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The NBA Conference Finals have begun as four teams remain in the hunt to be crowned champion. Two of the remaining squads were expected to still be in the mix, while the other two have shocked many during their deep run.
Entering the postseason as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, it's not shocking to see the Denver Nuggets make it this far. They are finally fully healthy, and look like a team that can win it all this season.
The Boston Celtics made it to the finals last season, and are poised to make it back again. Following a historic performance from Jayson Tatum in Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers, they are one of the final two teams standing in the East.
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Arguably the most shocking team in the NBA Conference Finals is the Miami Heat. Despite being the eighth seed, they've pulled off a pair of upsets. Now, for the second year in a row, they battle the Celtics for a spot in the finals.
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The final team remaining is LeBron James and the LA Lakers. Their newfound depth have proven to pay dividends as they managed to knock off the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors.
NBA Conference Finals odds
As the conference finals begin, the Boston Celtics are the betting favorite to win the NBA title (-105). Not far behind them is the Denver Nuggets (+165), followed by the LA Lakers (+650). The Miami Heat are a longshot to win it all at +1600 odds.
NBA Conference Finals prediction
Looking at this batch of four teams, it's hard to not side with the Denver Nuggets as the team that is going to win it all. Nikola Jokic continues to put on a string of incredible performance, and they are loaded with depth pieces.
Aside from the Nuggets, a case can be made for the Boston Celtics as well. However, their up-and-down play at times might be concerning to some. That being said, when they are clicking on both ends, they're an extremely tough team to beat.
At the end of the day, the LA Lakers still have LeBron James. That should give them some hope to win it all, but it's going to take a lot to beat Denver. Nobody has been able to slow Jokic down yet, and Jamal Murray continues to play at a high level.
Denver has had some bad luck in recent years, but everything is starting to line up for them.
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