NBA Championship Best Bet: Boston Celtics
Recent history isn't in the favor of the newly-crowned Boston Celtics, as the Association has seen a unique titleholder crowned each of the last six seasons, marking the first time we've seen that since 1975-80.
With that being said, all streaks are meant to be broken, and no team is better equipped to make a back-to-back run more than this iteration of the Celtics.
We've never witnessed such parity across the league with top-tier talent spread across a litany of teams. Boston lost just three games en route to their 2024 championship, though, so the path to Larry O'Brien still runs through Beantown for the time being.
Last 10 NBA Champions
| Year | Champion | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Boston Celtics | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2023 | Denver Nuggets | Miami Heat |
| 2022 | Golden State Warriors | Boston Celtics |
| 2021 | Milwaukee Bucks | Phoenix Suns |
| 2020 | Los Angeles Lakers | Miami Heat |
| 2019 | Toronto Raptors | Golden State Warriors |
| 2018 | Golden State Warriors | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2017 | Golden State Warriors | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2016 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Golden State Warriors |
| 2015 | Golden State Warriors | Cleveland Cavaliers |
NBA Finals Trends
- Boston's 2024 win moved it past the Los Angeles Lakers for the most championships in league history with 18.
- Only five teams have never advanced to the Finals in their history: Los Angeles Clippers, Charlotte Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, and New Orleans Pelicans.
- In the last 10 years, three teams (2023 Nuggets, 2019 Raptors, and 2015 Warriors) have had worse than 18-to-1 odds during the preseason to eventually go on to win the title that year.
NBA Futures Betting Odds
What Are NBA Futures?
NBA Futures offer basketball fans numerous ways to wager on odds with long-term payoffs as opposed to the immediate returns which may or may not come from a single game. Some of these wagers include putting money down on which team will win the championship, a conference championship, a division, or any individual hardware at the end of a regular season.
These odds fluctuate constantly, so it's important for bettors to stay on top of any trends or key factors which could cause dramatic changes such as winning/losing streaks, injuries to key players, road trips, and much more.
Sportsbooks will usually list a plus sign (+) next to the lines for most futures, with the number coming after indicating how much a $100 bet would generate in profit. For example, here's a look at how the current odds for the 2025 championship currently read:
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Boston Celtics | +300 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | +650 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | +800 |
The Boston Celtics are currently the favorites to capture the Larry O'Brien trophy based on the team having the lowest number at plus money. If someone were to wager $100 on the Celtics only for them to win it all in the end, they'd recoup their initial $100 bet and generate $300 in profit.
NBA Futures Resources
