NBA Champions 2024: Who are the favorites?

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The most important question in every NBA season is, who will be crowned champion in the end and lift the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.

Can the Denver Nuggets defend their title as the reigning NBA Champion, or will the Miami Heat, who lost in the Finals last season, succeed this time?

According to experts the two finalists from last year are considered title contenders for the 2023/24 NBA season.

The Denver Nuggets won the NBA Championship last season, it was the first NBA title for the Colorado team.

The question remains: Can they defend their title in 2024?

At the start of the season, we saw the Denver Nuggets as a big favorite.

Whether they can live up to these high expectations will only be revealed over the long season. The last title defense occurred in 2018 when the Golden State Warriors were able to defend their 2017 title.

Interestingly, at the start of the season, nobody counted the Miami Heat, which reached the NBA Finals last season, among the top favorites for the NBA Championship.

Apparently, a new successful run is not expected for the team from Florida, unless they go on a winning streak.

The NBA Finals since 2015

2023 Denver Nuggets – Miami Heat 4:1
2022 Golden State Warriors – Boston Celtics 4:2
2021 Milwaukee Bucks – Phoenix Suns 4:2
2020 Los Angeles Lakers – Miami Heat 4:2
2019 Toronto Raptors – Golden State Warriors 4:2
2018 Golden State Warriors – Cleveland Cavaliers 4:0
2017 Golden State Warriors – Cleveland Cavaliers 4:1
2016 Cleveland Cavaliers – Golden State Warriors 4:3
2015 Golden State Warriors – Cleveland Cavaliers 4:2

Who else has a chance?

The Denver Nuggets were the benchmark in the Western Conference last season. After the regular season, they comfortably secured first place. Subsequently, they marched through the NBA playoffs to win the Conference Championship and then the Championship title.

According to NBA bets, the Phoenix Suns, the Golden State Warriors, and also the Los Angeles Lakers are considered favorites for the NBA Championship 2024 in the Western Conference.

The Memphis Grizzlies, who finished second in the Western Conference after the regular season last year, are considered outsiders before the season starts.

In the Eastern Conference, according to NBA Championship odds, these teams have the greatest chances: Besides the Miami Heat, the finalists from last season, also the Boston Celtics, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. If you want to check the latest basketball results and compare the teams, you can do it by visiting the link.

Last season, the Bucks were number 1 after the regular season in the Eastern Conference, ahead of the Celtics and the 76ers. Ultimately, however, the Heat, as the number 8 in the regular season, stormed through the playoffs into the finals.

This shows that the list of NBA favorites is long, and the odds for teams that are not necessarily considered the biggest contenders for the NBA Championship beforehand should be kept in view.

We think that the Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets are the big favorites for the trophy in 2024.