Entering last weekend, the Knicks had the third-best odds to win the East behind the Celtics and Cavaliers despite being the only team that had already advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals. Oddsmakers disrespected the Knicks the way they had all season, even after a 51-point closeout Game 6 win over the Hawks.
Since then, the Celtics have been knocked out of the playoffs, and the Cavs survived a Game 7 against the Raptors. The chaos and ineptitude elsewhere in the East gave oddsmakers no choice: The Knicks are favorites (+145) to win the East for the first time this season on theScore Bet.
Odds to win the East
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Knicks | +145 |
| Pistons | +250 |
| Cavaliers | +300 |
| 76ers | +600 |
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The Knicks are undoubtedly flawed, but that's the case for whichever team comes out of the East. After a favorable first-round matchup, the Knicks have a ton of questions to answer over the next few weeks. Can Karl-Anthony Towns replicate his scoring and passing production following the best playoff series of his career? Which version of Mikal Bridges will show up? Can Josh Hart heat up after shooting 21% from 3-point range in the first round? While the answers to these questions will decide New York's destiny, the other teams left in the East have bigger problems.
The Sixers, the Knicks' second-round opponents, haven't proved they have the health or depth to withstand a long playoff run. The Pistons' offensive issues - namely, their shooting woes and lack of secondary scoring - put them in a 3-1 hole against the lowly Magic. Finally, the Cavaliers nearly lost to an overachieving Raptors team in the opening round. Toronto's defensive pressure bothered Cleveland's backcourt. Donovan Mitchell averaged 23 points on 32.8% shooting from the field and 33% from three, while James Harden averaged more than five turnovers a game.
The Knicks are the most talented team left in the field with a do-it-all, clutch point guard in Jalen Brunson, who's playing more off the ball as the offense runs through Towns. OG Anunoby is a defensive menace who averaged 21.5 points while shooting 56.7% from three against the Hawks. When he's operating as a reliable third scorer, the Knicks are unstoppable offensively. Although Towns and Brunson are often considered defensive liabilities, the Knicks finished with the league's seventh-best defense.
It's surprising that it took oddsmakers this long to make the Knicks the favorites, but until another contender proves it's worthy, New York is the team to beat in the East.
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