Celtics Surging in Latest NBA Championship Odds Amidst Win Streak

All it took for the Boston Celtics to be considered an NBA Finals contender was a nine-game winning streak that pushed them into the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference.

WynnBET Sportsbook has moved the Celtics to +2500 (!) to win the NBA title this season behind only the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Utah Jazz.

That may seem like a lot, but the Celtics have been rising steadily, as they were hovering around +5000 for most of the 2021-22 season. Here's a look at the latest odds:

Latest NBA Championship Odds

• Phoenix Suns: +400 -- opened at  +1500
• Golden State Warriors: +450 -- opened at  +1100
• Brooklyn Nets: +600 -- opened at  +225
• Milwaukee Bucks: +600 -- opened at  +800
• Philadelphia 76ers: +700 -- opened at  +2000
• Miami Heat: +1200 -- opened at  +2000
• Utah Jazz: +1200 -- opened at  +1400
• Boston Celtics: +2500 -- opened at  +3000
• Memphis Grizzlies: +2500 -- opened at +7500
• Chicago Bulls: +3000 -- opened at  +7500
• Cleveland Cavaliers: +3000 -- opened at  +50000
• Dallas Mavericks: +3000 -- opened at  +3000
• Denver Nuggets: +3000 -- opened at  +1750
• Los Angeles Lakers: +5000 -- opened at  +325
• Atlanta Hawks: +7500 -- opened at  +4000
• Los Angeles Clippers: +7500 -- opened at  +1400
• Toronto Raptors: +10000 -- opened at  +7500
• Charlotte Hornets: +20000 -- opened at  +10000
• Minnesota Timberwolves: +20000 -- opened at  +20000
• New Orleans Pelicans: +50000 -- opened at  +7500
• New York Knicks: +50000 -- opened at  +7500
• Washington Wizards: +50000 -- opened at  +10000
• Indiana Pacers: +100000 -- opened at  +7500
• Portland Trail Blazers: +100000 -- opened at  +5000
• Sacramento Kings: +100000 -- opened at  +20000
• San Antonio Spurs: +100000 -- opened at  +15000
• Houston Rockets: +100000 -- opened at  +30000
• Oklahoma City Thunder: +100000 -- opened at  +25000
• Detroit Pistons: +5000000 -- opened at  +50000
• Orlando Magic: +5000000 -- opened at  +25000

Are the Celtics Championship Contenders?

According to FiveThirtyEight, the Celtics are the favorites to win the NBA title this season, but those projections aren't a guarantee by any stretch of the imagination.

However, Boston's defense has been arguably the most impressive unit in the NBA, as it has climbed to No. 2 in the league in defensive rating and has posted a rating of 97.0 over its last 10 games.

Ime Udoka's club has figured out a way to succeed on that end of the floor, and Jayson Tatum has played much better after starting the season slow. There's no doubt that Jaylen Brown and Tatum are one of the best duos in the league, but the Celtics' supporting cast will also be important.

Boston put itself in a bit of a hole by getting out to a slow start, but the Celtics are just 3.5 games out of the top spot in the Eastern Conference as the All-Star break nears.

Boston hasn't faced the easiest schedule as of late, but it has taken care of business by winning each game. The Celtics wins have come against New Orleans, Miami (without Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry), Charlotte, Detroit, Orlando, Brooklyn (without James Harden, Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving), Denver, Atlanta (without John Collins) and Philadelphia (without Harden).

Still, the team has won each of those games and played the best defense in the league in the process.

Don't forget, this Boston team made the Eastern Conference Finals in the NBA's bubble during the 2019-20 season, and it has improved with the addition of Derrick White at the trade deadline.

General manager Brad Stevens will need to find more wing depth behind Tatum and Brown in the buyout market, but Boston cleared plenty of roster spots by trading Dennis Schroder, Bol Bol, Enes Freedom, Bruno Fernando and PJ Dozier at the deadline.

Teams with elite defenses (the Suns and Warriors for example), have made some serious runs this season, and the oddsmakers have awarded them with shorter odds to win the title. If Boston can keep up this play on that end of the floor, it could be among the top teams in the East come playoff time.