National Basketball Association

NBA odds: Eastern Conference futures for the season's final stretch

Published Mar. 8, 2022 2:58 p.m. ET

With less than five weeks remaining in the NBA season, Eastern Conference futures bettors are getting anxious as only eight-and-a-half games separate the top seven teams (for comparison’s sake, in the Western Conference the Phoenix Suns lead the second-place Golden State Warriors by eight games).

As the jockeying for playoff positioning intensifies, there are a slew of storylines to consider when wagering on Eastern Conference futures. Will the top-seeded Miami Heat jump up a level now that Victor Oladipo made his season debut? Can the mentally-tested Boston Celtics continue their remarkable turnaround with a deep playoff run? Or will the newly-formed dynamic-duo of James Harden and Joel Embiid lead the Philadelphia 76ers to the promised land?

As we know, odds move very quickly in the Association. So let's dive into the updated Eastern Conference Championship odds as we head into the final stretch of the season (with all odds via FOX Bet).

ODDS TO WIN 2022 EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP*

*Odds as of 3/8/2022

A few tidbits:

Bucks should be favored to win the East; they check all the boxes — Colin Cowherd

Fox Bet has the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks as favorites to win the Eastern Conference this season. Colin Cowherd and Jason McIntyre discuss which team is the best bet to win.

— FOX Sport's Colin Cowherd believes the Bucks (+320) are the team to beat in the East.

"Milwaukee should be favored. I think Milwaukee faces Philadelphia [in the Eastern Conference Finals] and probably beats them in seven games because they have three guys that can take the shot in Giannis, Kris Middleton and Jrue Holiday.

They have great chemistry, they have a championship-winning coach, they have playoff experience and they've been through these runs multiple years. Not only did they win last year, but three or four years in a row they've been through this run. They check all the boxes."

— As for the Philadelphia 76ers (+300), Cowherd thinks they have the best big and wing closers in the game but lack a third scorer with the loss of Seth Curry.

"In Harden and Embiid, [Doc Rivers] has the best big, and arguably the best guard, if I need a bucket," he says. "They lose to Milwaukee in a long series based on they need one more scorer, one more shooter on the wing."

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— The Miami Heat (+500) are currently in first place in the East standings, yet they trail three teams in the odds. With the returns of Kyle Lowry and Victor Oladipo, they are almost at full strength for the first time all season. However, on "The Herd" Cowherd highlighted another pair of Miami players, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.

"They got Finals experience and playoff experience. They're both very good defensively. Bam's a great defensive player with a lot of length, so they're going to give you the defensive-end stuff…" he said.

But, he does find limitations with the pair. He continued, "The knock on them is offensively. I never looked at Bam as a get-a-bucket guy, and Jimmy's a greater athlete and defender than he is a pure scorer."

— The Chicago Bulls (+1400) are in a slump, losing five straight and dropping to fourth in the East after spending much of the season near the top of the standings. With the scorching-hot Boston Celtics on their heels, the impending returns of Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso and Patrick Williams couldn't come any faster if they hope to retain home-court advantage in the first round. If they regain their early-season form, the Bulls can be a great value bet to make.

So who are you throwing some money on to win the East? With the race heating up, head on over to FOX Bet and make your pick!

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