With the NBA season coming up, it’s time to check out the odds for the top contenders to win the Eastern Conference. LeBron James has not been fair to the rest of the East of late, but he’s 32 years old now and has to slow down at some point, right? Check out Bodog for all the futures odds for the 2017-18 NBA season.
Cleveland Cavaliers (-150)
It’s no surprise that the Cleveland Cavaliers are once again favourites to win the East this season (-150 odds). LeBron James is one of the best players of all time and has taken his teams to seven straight Eastern Conference titles. While there has been some roster shakeup this offseason with Kyrie Irving going to Boston for Isaiah Thomas in a point-guard swap, Cleveland is still the team to beat in the East.
Boston Celtics (+225)
Boston hasn’t won the East since the 2009-10 season, but this could be their year. Currently, at +225, they made the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in five years in 2017 and have made some personnel upgrades in the offseason to boot. Adding all-stars Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving via free agent acquisition and trade respectively, they should be well equipped to compete for a spot in the NBA Finals.
Washington Wizards (+1200)
The Wizards gave Boston a bona fide scare in last season’s playoffs, forcing the Celtics into a seven-game series thanks to impressive performances by Bradley Beal and four-time All-Star John Wall. If the Wizards are to enjoy deep playoff success this season, it will have to be on the backs of Wall and Beal, both of whom averaged 23.1 points per game last season (top 20 in the league). The Wizards could be a good value pick to take the East at +1200.
Milwaukee Bucks (+1600)
Having only made the playoffs in four out of the last 11 seasons, the Milwaukee Bucks could challenge the top teams in the East if All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo, aka The Greek Freak, takes another step forward this season. The All-NBA second-team selection averaged 22.9 points per game last year on an impressive 52.1% shooting and if he can improve his unremarkable 27.2% shooting from downtown, the Bucks could make some noise in the 2018 playoffs.
Philadelphia 76ers (+2000)
This may finally be the year for the Philadelphia 76ers. Having missed the playoffs for five straight seasons in the weaker Eastern Conference, the 76ers have assembled a team that could compete if they can stay healthy. Their young, talented roster includes two first overall picks from the previous two drafts and two third overall picks from the 2014 and 2015 drafts. If the young guns can gel with each other right away, they could contend in the East.
*Odds as of October 2, 2017