The Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics to win the 2022 NBA championship, and DraftKings listed the Warriors and Celtics as two of four co-favorites to win the 2023 title at +600 odds. The Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers are also +600 odds to win the 2023 championship.
The Warriors will try to be the first team to win back-to-back championships since they did it back in 2017 and 2018. It will be a tough task, especially with Kawhi Leonard returning to the LA Clippers after missing the entire season while recovering from ACL surgery.
| 2023 NBA CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS – TOP 18 |
| 6/17/2022 | 5/19/2022 | |
| Golden State Warriors | +600 | +550 |
| LA Clippers | +600 | +600 |
| Boston Celtics | +600 | +600 |
| Brooklyn Nets | +600 | +500 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | +750 | +700 |
| Phoenix Suns | +900 | +700 |
| Miami Heat | +1400 | +1100 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | +1400 | +1400 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | +1400 | +1500 |
| Denver Nuggets | +1500 | +1700 |
| Dallas Mavs | +1500 | +1400 |
| LA Lakers | +2000 | +2200 |
| Utah Jazz | +4000 | +4000 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | +4000 | +4500 |
| Chicago Bulls | +5500 | +5000 |
| Toronto Raptors | +5500 | +5000 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | +5500 | +5500 |
| Atlanta Hawks | +8000 | +8000 |
The Brooklyn Nets had a rough season which ended with a first-round sweep by the Boston Celtics. Yet once again, they’re a popular pick at +600 odds by the public who think that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving can win a title next season along with Ben Simmons.
Repeat Titles Since 2000: Warriors, Heat, Lakers
Since the turn of the century, the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, and Warriors were the only teams to win consecutive titles. The Lakers rattled off three in a row with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant in 2000, 2001, and 2002. They Lakers also won back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010 for the fifth title inside an 11-year stretch. LeBron James and the Miam Heat won back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013.
The Warriors advanced to the NBA Finals five times between 2015 and 2019, but only won three titles with back-to-back wins in 2017 and 2018 with Kevin Durant on the squad.
In the 1990s, the Chicago Bulls cemented their dynasty with six championships with Michael Jordan. Da Bulls completed two three-peats between 1991-93 and 1996-98. The 1998 championship season was chronicled in the popular documentary series “The Last Dance.”
If the Warriors expect to make another championship run in 2023 at +600 odds, all their key players will have to remain healthy especially Curry and Thompson. At this point, the current Warriors dynasty snagged four titles within eight seasons, but they also had two runner-up finishes in that stretch.
Celtics: Runner-Up to Champion?
The Celtics missed their chance at winning a title when they allowed Curry to drop 43 points against them in Game 4, and then blew a shot at taking the lead when Curry had a terrible performance in Game 5. It’s going to be a long offseason for members of the Celtics, especially Jayson Tatum after his disappearing act in the fourth quarter of Game 6. But at least the Celtics will have something to build upon and drive them to be even better next season.
However, sometimes a team must lose in the NBA Finals before they bounce back and win the title in the next season. iI that’s the case, then back the Celtics to win the 2023 championship at +600 odds.
The last time the Celtics won a title, they beat the Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals, but the Lakers won in 2009 and again in 2010. In 2011, LeBron and the Heat lost to the Dallas Mavs, but the Heat won the title in 2012.
In 2013, the San Antonio Spurs lost to the Heat, but Pops and the Spurs won the title in 2014.
LeBron and Cleveland Cavs lost the title to the Warriors in 2015, yet won the championship in 2016. The Warriors lost to the Cavs in 2016, yet bounced back with a win in 2017.
You can go back to the 1980s, where a couple of runner-ups won the next season. It happened with the Philadelphia 76ers losing to the Lakers in the 1982 NBA Finals, but they finally prevailed in 1983. The infamous Showtime Lakers lost to the Celtics in 1984, yet got revenge in 1985. The Celtics were the runner-up in the 1985 NBA Finals, yet Larry Bird and company another title in 1986.
The Bad Boy Detroit Pistons lost to the Lakers in the 1988 NBA Finals, but then prevailed in 1989.
2023 NBA Long Shots
A dozen teams are long shots to win the 2023 NBA championship, according to DraftKings’ latest odds update. The Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte Hornets, and Cleveland Cavs are the best of the so-called dirty dozen at +10000 odds to win the title.
The Cavs were one of the surprise teams last season, but they faltered down the stretch due to numerous injuries to key players including their backcourt. The Cavs and Hornets failed to lock up the #8 seed in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament, but both teams have their eye on a legit playoff berth next season. The Hornets recently hired Kenny Atkinson, who spent this season as an assistant coach under Steve Kerr with the eventual champion Warriors.
| 2023 NBA CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS |
| 6/17/2022 | 5/19/2022 | |
| Portland Trail Blazers | +10000 | +8000 |
| Charlotte Hornets | +10000 | +10000 |
| Cleveland Cavs | +10000 | +10000 |
| New York Knicks | +20000 | +20000 |
| San Antiono Spurs | +30000 | +250000 |
| Washington Wizards | +30000 | +25000 |
| Indiana Pacers | +50000 | +30000 |
| Detroit Pistons | +70000 | +50000 |
| Sacramento Kings | +80000 | +50000 |
| OKC Thunder | +100000 | +100000 |
| Orlando Magic | +200000 | +100000 |
| Houston Rockets | +200000 | +100000 |
The Sacramento Kings hired Mike Brown as their next head coach. Brown was also an assistant coach with the Warriors, and the Kings hope his championship luck can rub off on them as they seek their first trip to the playoffs since 2006.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have the #2 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, and they also have the #12 pick. They’re still a couple of high-end veterans away from making a legit title run, but they should be fun to watch next season.