Contenders or pretenders? Breaking down the 2025 NBA finals hopefuls
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The NBA season is in full swing, and as we approach the playoffs a question starts to emerge: who are the real contenders and who are just pretending to be in the running?
Every year, some teams look great on paper but fall apart when the pressure is on. Others might not resemble contenders at the start but get hot at the right time.
So which teams have the real shot at it in 2025? and which ones are fooling us with a strong regular season but do not have the grit and stuff once the game slows down in the postseason?
The True Contenders
They following teams have demonstrated the fundamental pieces - star players, depth quality coaching, and consistent play - to make the true contenders to advance to the NBA finals.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics are riding the high of their 18th NBA championship and continued to overpower this season. With their strong regular-season play, the Celtics already secured their playoff spot.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown continue to lead the team to victory and their bench depth is still proving to be one of the biggest strengths.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder have been the revelation of the season so far, making it to the play-in tournament and now leading the Western Conference. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's excellent performance has been the backbone of their success, and their recent win over the Celtics highlights the team's ability to contend with the best of the best.
Cleveland Cavaliers
This might be the most talented Cavaliers team ever, even comparable to the LeBron James era. With the resurgence of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley's Defensive Player of the Year-level season, and the bench depth, they are poised to make a deep playoff run.
The only question is whether they can overcome the lack of experience at the Finals level.
The Pretenders
While these teams are displaying promise, now they are experiencing challenges that may jeopardize their championship aspirations.
Los Angeles Lakers
The squad has been dealing with LeBron James's injury that has resulted in the recent series of losses against leading teams like the Celtics, Nets, Bucks, and the Nuggets.
A recent victory through Luka Doncic's masterful performance has provided the squad with the morale boost it needed. Whether the squad will sustain this performance while LeBron is away is the most critical consideration.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns have struggled with uneven play and in-house turmoil this season, including tension between Mike Budenholzer and Kevin Durant that has been reported.
Durant's recent subpar performance with 21 points in the loss to the Lakers is just another indication of the team's inability to gain cohesion and consistency.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks have been experiencing difficult times since the loss of Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. The team has had unexpected losses and serious injuries to key players like Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis. The Dallas fans are not happy with the current situation, and the franchise is not having many choices to bolster the lineup past the trade deadline.
The Wild Cards
They are able to make surprising deep playoff runs if the situation falls in their favor.
New York Knicks
The Knicks have ensured play-in tournament participation at the very least, showing competitiveness and grit. How the rest of the games play out will determine the length of their playoff run.
Betting on the NBA Playoffs
With the playoffs on the horizon, one of the things that fans love almost as much as the on-court play is betting on the game.
Whether you are the type to toss down a few bucks to make it interesting or the type to immerse yourself in the numbers, offline or online betting on NBA is as unpredictable as a Steph Curry logo three. But is it the smart move,
or just another attempt to try your hand?
Knowing the Odds
Guesswork is not e nough If you have looked at betting odds and thought to yourself, "What does +200 even represent?". Odds essentially represent the amount you would receive on your bet.
If you notice that a team is +200, placing a $100 bet would win you $200. A team that is -200 means you would need to risk $200 to gain $100.
But it is not just picking winners and losers. Wagers on the spread (by how many the team wins), props on the players (like will Jayson Tatum reach 30 points), and even futures (who wins it all) are available.
The Betting Perspective on Contenders and Pretenders
Understanding which teams are real contenders and which teams are going to flame out is where you will find the difference maker when wagering.
Take, for instance, the Boston Celtics. they have controlled the season to this point, and their championship odds reflect that. Yet what happens if you examine the Thunder? They have been up and down all season, but with Jalen Williams in full form, this could be the sleeper wager that delivers.
On the other hand, going ahead and betting on the Lakers at this juncture? Not so fast. With LeBron James dealing with injuries and the team not exactly overpowering the cream of the crop, betting on them to make it deep would be equivalent to setting your cash on fire — unless, of course, they undergo a miracle transformation.
Final Thoughts
As the 2024-2025 NBA regular season comes to its conclusion, the playoff picture is coming together with both old veterans and new players.
The Thunder and the Celtics are proving to be the forced to be reckoned with while the likes of the Warriors are peaking at the perfect moment. Others like the Mavericks, Suns, and the Lakers will have to put behind the issues both within and outside the team to revive their championship dreams.
The playoffs that follow will come with intriguing storylines and high-stakes basketball as the teams clash to claim the highly coveted NBA championship.