The Boston Celtics are the 2023-24 NBA Champions. They spent most of the season as the odds-on favorite to win it all and fulfilled their destiny without much resistance. According to FanDuel, they start the 2024-25 with NBA Finals odds of +300 to repeat as champs. As coach Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics return for another Finals run, let’s look at their win total odds.
Boston Celtics Win Total Odds and Betting Preview
At the start of last year, Boston’s odds of winning the championship were +400. Those odds slowly shortened over the season. Once the Finals matchup was set, they were -225 to beat the Dallas Mavericks. They did so relatively easily. The preseason Celtics win total prediction was 54.5 games last year and the year before. They have now gone over their projected win total in the last three seasons, obliterating their line with 64 wins last year.
According to FanDuel, the Celtics’ win total over/under to start next season is currently 58.5 (over +100/under -122). With by far the best roster in the NBA, it seems like this number is fairly reachable. Although, don’t underestimate the championship hangover.
CELTICS WIN THE NBA FINALS 🔥
BOSTON IS BACK ON TOP 🏆☘️ pic.twitter.com/ZuUDqntFN1
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 18, 2024
Is the Championship Hangover Real?
The Celtics winning the title last season may doom them for going over on their win total prop for the fourth year in a row. Winning like Boston did last season puts a toll on players. That and a gold medal Olympic run for three of the Celtics starters put a lot of mileage on the team. The numbers also seem to indicate that the championship hangover is real.
Over the last 10 years, the team that has won the Finals has only gone over their next season win total odds two times. Those two teams were the 2016 Golden State Warriors, who broke the record for the most wins ever in a season, and the 2023 Denver Nuggets. While attempting to defend their title last season, the Nuggets were eliminated in the second round.
Celtics’ Win Total May Be Lower
The championship hangover is something to worry about. That said, the Celtics’ win total last season was 64 games. They are coming into this year with more or less the same team. One exception is Kristaps Porzinigis, who is set to miss the beginning of the season recovering from an injury.
Jaylen Brown was SENSATIONAL on both ends in the 2024 Playoffs en route to his first championship! 🏆
☘️ 23.9 PPG
☘️ 5.9 RPG
☘️ 3.3 APG
☘️ 1.2 SPG
☘️ 56.9 eFG%
☘️ ECF MVP
☘️ Finals MVP pic.twitter.com/erz4UPOyG6— NBA (@NBA) June 21, 2024
Still, the Celtics are young, talented, and hungry. Mazzulla has proved himself to be a great leader for this team. Even after winning the 2024 championship with relative ease, Boston is likely to come into the season with some chips on their shoulders.
The Team USA Olympic Basketball team left Jaylen Brown, the Finals MVP, off. Brown outshined Jayson Tatum, the face of the franchise, in the Finals, something Tatum won’t stop hearing about. On top of that, he was widely unplayed in the Olympics, riding the bench after a championship while his peers won a gold medal.
We expect the Celtics to come out firing next season. 59 wins is not an easy feat. They have the talent to eclipse their total odds, but time will tell if they can.
