Almost a week into the NBA playoffs and several series around the league are starting to heat up.
The short-handed Lakers have a 2-0 lead, despite being big underdogs against the Rockets. The heavily favored Spurs are tied 1-1 in their series against the Blazers, as the status of Spurs’ star Victor Wembanyama is in question following a concussion.
Those are not the only upsets brewing out West, as the 6-seed Timberwolves have a 2-1 lead as they look to eliminate the Nuggets for the second time in three years.
But where I want to focus is the Eastern Conference.
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The 7-seed 76ers won Game 2 against the Celtics as 14-point underdogs to even the series at 1-1, but there is another potential upset perhaps lurking in the East as well.
The Magic came into this season picked by some to make the NBA Finals. Trading four first-round picks for guard Desmond Bane last June had many thinking the Magic would have the ability to play deep into this June.
Through the 82-game regular season, those lofty expectations were not met, as the Magic floundered to an underwhelming 45-37 record and lost their first play-in game to the 76ers.
But after thrashing the Hornets to earn the 8-seed, the Magic upset the 1-seed Pistons in Game 1 of the playoffs, before dropping Game 2. The Magic are currently 55-1 to win the East. They are tied 1-1 in their series with the Pistons, a 1-8 series that doesn’t look like a typical 1-8 (see Suns vs. Thunder, for an example).
Prior to the season, the Magic had an Over/Under season win expectation of 51.5 in the betting market, while the Pistons were around 46.5.
Sure, we have a full season of games that show the Pistons to be the superior team, but now, less than ever, does the NBA regular season seem to resemble the postseason.
The Magic are only 2.5-point underdogs to the Pistons for Game 3 on Saturday, an indication that very little separates these teams in terms of talent. If the Magic were able to get by the Pistons in this series, they would then take on the winner of the Cavaliers-Raptors series.
The path to making the conference finals for the Magic is still an unlikely one. After all, there’s a reason they’re 55-1. However, if they were able to get that far, hedging by betting against them could ensure a nice profit if that opportunity presents itself.
Three years ago, the Heat shook off a play-in loss and had to rally to win their final play-in game just to qualify for the playoffs. That team pulled off a string of upsets and found itself in the NBA Finals a couple of months later after underachieving during the regular season.
At 55-1 odds, it’s worth even just a small bet that, three years later, another team from Florida can come out of nowhere and make a deep postseason run.
PICK: Orlando Magic (+5500) to win Eastern Conference
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