Should the Sixers Have Better Odds to Win the NBA Finals, Compared to West Teams? Part II

In last week’s article, we looked at the four Eastern Conference teams with better odds to win the NBA Finals than the Sixers.

This week we will be discussing how the Sixers stack up odds-wise with the teams in the Western Conference with better odds than them.

A quick update, at the time of writing last week, the Sixers had the 10^th best odds to win the Finals, with there being five Western Conference teams ahead of them. Those odds have since shifted, and the Sixers are now tied for the 6^th best odds to win, moving ahead of both the Denver Nuggets and the Dallas Mavericks, who each sit at nine and 10, respectively.

Without tooting any horns, the article had originally planned to discuss how the Sixers should have had better odds than both of those teams, but they will be omitted from the article since they now do.

That being said, let’s now look at the other three teams in the Western Conference with better odds than the Sixers.

Golden State Warriors

Simply put, this does not make any sense. Along with the Miami Heat, the Sixers are currently tied with the Warriors for the 6^th best odds to win the NBA Finals. The Warriors’ dynasty is long over, and while they may make the playoffs this year, there is no way they should be ranked as high as they are in terms of a championship favorite. They have just lost Klay Thompson for the entire season for the second year in a row. Steph Curry is perpetually injured and misses time every year. Draymond Green has never been a true offensive threat and has also battled injuries the last few seasons.

Do oddsmakers think Andrew Wiggins can carry a team with no bench to a championship?

If, and that is substantial, Steph and Draymond can stay healthy, the Warriors should make it to the playoffs. But when you stack this Warriors team up to the rest of the incredibly deep Western Conference, there is no way they should be ranked as high as they are, and there is no way they should be ranked in a tie with the 76ers.

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers also sit in a tie for the third-best odds to win the NBA Championship with the Milwaukee Bucks. This is certainly understandable as the Clippers were thought to be the favorite to win the NBA Championship last year. While there were some notable losses, such as head coach Doc Rivers and Montrezl Harrell, they have added the veteran Serge Ibaka to bolster their forward position and promoted Ty Lue, their assistant coach from last year, to the head coaching position.

Trying to handle the ups and downs of Paul George’s play, as well as Kawhi Leonard’s rest, has been the Clippers’ biggest struggle thus far. Still, with a season of chemistry building under their belt, the Clippers should be in a better position to fulfill the expectations placed on them last year. It makes sense why they have better odds than the Sixers due to the immense turnover in the Sixers’ organization compared to their own.

Los Angeles Lakers

Another understandable selection to be above the Sixers in terms of their odds to win is repeat as NBA Finals Champion. The Lakers should have the best odds to win the NBA Finals, and they do. Seeing as the team has had a minimal turnover with their roster from last season to this one, actually improving with the aforementioned Montrezl Harrell’s addition, there is no reason why the reigning NBA Champion shouldn’t be above the field.

Now while there is no argument for the Sixers to have better odds than the Lakers, it should be said that this Sixers team matches up very well with the Lakers on the court. It would not be surprising to see the Sixers meet the Lakers in the Finals if this season pans out how we all think it could.