As we near the start of the NBA regular season and more odds are released, veteran bettors start to line up their futures bets in accordance.
While the NBA Championship props and win totals have their obvious appeal, there are some very intriguing, more specific bets on the board.
As of now, you can bet what will be the conference finals matchup on each side of the bracket.
This is, obviously, a very tricky wager to nail.
While picking an award winner or champion is simply narrowing down your list of favorites to one, this specific bet asks bettors to choose which four teams will be the semifinalists for the NBA title.
The 2021 NBA postseason was especially unpredictable, with injuries seemingly playing a larger hand than usual in the result.
The Eastern Conference finalists were the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Milwaukee Bucks and the upstart Atlanta Hawks with star point guard Trae Young.
In the Western Conference, the Phoenix Suns' surprise season landed them a conference final matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers, who managed to get there despite a major injury to former NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.
For the 2021-22 season, it appears that some sportsbooks don't have much confidence in a repeat matchup in either conference.
It is tough to disagree with the sportsbooks on this, as last postseason would've likely had a much different outcome with all teams at full strength.
DraftKings has released the latest odds for the conference finalists in the East and West. At a glance, there are a few things that stand out.
First, Brooklyn appears to be a lock to make the Eastern Conference Finals judging by the numbers.
The Nets appear in all five of the Eastern Conference Finals matchups with the best odds of hitting.
Whether or not Brooklyn can get a full season together from the star-studded trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, their excellent depth and coaching give them a head-and-shoulders advantage over the competition.
In the Western Conference, it looks like the Golden State Warriors are getting a ton of respect despite the uncertain nature of Klay Thompson's return and their roster chock-full of young players.
Golden State appears twice in the top five Western Conference finalists pairings.
Below we list the top-five (best odds) conference finalists pairings from DraftKings along with a couple of notable long shots.
2021-2022 Eastern Conference Finalists Odds (via DraftKings)
| Conference Finals Matchup | Odds |
|---|---|
| Brooklyn Nets vs. Milwaukee Bucks | +290 |
| Brooklyn Nets vs. Philadelphia 76ers | +700 |
| Brooklyn Nets vs. Miami Heat | +850 |
| Brooklyn Nets vs. Atlanta Hawks | +1300 |
| Boston Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets | +1300 |
Most Intriguing Longshot: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Atlanta Hawks (+2500)
2021-2022 Western Conference Finalists Odds (via DraftKings)
| Conference Finals Matchup | Odds |
|---|---|
| Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers | +700 |
| Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns | +1100 |
| Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers | +1200 |
| Utah Jazz vs. Phoenix Suns | +1400 |
| Utah Jazz vs. Golden State Warriors | +1500 |
Most Intriguing Longshot: Golden State Warriors vs. Dallas Mavericks (+3000)
Full NBA Conference Finalists Matchup Odds can be found here.
