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The Boston Celtics have seemingly gone from sure-fire contenders for the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference, to legitimate competition for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017-18. This, of course, is thanks to the team’s recent signing of former Utah Jazz star forward Gordon Hayward, which should instantly bolster their starting lineup.
After agreeing to terms with Hayward, the Celtics have not only improved as favorites to potentially win the 2018 NBA Championship, but also to win the Eastern Conference as well. Let’s take a look at the updated odds from Vegas Insider on NBA Championship Odds after Hayward’s signing, while also breaking down how the move by the Celtics impacted the odds of the rest of the league also.
The current odds will be listed first, with the odds before Hayward’s signing after in parenthesis.
2018 NBA Championship Odds
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- Golden State Warriors: -170 (-170)
- Cleveland Cavaliers: +500 (+450)
- Boston Celtics: +750 (+1000)
- Houston Rockets: +1000 (+1000)
- San Antonio Spurs: +1000 (+1000)
- Minnesota Timberwolves: +3300 (+3300)
- Oklahoma City Thunder: +4000 (+4000)
- Washington Wizards: +4000 (+4000)
- Milwaukee Bucks: +5000 (+5000)
- Toronto Raptors: +5000 (+5000)
- Utah Jazz: +6600 (+4000)
- New Orleans Pelicans: +6600 (+6600)
- Philadelphia 76ers: +8000 (+8000)
- Denver Nuggets: +10000 (+10000)
- Los Angeles Clippers:+10000 (+10000)
- Los Angeles Lakers:+10000 (+10000)
- Memphis Grizzlies:+10000 (+10000)
- Miami Heat: +10000 (+10000)
- Orlando Magic: +10000 (+10000)
- Charlotte Hornets: +12500 (+12500)
- Portland Trail Blazers: +12500 (+12500)
- Dallas Mavericks: +15000 (+15000)
- Detroit Pistons: +15000 (+15000)
- New York Knicks: +15000 (+15000)
- Atlanta Hawks: +20000 (+20000)
- Indiana Pacers: +20000 (+20000)
- Chicago Bulls: +25000(+25000)
- Phoenix Suns: +50000(+50000)
- Sacramento Kings: +50000 (+50000)
- Brooklyn Nets: +75000 (+75000)
The biggest changes are obviously to the Celtics and Jazz, as Boston moved up quite a bit in terms of their odds, while the Jazz fell a fair amount. The rest of the Western Conference wasn’t affected, while the Cavaliers odds changed just a bit, and they’re no longer as big of favorites as before. The most surprising part may be that the rest of the top teams in the East didn’t see their odds change, yet at least.
You’d imagine that with the Celtics improving and becoming one of the biggest threats to the Cavaliers, that it would result in the other teams in the Eastern Conference seeing a change in odds. Let’s take a look at how the Eastern Conference odds were impacted by Hayward’s move, also via Vegas Insider.
2018 Eastern Conference Title Odds
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- Cleveland Cavaliers: -140 (-150)
- Boston Celtics: +275 (+350)
- Washington Wizards: +1000 (+1000)
- Milwaukee Bucks: +1400 (+1400)
- Toronto Raptors: +1400 (+1400)
- Philadelphia 76ers: +2500 (+2500)
- Orlando Magic: +3300 (+3300)
- Miami Heat: +4000 (+4000)
- New York Knicks: +5000 (+5000)
- Detroit Pistons: +5000 (+5000)
- Charlotte Hornets: +5000 (+5000)
- Indiana Pacers: +6600 (+6600)
- Atlanta Hawks: +8000 (+8000)
- Chicago Bulls: +10000 (+10000)
- Brooklyn Nets: +25000 (+25000)
Again, it’s really surprising that teams like the Wizards, Bucks, Raptors, 76ers, Magic and Heat didn’t see their odds change even slightly. While the 76ers have an impressive roster after this offseason, and the rest of the teams are certainly contenders to be in the top half of the East when the playoffs begin, they are each in a distant third behind the Cavaliers and Celtics.
So, while Hayward’s impact was felt by both the Celtics, Cavaliers and Jazz, it seems that those are the only teams who are seeing a change in the odds. There’s still plenty of free agent signings and moves to be made over the coming months, so it’ll be interesting to monitor how things change as the season draws closer.
For now, though, Hayward’s signing only resulted in a very nice boost to the Celtics and a brutal drop to the Jazz.
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NBA Championship Odds 2018: Gordon Hayward’s Impact on the Celtics