Sports

ESPN’s BPI Disagrees With Oddsmakers In A Big Way On NBA Finals

#NBA Finals
by
espns-bpi-disagrees-with-oddsmakers-in-big-way-on-nba-finals

Getty Image / Andy Lyons


  • Oddsmakers see the Golden State Warriors as the favorite to win the NBA Finals
  • ESPN’s Basketball Power Index indicates the Celtics have a much better chance to win
  • Read more BroBible articles here

Game 1 of the NBA Finals goes down tomorrow night and many fans are already putting in their predictions on who will win the series and how. Some are also getting ready to place wagers on the outcome of the series.

Right now, DraftKings Sportsbook is listing the Golden State Warriors as -150 favorites to win their 4th NBA title in the last 8 seasons. While there are likely plenty of fans who agree with that assessment, there is a computer that sees things going very differently.

According to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, the Boston Celtics should actually be the favorite to win the series. In fact, BPI says that they should be a pretty sizable favorite as it is giving the Celtics an 86% chance to win the NBA Finals.

The Golden State Warriors have 3 big advantages in this series. They have home court advantage, they have a ton of NBA Finals experience, and they are much more well-rested after eliminating the Dallas Mavericks in 5 games.

Still, according to BPI, the team to beat is the one that took out the player who won Finals MVP for each of the Warriors’ last two titles, the defending NBA champs, and the 2020 runners up on their way to appearing in the NBA Finals.

The series will see the NBA’s best defense take on an offense absolutely loaded with weapons. The BPI numbers must indicate that the Celtics will be able to slow down the relentless scoring of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Jordan Poole.

Play Episode
63min
Still Poddable
Celtics sweep Hornets, Grant trucks Tatum and Jaylen's injury
Sam "Jam" Packard, Brian Robb and producer Sean Gauthier break down an eventful weekend for the Celtics in Charlotte, Jaylen's injury and much more before hitting our new weekly segments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Celtics Beat
612: Can Tatum Catch Larry Bird? w/ Brian Barrett
Brian Barrett hosts "Off the Pike" for The Ringer Podcast Network and Spotify. Brian joins the program to chat about the new Boston Celtics documentary on HBO, Tatum vs Bird, and who Boston should prefer in the Finals. Twitter: @itsbrianbarrett 4:58 Screening of HBO’s Celtics documentary 19:08 New doc should have new content 26:49 Current era C’s are so much different than other champions previously 35:35 Can Tatum catch Bird? 42:24 Bird’s legend keeps growing 40 years later 55:40 Should C’s be more afraid of Denver? Available for download on iTunes and Spotify on Saturday, February 22md 2025. Celtics Beat is powered by Prize Picks! Prize Picks is the official daily fantasy sponsor of CLNS Media. Download the app and use the promo code CLNS for $50 instantly when you play $5!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Big 3 NBA Podcast
Is Jayson Tatum Overlooked as the Face of the NBA?
On the latest episode of the Big 3 NBA Podcast, Sherrod Blakely welcomes Clutch Points' Josue Pavon to talk Celtics, NBA storylines, and the league’s biggest narratives. They start by discussing Jayson Tatum’s impact, questioning why—despite his elite stats, clean image, and respect from peers—he doesn’t get the same "league love" as other stars in the face-of-the-NBA conversation. With fans making his jersey No. 3 in sales and players consistently ranking him among the best, should Tatum be getting more recognition? The conversation shifts to Cleveland emerging as a real threat, how the Eastern Conference looks like a two-team race, and the battle brewing in the Western Conference playoffs. They also dive into OKC and Chet Holmgren’s durability, plus an intriguing Luka-LeBron debate to close out the show. The Big 3 NBA Podcast is Powered by: 💰 Prize Picks - https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/CLNS Download the app today and use Code CLNS when you sign up & Get $50 instantly when you play $5! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Celtics Lab NBA Basketball Podcast
How the return of Kristaps Porzingis will impact the Boston Celtics with Ben Vallis
Fans of the Boston Celtics will finally see star Boston big man Kristaps Porzingis make his season debut against the Los Angeles Clippers at TD Garden on Monday (Nov. 25) evening, barring any unexpected setbacks. And with that news will come change for the Celtics -- but in which ways? For one, Boston's frontcourt rotation will immediately be a more talented and diverse one, allowing for the team to paper over some of their weaknesses in the paint. But it will also change the rotation itself, shortening the playing time for some players, and changing which players get on the court with whom. It may also have less obvious but still important impacts, so the hosts of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast sat down with cohost of the "First to the Floor" podcast Ben Vallis to talk it over. We also get into how the East itself has changed since the start of the season and get caught up on some significant news about the sale of the team and plenty more, so be sure you don't miss this important episode of the pod. Celtics Lab is brought to you by Prize Picks and GameTime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pulling that off won’t be easy, but if the Celtics can do it, we might just see them win the NBA Finals for the first time in Jayson Tatum’s career and the first time for the franchise since 2008.