We are almost at all-star break and there are a ton of teams that have a chance at going all the way. So far the Cleveland Cavaliers lead the league with 36 wins and just six losses. Despite this ESPN has their odds as the third best to win the championship. In front of them with the second best odds are the Oklahoma City Thunder and with the best odds are the Boston Celtics. The Thunder have had a very surprising season. They are the second youngest team in the league with an average age of just 24. Despite this they still have the second most wins in the league. Arguably their second best player—but definitely best defensive player— Chet Holmgrem, has been battling injuries all season. He has only played 10 games due to a right iliac wing fracture and he’s expected to be out for at least 5 weeks. Even if Holmgrem isn’t back for playoff time, I still think the Thunder are still a strong contender.
The Boston Celtics have been favored by the experts all season long. They are looking to win back to back championships, after there 4-1 series win over the Mavericks. This season they basically brought back the same team, in hope of reacting. The Celtics have been performing pretty well this season, they have 32 wins and just 15 losses. They’ve had a fairly healthy year except for a few exceptions, like Kristaps Porzingis. When Porzingis does play he generally makes the team much better, but this isn’t a huge deficit to the team as he is always battling injuries. The Celtics have been led by the same duo since 2017, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Both of the players are top 25 in the league in points per game. The Celtics are a phenomenal three point shooting team. They lead the league in three pointers made and they have three players in the top 20 for three pointers made per game. I would not be surprised at all if the Celtics went back to back.
But if I had to choose one team to win the championship to save my life, I’d choose the Denver Nuggets. Despite only having the seventh most wins in the league I think they are unstoppable. Having Nikola Jokic is a cheat code, he can do it all. Jokic is averaging 30 points, 13.1 rebounds, 10.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and nearly 1 block per game. Even in the postseason, Jokic always puts up stats like these. But don’t get it twisted because the rest of the team is also really good. The Nuggets have an amazing starting lineup and good depth. In the 2022-23 season the Nuggets won the championship with a very similar team. Currently the Nuggets score the third most points per game in the entire league and they are overall the most efficient team. The Nuggets are super well rounded, and to me, they have the best chance to win the NBA championship.
