NBA Championship Odds Mid-Season Update: Celtics and Thunder Lead

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00:00As we near the trade deadline, as we near the all-star break, past the halfway point of this NBA season,

00:07keep an eye on those NBA championship odds.

00:10The Boston Celtics, a very short favorite in the Eastern Conference,

00:14and win their second consecutive Larry O'Brien Trophy in the offseason and the preseason early this year as well.

00:22And they've been good. They're 32-15. They've got the second-best record in the Eastern Conference,

00:28third-best overall win percentage in the NBA, or fourth-best win percentage overall in the NBA.

00:34But it's the Oklahoma City Thunder making that charge with the NBA's best record right now, 37-8,

00:41nearly catching Boston for the first time in those NBA title odds.

00:46Only 10 cents separates the Seas and the Thunder.

00:50Yeah, the one thing that you have to understand is motivation for the Boston Celtics.

00:54Now, should they give their effort night-to-night the best they absolutely can?

00:57I'm sure they're trying to do that, but that mental edge might not be there.

01:00You're coming off a championship season, and all you're looking forward to is, can we repeat?

01:04So those games in December, in January, in February, sure, you're playing well,

01:08but you're not mentally locked in yet, which shows them, Ben, over the last 10 games.

01:11They're 5-5, and they're in second place in the Eastern Conference.

01:15We can see them sort of lock in, let's just say, in late February and March to get that playoff ramped up,

01:20but it doesn't surprise me. Well, it's kind of interesting.

01:22Boston's 32-15. With that roster, they should absolutely have a better record.

01:26Yes, but understand, you're still human beings at this point.

01:29Your goal now is like, boy, we won that ship. Let's get there healthy and win it again

01:33and lock in when the playoffs start. No surprise that the Boston Celtics are having a good season,

01:37not a fantastic season, compared to the records of the Cavaliers and the Thunder.