The NBA Season is just around the corner. If you haven’t been watching preseason, I can’t really blame you. However, I will say the NBA preseason is better than most of the other major sports leagues because the starters and teams actually play a reasonable amount of time in the games, even if they don’t mean anything.
Once the games start to have meaning, we will have great betting opportunities. I looked at season-long individual awards yesterday; let’s take a shot at who will win the NBA Championship this season.
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Eastern Conference
The New York Knicks took home the crown last season, and have run back the same team. However, I am not expecting them to get back-to-back championships. We haven’t had the same winner in two straight years since the Golden State Warriors had Kevin Durant on their team. He’s been on three different teams since then. So, why not the Knicks? Winning championships is hard. I’m not taking anything away from New York, but it seemed like everything went their way last year. They beat the Hawks, then the 76ers, and finally the Cavaliers before beating San Antonio in five games. They are still the cream of the crop, but they’ve played a lot of basketball, and it does eventually catch up with you.
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Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks celebrates after winning the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs during Game Five at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on June 13, 2026. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE)
The easy choice in the East is the 76ers. They have Tyrese Maxey running point guard, Joel Embiid at center, and they won a playoff series last year. Then they went out and added Jaylen Brown and some guy named LeBron James.
Seemingly defying Father Time, James continues to be an elite player. Embiid will always be a question mark with his health. The team no longer has a great backup behind him, but you could conceivably put James at center, Brown at power forward, Edgecombe at small forward, and slip Anfernee Simons into shooting guard. Dean Wade and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are solid bench pieces as well. They are clearly the two best teams in the East, but that doesn’t mean they finish 1-2 in the regular season. Some teams just care more about it.
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) drives against Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) in the third quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 30, 2025. (Kyle Ross/Imagn Images)
I’ll take the 76ers to win at +900, because I genuinely don’t think anyone else from the East has a real shot outside of the Knicks, and I don’t see them winning two in a row.
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Western Conference
The Western Conference is also a bit of a two-horse race. The Spurs made it to the Finals last season, and they lost to the Knicks. Victor Wembanyama seemingly disappeared in that series, and they couldn’t close out games. I’m not sure that changes this season. The Spurs are deep, but unless Wemby takes another leap forward (which is more likely than not), they won’t represent the West again. The Thunder are still the deepest team in the league. They are both +270 to win the championship, and I just don’t see the value in wagering on either.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) during the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, on Dec. 25, 2025. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)
The West is better for taking a long shot. My first choice here is the Nuggets at +2500. They still have the best player in the league. Jamal Murray is one of the best heatwave scorers in the league, and now their bench, which sucked for years, is a bit deeper. They have DeMar DeRozan, who is one of the best scorers in the league. They also have Marvin Bagley III, and it seems like this team, if healthy, could be extremely tough for any team to match up with.
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I also think the Rockets are worth taking a flyer on at +5000. The team hasn’t really added anyone significant to the team via trade or free agency, but the reason I like them is that they will have an actual point guard this year. Fred VanVleet is 32 and coming off a torn ACL, but if he can play at a reasonable level, it may be the difference-maker for the Rockets. I like the depth of the bench, but I acknowledge everything would need to go right for the Rockets to win the championship.
Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) drives to the net against Toronto Raptors guard Ja’Kobe Walter (14) and guard Jamal Shead (23) during the second half at Scotiabank Arena. (John E. Sokolowski/Imagn Images)
One note on the Lakers: I know some will think they are the right pick for the West, but I don’t see it. I love Luka, and he already took the Mavericks to one Finals. However, I just don’t see this team having the defense, even with Walker Kessler, to win the championship.
Overall, I’ll take the 76ers at +900, Denver at +2500, and a small wager on the Rockets at +5000. The exact matchup option of Thunder vs. Knicks at +1300 is the favorite and kind of fun, but I still don’t love it.
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