As we enter the final stretch of the 2023-24 NBA season, the Boston Celtics have a serious stronghold on the #1 seed in the Western Conference. And while it feels unlikely that there will be anyone that is able to catch them in the standings, the oddsmakers are giving the Milwaukee Bucks a solid chance at mounting a late-season comeback.
NBA Odds: Celtics Running Away With The Eastern Conference
A camera crew has been following the Boston Celtics all season, filming a multi-part documentary series similar to “The Last Dance.” 👀
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Boston has been the class of the conference all season long, but the margin was never this large. At Christmastime, their lead over the Bucks was just 1.5 games, and the 76ers were just 3 games back and hoping for a run in the New Year. But both Milwaukee and Philadelphia have faltered over the last two months, and it appears that the Celtics are ready to run away with the conference.
As we head into the second half of the season and out of the All-Star break, the lead that Boston has on the rest of the East is currently 6 games. Over at BetOnline, the oddsmakers have given the Celtics a +125 designation to finish as the #1 seed, which seems like a low number for a team that has already built up such a lead.
Interestingly enough, it is not the 2nd-place Cavaliers that have the next-best odds. Cleveland is listed at +750, which are the 4th shortest odds of any team, behind the likes the 4th place New York Knicks (+600).
Boston Would Have To Seriously Falter
JJ Redick calls out Doc Rivers
“I’ve seen the trend for years. The trend is always making excuses. Doc, we get it. Taking over a team in the middle of a season is hard… it’s always an excuse. It’s always throwing your team under the bus… there’s never accountability with… pic.twitter.com/c23NKIVm7L
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It is the Bucks that the oddsmakers believe have the best chance of catching the Celtics. Their designation is currently +300, a number that isn’t far off from that of the favorite.
It will be a serious uphill battle for Milwaukee if they want to challenge for the top spot. There are 26 games left on the regular season schedule, and are currently 8.5 games back. That means that the Bucks would have to go 20-6 over the final couple of months, while the Celtics having a mark of no better than 11-16 in order for the switch to happen. Both scenarios appear highly unlikely given the performances of both throughout the season thus far.
A gap of 12.5 games separates the #1 seed from the #6 in the Eastern Conference, a margin that is only 6 games in the West.
