NBA Futures at the All-Star Break: Brooklyn Remains a Baffling Favourite
Question: Why are the Brooklyn Nets favoured to win the NBA championship?
Answer: We have no idea.
The futures odds on winning the NBA championship are baffling. Just slap your forehead silly. Jaw dropping.
THE ODDS
Spreads.ca lists the Brooklyn Nets as co-favourites to win. Let that sink in for a minute.
Who in their right mind would be betting on the mediocre Brooklyn Nets at this point to win the 2021-22 NBA championship? Have these Nets backers been watching any basketball this season?
Here's at look at the futures odds at Spreads.ca:
THE RECORD SHOWS
The Nets are 31-28 at the All-Star break. They're seeded 8th in the Eastern Conference. Eighth! There are fourteen NBA teams with better records than Brooklyn. Oh, and the Nets have a losing home record, at 13-15.
Does this sound like a team that should be favoured (along with Golden State) to win the title?
We all know New York and Los Angeles teams are perpetually overrated in every sport. Just look at baseball, where – assuming there's a season – the Yankees and Mets are both in the top 4 on futures odds. Fact is, New York sports teams are usually a great fade. The market always overvalues them, in every sport.
But this is a different level of insanity.
EXCUSES
Brooklyn-backers will point out the Nets have suffered several key injuries this season. So what? That's part of the game. And since this team is so fragile, does that inspire confidence the rest of the season and during the playoffs? Brooklyn has failed to keep things together, and have even lost some big pieces of the team that were supposed to bring the championship to Brooklyn. This team doesn't look like a contender. They look like a mess.
Of course, the path to the NBA finals will be much easier in the East. Milwaukee (36-24, 5th in the East), as the defending champion, should be an obstacle, but hasn't exactly been impressive during the regular season. Miami holds the top spot at the moment. But there are legitimate concerns if the Heat are really a top-5 team in the NBA.
Golden State, Phoenix, Memphis and Utah are all better teams than Brooklyn right now. Unfortunately, only one of them will break through and reach the finals. So, that might explain the baffling odds on Brooklyn, in part.
We'll just stop and leave this here. It's from NBA.com, and ranks Brooklyn 17th in the current power rankings:
