Boston finally showcased its championship pedigree on the road against New York, while Oklahoma City was able to even its series with the Denver Nuggets at two games apiece.
Heading into the May 10 and 11 slate of NBA postseason games, those around the sport were wondering if two of the league’s most prominent Finals contenders this season would be left on the outside looking in, having gone down early in each second round series.
The reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics, coming off back-to-back losses at home against the New York Knicks to go down 2-0, rebounded with a 22-point victory on May 10, easing the concerns of many around the Boston area. New York had used consecutive fourth quarter comebacks to shock the Celtics on its home floor, leading sportsbooks to wonder if the Knicks should be favored for the remainder of the second round matchup.
Most still showed confidence toward Boston, with the Knicks only gaining odds of -115 or slightly worse to upset the Celtics and end the franchise’s quest for two straight titles. Operators appeared to have been correct in this thinking, as New York failed to remain competitive throughout the entire matchup, which helped to showcase how Boston has remained so dominant for nearly two years running.
While the Celtics would still like to see more out of its superstar pairing of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the team’s series with New York is proving how easily Boston can find victories even without both playing to their highest potential. On FanDuel, the Celtics now hold odds of -295 to advance onto the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time in four seasons, while the Knicks are back to being seen as heavy underdogs at +240.
Bettors should still remember New York holds a 2-1 series advantage prior to the game three matchup set for May 12, as the +240 odds could be the most favorable users witness prior to the Knicks possibly going up 3-1 with a victory on its home floor. If the underdog Knicks are able to win game three at Madison Square Garden, the Celtics would need three consecutive victories to keep its Playoff hopes alive, close to guaranteeing New York would not be listed below +240 for the remainder of the series.
With point guard Jalen Brunson standing as perhaps the best clutch player in the NBA, the Knicks need to keep the score close until Brunson can take over in the fourth quarter, something he has successfully exemplified throughout the season. If forwards Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby can continue playing to the standard seen in games one or two, Boston will struggle mightily to defeat the Knicks in anything less than seven games, which carries odds of +164 on FanDuel at the time of writing.
Over in the Western conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder rebounded from going down 2-1 in its series with the Denver Nuggets to even the matchup at two games apiece before heading back to Oklahoma City on May 13 for game four. Denver has used late-game magic from the likes of Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon to remain competitive with the one-seed Thunder, which still carry odds of -620 to come out ahead of the Nuggets according to FanDuel. Oklahoma City, still relatively inexperienced in the postseason despite generating a record of 68-14 throughout the regular season, have been seen as the leading Finals contenders by sportsbooks for much of 2024-2025, even ahead of Boston at times despite the Celtics’ recent title win.
Assuming the Thunder can take care of business at home or find an additional victory in Denver for game six, the Nuggets just don’t have the rotation necessary to compete with a roster such as Oklahoma City’s. Featuring six players that can be trusted at any given time, Denver has little reinforcements for the plethora of talent the Thunder can throw out at any given time, even outside of Oklahoma City’s “big three” in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.
For franchises on the brink of elimination, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors must be feeling the pressure, having gone down 3-1 and 2-1, respectively, in its second round matchups with the Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves. Cleveland going out this early would be quite the shock, but the franchise has had to watch stars such as Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley all struggle through injury in the four games played up to this point.
At +260 to comeback from 3-1 down, it’s more likely the Cavaliers may have seen its peak during the regular season, in which first-year head coach Kenny Atkinson was able to lead the team to a 64-18 record and the one-seed in the Eastern conference. With Mitchell, Garland, Mobley and trade deadline acquisition DeAndre Hunter all nursing injuries, the Pacers should feel quite confident in its ability to close out the series and cash odds of -320 on FanDuel to defeat Cleveland and advance to a second straight Eastern Conference Finals.
