The Pacific Division from the Western Conference blew away the NBA community last year after they dispatched the Miami Heat. The Davis and LeBron tandem, along with the solid offense and defense skills, let them survive the last NBA season. Amidst the pandemic, the NBA organization did a great job in ending last season with a bang.
Today, the 2020-21 NBA regular season is back, which opened last December 22, 2020. While last year’s edition seemed to be a year for the favorites, the story is different this season. As the NBA progresses in its 4th week, we see some dark horses sneaking out a victorious game against the solid teams?
Will this edition be the story of the NBA teams who had a long drought in the championship title? Will the LA Lakers face their greatest fear of being the current champions to a team defeated by a sleeper group? Thus, when you can bet online at FanDuel, here are the top underrated teams in the past few seasons that show dominance and can make a huge comeback today.
Phoenix Suns
In the last NBA season, the Phoenix Suns finished in the top ten best scoring NBA teams. Regardless of a no show during the first round of the postseason, the Suns are still one of the best in scoring percentage. As they worked out for the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, the Suns had already earned seven victories and four losses.
Last year, Mikal Bridges performed less since Kelly Oubre Jr. was given so much weight on the wing side. But this year, he will be part of the starting lineup, working along with Chris Paul in the offense. Aside from these players, Devin Booker has taken a huge leap in the scoring, and if he continues to shoot more, then the Suns might have the best time of their lives.
Philadelphia 76ers
In 1983, the Philadelphia 76ers got their last NBA title while the Divisional one was in 2001. The 76ers had a long way of drought, and this team had never been into the postseason playoffs since the last decade. But today, they surprisingly opened the season well as the second-best team in the Eastern Conference with eight current wins and four losses.
One of the reasons why Philly has a good start today because they got the fourth seed. Last season, they were almost on a comeback, but the rivals were mixed and matched, and they had a hard time piling up the right players. Apart from that, Danny Green has been influential in the shooting department and will come out bigger as the season continues.
Portland Trail Blazers
Terry Stotts will still serve as the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers this year following their last Divisional title in 2018. In 1977, this team got their NBA title but had a hard time coming back into the mainstream. They didn’t even get a chance to get a spot in the postseason last year.
But, the time has come for the Trail Blazers to start big this season. In fact, they have currently earned six victories and four losses, which settle as the third-best team in the Western Conference. Finishing as the top defensive team based on percentage last year, they have boosted the same strength today. Besides, their superstar player Damian Lillard finished third in last year’s MVP voting, so this could be the year for him.
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are not only bringing potions this year, but they have an entrancing lineup that has helped them go big. They currently garnered six victories and five losses and settled as the third-best team in the Eastern Conference. Like the Trail Blazers, Orlando Magic had a solid defensive lineup that can lead them to shine this season.
Aside from that, they have key players like Nikola Vucevic, which is a top scorer. Aside from him, they got Carter-William, a rookie player Cole Anthony, Birch Okeke, and Terrence Ross. All of them had gained the experience of being in the NBA stage. Although they were younger than the biggest superstars, their skills are not far away behind them.
Takeaway
Like the season, every NBA story changes each season. It is either brought by trading players from one team to the other, veteran talents who are done slacking off and would like to nail their name again, or the seeding process. Whatever the reasons may be, this NBA season is seen to be the year of the biggest sleepers.
With the top dogs listed above, the Lakers’ chance of defending a back-to-back title is still unclear. Lastly, if you are looking for teams to bet in the NBA, the groups above make the best choices.