We’ve reached the halfway point of the 2021/22 NBA season and it’s therefore a good time to assess the chances of those teams aiming for the title. Who looks set to take their place in the playoffs and who has what it takes to make it all the way to the finals series?
At the same time, which franchises are already out of the running and looking ahead to next season?
Teams at the top
In the Eastern Conference, the Atlantic, Central and Southeast Divisions are led by the Brooklyn Nets, the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat respectively. Over in the West, the Northwest, Pacific and Southwest Divisions are headed up by Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies.
There’s plenty of scope for those teams to be overtaken but, as the best performing franchises right now, they are highly fancied to progress to the postseason. According to sbo.net, the best basketball betting sites have the Brooklyn Nets listed as favorites to win their first NBA Championship.
Close behind are defending champions the Milwaukee Bucks with Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat following on. A gap in those markets then opens up before the chasing pack appears on the horizon.
There’s still plenty of basketball to be played before the curtain comes down on the current season. Throughout the remaining matches, Sbo.net will provide updates on those markets, all the way to the finals series.
Visitors to the website can also get involved by staking on the markets if they wish. Each of the operators listed here are ready to take on new customers and there are some generous welcome packages in place in return for signing up.
Ongoing promotions can be found in places while effective customer service and a choice of funding methods are among the other advantages. It’s worth checking out for anyone interested in basketball but should we be looking beyond those teams at the top?
Aiming for a late challenge
Ahead of the new NBA season, there was a lot of interest in the Golden State Warriors. The mercurial Stephen Curry returned his best ever numbers in 2020/21 and the roster was boosted by strong trades that aimed to take GSW back to their golden years.
It’s certainly been a positive start and, after 44 games of the regular season, Golden State are in second place in the Pacific West, just behind the Phoenix Suns. As we have seen, the team is among joint second favorites to win the championship, just behind market leaders the Brooklyn Nets.
Other second placed teams aiming to come through to the playoffs include the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Charlotte Hornets, the Denver Nuggets and the Dallas Mavericks.
As the Milwaukee Bucks proved to an extent in 2021, the first target is to make those playoffs. Brooklyn Nets had been the favorites to claim the pennant right through the season but it’s all about bringing your best game into the late stages of the season.
Out of the running
With just under half of the season left to play, nothing is impossible. Mathematically, all 30 franchises in the NBA still have a chance to make it through to the postseason. However, there are some teams that we can effectively rule out.
With their record of 8 and 37 from their first 45 games of the season, there’s nothing magical about the Orlando Magic this time around. It would be something of a miracle to see them progress and they are expected to be officially ruled out of the running very soon.
The other teams at the bottom of their respective divisions are Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets. They may not be as bad as Orlando Magic but the curtain will come down on their playoff chances very soon.
The Verdict
The early results tend to back up the predictions from those sportsbooks. The Brooklyn Nets are performing solidly while the Phoenix Suns have the best overall opening record of 34-9.
Meanwhile, if Stephen Curry can keep up his form at Golden State, the Warriors may be primed to bring back the glory days.