It no secret that the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets are currently viewed as the two best teams in the NBA. In the Eastern Conference, the Celtics have long since run away with the top seed in the Conference. They have been great offensively and defensively, have dominated at home, and now are just waiting to see who the #8 seed will be in the East. As of this writing, the Nuggets are the 2nd seed in the West, at 0.5 games out. However, they’ve also been dominant at home, have the overwhelming favorite for the MVP, and of course, are the reigning champions. Despite the Thunder having a great season and currently are the top seed, not many seem to think they can beat Denver 4 times in a 7-game series.
There’s a sense of inevitably to the whole thing. As if it’s a race to lose to these two teams in the playoffs. So it’s natural to begin wondering what team, if any team, can beat either of these two teams. The LA Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks have the best odds after these two teams to reach the NBA Finals. The Bucks have the championship pedigree with their NBA Finals win in 2021, and both teams made substantial upgrades to their teams in order to compete. The Heat have always been frisky and seem to be better in the playoffs than the regular season. Of course, they beat the Celtics in a memorable 7-game series last year to reach the NBA Finals, where they lost to Denver. If there’s going to be an upset, it’s more likely to come from the West than the East. This is not an indictment on the Nuggets. It’s an acknowledgement that the West is a lot better than the East. Injuries have derailed some seasons in the East, like the Knicks and 76ers. The West has many good teams. The Thunder, Clippers, Suns, Mavericks, Warriors, and Suns are all capable of winning multiple playoff series if things go their way.
At the end of the day, the Celtics and Nuggets are the two teams to beat right now. Whether it can be done remains to be seen, but that’s what makes sports so entertaining and captivating!