Betsided

Nets Still Favored to Win Eastern Conference Despite Play-In Status

By Matt De Saro

Milwaukee Bucks v Brooklyn Nets
Milwaukee Bucks v Brooklyn Nets / Al Bello/GettyImages
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The race to win the Eastern Conference Championship is a bit of a strange one this year from a betting standpoint. As of today, the favorite to win the East is the Brooklyn Nets at +250 according to WynnBET Sportsbook. They are favored over the reigning champion Bucks (+275) and other very strong teams. The current odds play out as follow: 

  • Nets +250
  • Bucks +275
  • Celtics +400
  • Sixers +400
  • Heat +500
  • Raptors +3000
  • Bulls +4000 
  • Cavaliers +4000
  • Hawks +8000
  • Hornets +12500

But, the Nets are a good team. So, why is it strange that they are the favorite to make it to the NBA Finals? It’s because they are currently the eight-ranked team in the Eastern Conference. If the season ended today, the Nets would be forced to compete in the play-in tournament just to officially make the playoffs. They would have to play and beat the Cavaliers in Cleveland in that case. 

Meanwhile, the Heat, Bucks, and Celtics have already clinched playoff spots with far superior records. And yet, the Nets have better odds than the lot. I think one major reason for this is the COVID-19 mandate getting lifted in New York City. This paved the way for unvaccinated Kyrie Irving to resume playing home games at the Barclays Center. The Nets now have a reliable scoring threat behind Kevin Durant to make defenses think twice about the double team. 

The East is so tight right now that it's hard to predict who will end up where at the end of next weekend. Things could go horribly wrong for the Bulls or Raptors and the Nets could claw out of the play-in tournament. However, that is unlikely as they are five games back from each with just five games left to play. 

The Nets are a very good team and they are getting back to full strength at the right time. But the added game of the play-in round does make betting them to win the East just that much riskier. They will also have less rest heading into the opening round after presumably coming out on top of that must-win play-in game. 

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