As every year, several favorites emerge for the title of NBA 2024 champion. The war will be intense and probably indecisive right to the end of the competition. All American basketball fans dream of a Game 7 to award the ultimate trophy. While it’s impossible to determine exactly what the scenario will be for the NBA Finals 2024, we can predict which teams will be able to make it all the way to the top. Here are our predictions based on our experience and bookmaker odds.
Boston Celtics in pole position for NBA 2024 championship
Unlucky finalists in the 2022 playoffs and eliminated at the Eastern Conference Finals stage in 2023, the Boston Celtics have impressed everyone. And it’s all thanks to their team spirit and defense. In the 2023-2024 regular season, they finished with by far the best record in the league, with 64 wins and 18 losses. The Celtics will thus have home-court advantage throughout the 2024 NBA playoffs. Their leader, Jayson Tatum, is an NBA superstar. He already has five All-Star Game selections, and that’s not likely to stop there. Alongside him, Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday form an elite backline. And let’s not forget the recruitment of Kristaps Porzingis at wing-back. In the hunt for the 2024 NBA championship, the Boston Celtics are the bookmakers’ number 1 favorites.
Minnesota Timberwolves NBA favorites in the Western Conference?
In the Western Conference, the Minnesota Timberwolves are now considered NBA Finals 2024 favorites. Eliminated last year in the first round of the playoffs by the eventual NBA champion team, the Minneapolis-based franchise boasts a high-quality roster. Alongside superstar Anthony Edwards, Karl Anthony-Towns and Rudy Gobert are valuable assets in the paint. Especially defensively! We can also mention the importance of veteran point guard Mike Conley and Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid! After a season of learning together, the Timberwolves’ collective has become very good. The strengths are rather balanced in terms of playing positions.
The Denver Nuggets on their way to their own succession?
The Denver Nuggets are quite simply the reigning NBA champions! Centered around Nikola Jokic, the squad led by Michael Malone presented a strong collective game to land the Holy Grail. In 2023-2024, the Colorado-based franchise will put its title back on the line. Jamal Murray and his teammates will have a target on their backs every game. They will take to the field with a slightly reshuffled squad during the off-season. Indeed, several players took advantage of the Nuggets’ magnificent run last year to secure more lucrative contracts outside Denver. Nevertheless, and most importantly, the core players are still there. The Denver Nuggets are clearly among the contenders for the 2024 NBA championship. Qualified for the conference semi-finals, they are currently being manhandled by the Minnesota Timberwolves. With their backs against the wall, MVP Jokic and Co. will have to pull off the feat of winning at least twice on the road to reach the next round.
Oklahoma City’s youth dream big!
Following an exceptional regular season, which finished in first place in the Western Conference with a record of 57 wins to 25 losses, the Thunder entered the NBA 2024 playoffs with high ambitions. Despite the very low average age of the roster, the Oklahoma City-based franchise swept aside its opponents in the first round. Runner-up to Nikola Jokic for the MVP award, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is probably the best point guard on the planet today. Intense and incredibly consistent, SGA is the leader of this no-nonsense squad. Their lack of collective playoff experience could nonetheless cost them the NBA championship this season.
The Dallas Mavericks, an underdog favorite for the NBA championship?
The Dallas Mavericks are through to the Western Conference semi-finals. Built around the All-Star duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the squad led by Jason Kidd eliminated a solid Los Angeles Clippers team in the first round. With their masters of the back line, the Texan franchise plays well together. They can turn heads! If the mission is to qualify for the conference finals, nothing is impossible in these NBA 2024 playoffs. Dallas will clearly have to be counted among the contenders.
New York Knicks, the surprise leader for the NBA 2024 title?
Last crowned NBA champions in 1973, the New York Knicks have regained their prestige. After years of not qualifying for the playoffs or being eliminated in the first round, they have just advanced to the conference semi-finals for the second year running. Although they are well on their way to the conference finals with a 2-0 lead in the series against the Indiana Pacers, it’s not certain that New York can physically make the playoffs. Indeed, Jalen Brunson and his team-mates in the major five spend an enormous amount of time on the floor. They rest very little. Coach Tom Thibodeau has reduced the number of rotations. What’s more, the Knicks’ infirmary is full to bursting (Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic won’t play again this season). OG Anunoby will also have to rest. With a limited number of players available and in full possession of their resources, it seems complicated for the New York Knicks to be crowned NBA 2024 champions. Nevertheless, a surprise is never far away.