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18 ESPN NBA experts make Finals predictions and none pick Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
There are several basketball experts who are predicting the Boston Celtics to win the Eastern Conference and 2023 NBA Finals, but it’s hard to find many of those people at ESPN.
ESPN posted a predictions story Tuesday morning before the two Opening Night games, including the Celtics hosting the rival Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden.
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The story featured 18 experts making their picks for the Eastern Conference, Western Conference and NBA Finals winners.
Despite the Celtics coming within two victories of a title last season, none of the 18 experts picked Boston to win the East or NBA Finals in 2022-23. That might make for some good bulletin board material inside the C’s locker room.
Fifteen of the 18 experts predicted the Milwaukee Bucks will be crowned East champs for the second time in three seasons. Twelve of the experts picked the Bucks to win their second Larry O’Brien Trophy in three seasons.
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Milwaukee has been a popular pick to get back to the NBA Finals. It’s not hard to see why, either. Bucks superstar and two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is arguably the best player on the planet. He’s also supported by All-Star caliber players such as Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday.
The Bucks lost to the Celtics in Game 7 of the second round last season. Middleton didn’t play in the series due to injury, and many people think Milwaukee would’ve prevailed had he played. The Celtics also were shorthanded in Round 2, though. Starting center and elite defensive player Robert Williams didn’t play in the final four games of the series. The Celtics are a far better team with a healthy Williams at center.
Oddsmakers and predictive models are more bullish on the Celtics’ chances of winning Banner 18 this season. FiveThirtyEight’s model gives the Celtics a 21 percent chance to win the Finals — at least eight percent higher than any other team.
DraftKings Sportsbook has the Celtics tied with the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors for the best title odds at +600. PointsBet has the Celtics tied with the Bucks for the second-best odds at +700.
