The Boston Celtics surged to the top of FiveThirtyEight’s 2019-20 NBA Predictions after their 92 – 87 Game 7 win over the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Friday.
Garnering pole positions in the estimation of the data wizards running the ironically-named RAPTOR-based projection, the Celtics are now deemed to have a 75% chance of getting past their opponents of the East Finals — the Miami Heat — to get to the 2020 NBA Finals.
Perhaps even more intriguing, Boston is expected to have a 54% chance of hanging Banner 18 this October.
The Celtics’ next-nearest opponent in the title race is the Los Angeles Clippers, given a 19% shot at winning it all, followed by the Miami Heat with 12%, and, shockingly, the Los Angeles Lakers with just 8% odds of a title.
Smart’s Game 7 block iconic of value he brings to Boston Celtics https://t.co/xhVDx7lOMG
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 13, 2020
The nearly-eliminated Denver Nuggets are expected to have less than 1% odds of a championship this season, which makes sense given their current position in their Western Conference Semifinals series.
The Celtics’ split regular-season record with the Heat would perhaps inspire confidence in some, but for the data-crunchers at FiveThirtyEight, a 25% shot at getting past Boston is the assessment, and based on the star power and matchup, it’s probably as good a guess as any.
But the Celtics ought to approach this series as if that number were reversed, lest their confidence end up backfiring with less-than-desperate play.
Just ask Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks their opinion of Jimmy Butler’s new team.
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