a significant rebuilding process, so we will have to wait at least another year to see Wembanyama in the playoffs.
Everyone knows how the NBA regular season games, for the most part, lack a certain energy, whereas an intangible franticness accompanies every playoff game. Now that we are in the playoffs, we can see that players are no longer being load-managed and resting, but rather stars are refusing to be subbed off and are putting their all on the line in every single game for their team.
Every year, something unpredictable happens during the playoffs. Whether that is an eighth-seeded team making a run to the championship series, or star players and MVPs failing to produce when it matters even more, playoff basketball is an unpredictable science. And in the end, one team will manage to come out on top. With that in mind, here are some squads to consider betting on to take home the championship.
Celtics (+120): The Celtics enter the NBA playoffs as the favorites—and rightfully so. Having the best overall record definitely does not hurt, and their roster depth and distribution of scorers leave the Celtics once again as the betting favorite. After a dominant season and ending atop the Eastern Conference standings by 14 games, they are looking to finally claim the elusive 18th banner that they have just missed out on in the last few years. Their playoff performance will be once again largely dependent on Tatum and Brown, but the addition of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday will help ease the responsibilities and potentially lead them to success.
Nuggets (+290): The Denver Nuggets are looking to defend their title and take home their second championship ever. Key to their success is MVP Finalist Nikola Jokic. Jokic has been dominating the league for the past few years, winning the MVP award in 2021 and 2022 and winning the championship in 2023. He is surrounded by a largely unchanged squad, and considering their dominance last postseason, the Nuggets are a great team to consider. However, time will tell how big the loss of Bruce Brown really was, so keep an eye on the West to see if the Nuggets can still thrive.
Thunder (+1300): Being the second youngest team in the NBA, it may surprise some to see OKC on top of the Western Conference standings, especially considering their performance in recent seasons. However, their resurgence is in large part due to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren. Gilgeous-Alexander had an excellent regular season averaging 30.1 points per season, leading him to be a finalist for the MVP award. In another world, Chet would be rookie of the year (unfortunately, Wemby exists), but this just goes to show that their team has real potential and star power, and they could surprise many come June.
Knicks (+1800): The Knicks are an interesting team—riddled with inconsistencies over the past few years, they strung together an excellent regular season to end as the second seed in the East. To get to the championship, they have a tough road ahead: beating the 76ers, most likely the Bucks, and either the Celtics or Cavaliers is no easy path. However, the Knicks match up well with almost any team; superstar Jalen Brunson usually leads the scoring, but he is supported by many players who have the ability to change the game at any moment. Any opponent should be wary of matching up against this team.
These are four teams with real hopes of taking home the chip. Due to their strong regular season performances and obvious team strengths, the Celtics and Nuggets are clearly the betting favorites. However, anything can happen. It might be worth sprinkling a little bit on the Knicks, Thunder, or any of the other less obvious teams in the playoffs.
Andrew Christie ’26 (andrewchristie@college.harvard.edu) would love to finally pick the correct NBA playoff winner. (He always bets on the Celtics and gets let down.)