NBA Championship Odds: The Celtics Remain the Favorite to Hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy

And then, there were four.

The NBA playoffs is down to the conference championship matchups following the Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves' Game 7 wins on Sunday. Both were unlikely results with each team as an underdogs on the road; the Pacers thrashed the New York Knicks, 130-109, while the Timberwolves overcame a 20-point deficit in the third quarter to take down the Denver Nuggets, 98-90.

The Eastern Conference Finals has the Boston Celtics favored to win 4-1 against Indiana (+155) when looking at FanDuel Sportsbook's NBA playoff odds. The Western Conference Finals is more up in the air with interesting correct score odds; this includes the T-Wolves winning 4-1 (+370), 4-3 (+400), and the Dallas Mavericks winning 4-2 (+450) holding the shortest odds.

With the NBA entering the final stages of the postseason, it's worth looking at the NBA championship odds at FanDuel. Here's how the odds are stacking up for the NBA Finals.

NBA Championship Odds

Boston Celtics (-160)

Since the start of the playoffs, the Celtics have been the favorite to take home their 18th Larry O'Brien Trophy. This is in line with numberFire's nERD-based power rankings, which has Boston as the league's top team with a 80.8 score. numberFire is also giving the Celtics a 94.35% chance of winning the Eastern Conference Finals.

Boston will likely play in the Finals as a matchup between the Celtics and Timberwolves (-145) and Boston-Dallas (+155) are carrying the shortest odds by a wide margin. One line does a great job of putting things into perspective; the field is +125 to win the NBA Finals while the Celtics are -160.

They currently have the best plus/minus in the playoffs at +11.4 and defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games and won each contest by an average margin of 15.0 points. Kristaps Porzingis has missed six straight games and could return in the upcoming series, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. He averaged 20.1 points per game (PPG) during the regular season, so this would be a major addition to the league's top squad.

Some concern surrounds the Celtics as they've made the Eastern Conference Finals in four of the last five seasons, yet they do not have a championship trophy during the span. Boston has wilted at this stage in recent seasons, and they showed some weakness in a 10-point loss against the Miami Heat in the first round and a 24-point loss versus the Cavs in the semifinals.

The Celtics are the clear favorite, but this is not a slam-dunk pick.

Minnesota Timberwolves (+290)

This is where the final four teams get fun. The Timberwolves and Pacers are probably the biggest surprises at this stage. Unlike Indiana, Minnesota seems to actually have a good chance of winning the franchise's first NBA Finals. After all, they did just take out the defending champions.

After leading the league in defensive rating during the regular season, the Wolves have the second-lowest defensive rating among remaining teams (behind the Celtics). They've continued to defend at a high level, and the offense has improved to 116.1 rating compared to 115.0 during the regular season.

Anthony Edwards has taken the headlines, becoming one of the league's brightest stars with a team-high 28.9 PPG in the playoffs. Don't be fooled, though, as this is a complete team. Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert continue to control the rebounding and paint battles. Jaden McDaniels has showcased his two-way ability, Mike Conley has been a reliable floor general, and Naz Reid is providing excellent play off of he bench as the sixth man.

The Timberwolves just took out perhaps the greatest threat to preventing a Celtics championship (the Nuggets). Minnesota has taken Denver's place with the second-shortest odds to win the NBA Finals.

Dallas Mavericks (+500)

The Mavericks being at this stage isn't a huge surprise. They appeared in the Western Conference Finals in the 2022, but this time, they are looking to finish the job by winning it all.

Dallas came into the postseason red-hot, but the fashion of how they've advanced has been interesting. The Mavs' defense has been exceptional. That's right the team who had the 13th-lowest defensive rating during the regular season has tightened the clamps. Their 115.3 regular-season rating has dropped to 110.6, and it doesn't seem like a fluke either with Kyrie Irving and Derrick Jones Jr. giving up the lowest field goal percentage (FG%) when guarding players in isolation. Opponents are shooting 13.3% in isolation against Kyrie and 20.0% when guarded by Jones in iso.

After Luka Doncic (24.7 PPG) and Irving (15.7 PPG) had underwhelming point totals in the semifinals, one could argue that Dallas is an exceptional bet to make the Finals and win it all at +500. It feels like a matter of time before Luka and Kyrie step up to the plate; Doncic showed that at the tail end of the previous series with 30.0 PPG, 10.0 rebounds per game (RPG), and 10.5 assists per game (APG) over the final two games.

Irving and Doncic have delivered plenty of memorable postseason performances. Luka totaled 33.9 PPG and Kyrie averaged 25.6 PPG during the regular season. There's a good chance that each elevate their scoring totals in the upcoming series against the Timberwolves, especially with Luguentz Dort behind them (he held opponents to 30.0 FG% in isolation). PJ Washington is also playing the best ball of his career after totaling 17.7 PPG against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Mavericks-Timberwolves feels like a toss up series with each team looking like a true contender.

Indiana Pacers (+2300)

The longshot to win the NBA Finals is certainly the Pacers. If they can somehow take out Boston -- which is priced at +680 by FanDuel's series moneyline -- Indiana will have a legit chance at winning it all. However, the Pacers-Timberwolves (+1100) or the Pacers-Mavericks (+1600) facing off in the NBA Finals are unlikely matchups.

Indiana has the scoring to find success against the Celtics, for they have the top offensive rating in the playoffs. The defense is still a concern with a 118.1 rating compared to their regular-season rating of 117.9. The Pacers had the seventh-worst defensive rating in the regular season, and it's only gotten worse. This is a major concern with Boston touting the second-highest offensive rating in the postseason, and this offense could only improve with Porzingis' imminent return.

There's no doubt that injuries have aided Indiana's run, as well. The Milwaukee Bucks were without Giannis Antetokounmpo in the first round, and Damian Lillard dealt with an injury. This continued into the second round as the Knicks' OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Jalen Brunson all sustained injuries.

The Pacers have enjoyed an exceptional postseason run, but it could be coming to an end with the league's top team awaiting in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Indiana had an all-time shooting performance in Game 7 against New York, draining 67.1% of their field goals -- the highest FG% in any playoff game in NBA history. The Pacers' playoff fate will likely come down to one thing: can Indiana's elite offense outscore Boston?

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