Every year, it’s the same narrative, and that’s because it’s true: The Eastern Conference is the lesser, and much weaker, conference than that of the West — this mainly due to the amount of losing teams that have managed to squeak into the playoffs over the years. With that being said, you still have your fair share of flashy teams in the East, one being the Milwaukee Bucks who also happen to be the betting favorites to win the 2019-20 Eastern Conference championship.
According to online sportsbook BetOnline, the Milwaukee Bucks are currently the favorites to win the crown of the East at +200 odds, and if they do so, it would be their first Eastern Conference championship in the history of the franchise. After the Bucks come the Philadelphia 76ers in second place at +275, while the Boston Celtics take third at +700. Coming in the fourth position are the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors at +800 odds to round out the top five for us.
Last season was simply outstanding for the Milwaukee Bucks. In the 2018-19 campaign, they would finish first in the Eastern Conference standings to land the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. Coming into this season, the oddsmakers have them repeating that feat, as well as winning the entire conference. But why? Well, with LeBron James getting older and the Golden State Warriors dynasty appearing to decline, Giannis Antetokounmpo is debatably the best player in the entire National Basketball Association — and by the way, he’s the favorite to win the NBA MVP for a second straight season as well, but we’ll save that break down for another day.
On top of that, the Milwaukee Bucks also have a lot of depth on their roster, and this despite no longer having talent such as Nikola Mirotic and Malcolm Brogdon on the team.
With that being said, the Bucks would manage to keep key pieces intact such as Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, and they would also add Wesley Matthews into the mix. With the main core last season, that they still have going into the new year, the Bucks would be ranked top on the list for point differential in the league. Not just that, but Milwaukee’s defense was absolutely brilliant, only allowing opposition to hit 43.3% of their shots against them.
The Milwaukee Bucks were in a perfect position to win the Eastern Conference last season, and everything was looking well for them to get into the NBA Finals, that was until they faced off against Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors — even then, they wouldn’t have any problems until Game 3. With that being said, here in the season, the Bucks no longer have to worry about Leonard and the NBA championship Raptors team, making them the top choice as far as the betting favorite is concerned to win the Eastern Conference.
When you look at the main contenders to win the Eastern Conference over the Milwaukee Bucks, the top two teams certainly have to be the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics, and both would reshape themselves in the offseason. As far as their odds are concerned, the 76ers are placed at +275 to take the East, with the Celtics behind them at +700.
With the Philadelphia 76ers, they would take a bit of a hit to their roster in the form of losing Jimmy Butler in a sign-and-trade to the Miami Heat, but the recovery was quite successful. In return for Butler, they would acquire Josh Richardson, an excellent three-point shooter who they could also use to defend perimeter pieces to allow Al Horford to play at the center position with full effectiveness. This would also allow Philadelphia to have a solid back-up for Joel Embiid just in case injury happens to take him out again. Horford is both effective as a starter and a safety net as a back-up with a player like Richardson on the team.
Richardson was definitely a good get, probably more than most realize. The reason is because of them losing JJ Redick in the offseason, that would definitely be a big loss to their three-point shooting. With that being said though, there’s still massive talent on the Philadelphia 76ers. If they can sustain their health and Ben Simmons improves his shooting a bit, Philly is going to be lethal come playoff time. After all, this is the same team (well, kind of) that nearly beat the future NBA champion Toronto Raptors in the playoffs, losing to them in seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
As far as the Boston Celtics are concerned, they are going to be an interesting team to pay attention to this season because of them beginning the post-Kyrie Irving era. And it’s not just because they won’t have Irving on the roster, but it’s because they won’t have him to cast a dark shadow over the team either — it may be more of a gain than a loss for the C’s. Boston would also lose Al Horford to the previously-mentioned Philadelphia 76ers, but not all was bad in Beantown. They would have the luxury of getting a solid piece in Kemba Walker from the Charlotte Hornets in free agency, and with as much losing as he experienced in North Carolina and kept it moving like a champ, he has exactly the attitude that the Boston Celtics want.
I don’t really see the Celtics being a serious threat to take away the Eastern Conference away from the Milwaukee Bucks. If pieces such as Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown can really step it up this season, maybe, but even then, it’s a bit of a stretch.
In the 2017-18 NBA Playoffs, the Boston Celtics would manage a run all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, and this without Kyrie Irving because of him being out due to an injury. However, both Tatum and Brown would have a bit of a decline last season, and we obviously all know what happened with Irving, and the Celtics would get bounced in the conference semifinals in a quick five games to the Milwaukee Bucks. Now with Irving gone, you have to wonder if Tatum and Brown can return to their level of play with Kemba Walker. If so, they might be a solid team to make an investment into this season. Still though, I personally don’t see it.
Overall though, the Boston Celtics should be a better team this season, and that’s because head coach Brad Stevens is going to try and get Tatum and Brown back into routine in the lineup. However, if he fails to do so, it come be another struggle in Boston.
Let’s break down the top favorites to win the 2019-20 Eastern Conference championship a little further, review their betting odds, and afterwards, I’ll be giving you my prediction (and long shot pick) to win the East. After you read and get your advice from me, you can then place your bet(s) over at one of the top NBA betting sites.
For the Milwaukee Bucks this season, it’s absolutely NBA Finals or bust. Who there’s closest competition? An inconsistent Philadelphia 76ers? A weakened Boston Celtics? An injured Brooklyn Nets? The Indiana Pacers? Please. It’s a weak Eastern Conference and an easy road to the Finals. And on top of that, they’re a thoroughbred contender for the championship. There’s no reason why they shouldn’t be in this season’s NBA Finals. On top of that, it seems to be that we’ve shifted from the big three era to the dynamic duo era over the past couple of years, and the Bucks have that with MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. All of the tools are there, all of the planets are aligned, the Milwaukee Bucks should be your Eastern Conference champions this season. If not, the 2019-20 campaign will be nothing more than an utter disappointment.
Despite not winning the championship, the Philadelphia 76ers’ 2018-19 season was a successful one. Like I’ve already mentioned, this team nearly took out the Toronto Raptors in last year’s playoffs. If Kawhi Leonard wouldn’t have hit that last-second jumper, we may have very well had a completely different result in the postseason, and with the Sixers on top of things and into the Eastern Conference Finals. With all of that being said, the high expectations are still there for Philadelphia to do something this year, like win. If not, there could be some major changes within the organization. Things haven’t started off well either with them losing both Jimmy Butler and J.J. Redick in the offseason, which is going to cause a level-sized decline with this team. With that being said, how do you take this team to take the East away from the Milwaukee Bucks? I’m not seeing it, but I am seeing possible controversy out of Philly, and maybe a few boo-birds making an appearance in the “City of Brotherly Love.” Maybe.
They may have lost Kyrie Irving and Al Horford, but they still have a pretty considerably deep team. I’d say at worst, this year’s Boston Celtics could be bounced out in the first round of the playoffs, while I say the highest that they could go is to the Eastern Conference Finals. But again, it just all depends on how Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown do this season. If they can make it back to the Finals, the Celtics might have something for the future. If not, Boston is really going to have to focus on bringing in that big free agent, and bigger than Kemba Walker. For the most part though, I look for the C’s to have a solid season with about 52, 53, 54, maybe 55 wins if things go really well, placing in third behind the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers. With no Kyrie to worry about, expect better team chemistry from Boston this season, but they’ll have to get over their biggest weakness in my eyes: The lack of size. They’ll struggle against the bigger teams this season.
Last season was a pretty mediocre one for the Miami Heat, but that was covered up by Dwyane Wade’s retirement tour. But that’s the thing: Dwyane Wade is gone, the era is now officially over. On top of that, they would also lose Josh Richardson to the Philadelphia 76ers, but would grab one of the NBA’s young stars in Jimmy Butler to start a new era of Miami Heat basketball. Now I’m not saying the core of Butler, Goran Dragic, and Justise Winslow is good enough to win the Eastern Conference championship or anything, but an improved Miami squad could put them in position to do so. Just hear me out here: We all remember who the ownership of the Heat is, right? Mickey Arison, the Chairman of Carnival Corporation & plc and an owner of a basketball team who is willing to spend money to win championships. Who is running their show as far as basketball operations is concerned? Pat Riley, someone who has brought in headline players to the franchise such as Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh to win three championships. Look for the Miami Heat to add pieces as the trade deadline nears (they already tried to bring in Chris Paul recently), but take advantage of those profitable +1400 odds before they do so. They’ll certainly go up if they make a big move.
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