Fans are still high on the Celtics.
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cleveland Cavaliers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Welcome to the final weekend of the NBA’s 2024-25 regular season! With playoff basketball right around the corner, let’s take a look at which teams are expected to make the most noise.
Last year’s champion, the Boston Celtics, remained as favorites to win the Eastern Conference. The survey has more than half of fans picking the Celtics to beat anyone in the conference.
This is somewhat understandable. Even though the Cleveland Cavaliers have been the best team in the East all season — the Celtics are getting the benefit of the doubt. To truly be the best, you have to beat the best. Hopefully, we’ll get an electric showdown in the conference finals between Boston and Cleveland.
The results for the Western Conference are more shocking, in my opinion.
Only 44% of fans are taking the Oklahoma City Thunder over the pack. This is a surprise when you consider the Thunder are currently 14 games ahead of the next closest team in the West. Fans are essentially saying they have more faith in the Eastern Conference’s two-seeded than the powerhouse squad that has the best record in the NBA.
FanDuel’s odds for the title are a bit different than the fan perspective. Oklahoma City is the favorite at +170 while the Celtics are the runners up with +185 odds to win the championship. Cleveland is in the race at +500 while the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors are distant fourths (+1700).
Much like with Cleveland, the Thunder will have their regular-season success dismissed by fans until they do it in the playoffs. This might feel unfair. In some ways, it is. But that’s just how the game has always been played. OKC will have to prove their inexperience won’t be too much of a hurdle against some of the legendary veterans standing in their way.
Now let’s talk about the others.
Fans have the most faith in the Orlando Magic making a playoff run of any Eastern Play-In team. This is reasonable when you look at the injuries Orlando sustained throughout the season. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have each missed significant time, while Jalen Suggs and Mo Wagner fell to season-ending injuries.
You might think the Magic are better than their record suggests. Or, maybe you just think the three teams below them have a lower ceiling. Either opinion is understandable. Though, Orlando’s lack of offensive firepower will likely be too much of a hurdle against Cleveland or Boston in the first round.
In the Western Conference, it’s hard to argue against Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler.
Butler has already shown he can carry a team out of the depths and to an NBA Finals run in the East. Can he do it in the other conference? Playing alongside Curry and Draymond Green should help.
The Denver Nuggets are second with 27% of the vote. A tough scene for a team with arguably the best player in the world, Nikola Jokic. The LA Clippers are even further with just 9% of the vote despite holding the eighth-best odds to win the title (+4400).
Lastly, let’s check in on the dumpster fire that is the Phoenix Suns. Their season has already ended — as the richest team in basketball somehow failed to even clinch a Play-In berth. That has 75% of fans assuming Mike Budenholzer will be canned after just one season with the Suns.
Bud took over for Frank Vogel this season, who took over for Monty Williams the year before. Swapping coaches for at third straight season might suggest deeper issues than coaching. That’s probably why only 56% fans think Budenholzer should be fired despite 3/4ths of fans assuming it will happen anyways.
Phoenix doesn’t exactly have a clear blueprint in front of them for fixing any of this. Firing the coach yet again isn’t likely to bring them any closer to their goals. It feels like they’ve hit a very expensive dead end with this roster.