Why These Longshots Can Make Noise in NBA Playoffs

But did you know that Cleveland is 6-5 against this trio during the regular season? This includes being the only playoff team to beat Boston three times. The Cavaliers have the NBA’s best defense and have a bonafide closer in Donovan Mitchell, who averages 28.3 points in the postseason.

If defense wins championships as they like to say, the Cavaliers should be a popular NBA pick as an underdog. Maybe they won’t win the NBA title. But if they take out the Bucks in the semifinals and/or Boston or Philadelphia to reach the Finals, it would be quite the magical run.

Will Clippers End the Curse?

With NBA odds nearly as long as Cleveland’s at 35-1, a Clippers championship run would go down as legendary. Kawhi Leonard will lead the team without his running mate, Paul George, and already face steep basketball odds when they meet the stacked Phoenix Suns in the first round. The Clippers are +390 to win this series, which is less than a 20% chance they win.

But Leonard is no stranger to carrying a team past seemingly insurmountable odds. He led Toronto to its improbable 2019 title run and then toppled the “Heatles” dynasty in 2014. His Clippers may be without George, but this is a team much like his Raptors: filled with feisty veterans and a creative coach.

Those backing the Clippers should place money on them now. Their lines should shorten considerably if they upset the Suns. Every franchise’s drought ends at one point.

KAWHI LEONARD. 🔥🔥

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— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 6, 2023

The Kings of California

For the first time in NBA history, there are four California teams in the NBA playoffs. While most of the NBA predictions pick either the Warriors or the Lakers to make a run, the Sacramento Kings should not be slept on. The NBA’s most surprising team not only won the division amidst impossible odds (400-1 at one point!) but posted the best offensive rating.

This may be a young and inexperienced team but that doesn’t mean it can’t do damage in the playoffs. The Kings are +230 to win their first-round series against Golden State and are 20-1 to win the Western Conference.

Sacramento did go 1-2 against Golden State if we don’t count their final meeting, which did not include the Kings’ best players. But they are taking on a Warriors team that is 11-30 on the road with one of the league’s worst defenses. If Sacramento can upset Golden State, its players can only get more confident and make more noise down the stretch.