The season is right around the corner and the Boston Celtics have opened with +1100 odds for the 2020-21 NBA Championship. The experts here at SportsTips have taken the time to review every single NBA team and offer up their opinion on how each team is expected to perform in the 2020-21 season, meaning you can place your best NBA bets with confidence.
So, without further ado, have a read on below at all our NBA betting stats and information on the Boston Celtics:
Boston Celtics’ 2019-20 Season Review
Losing Kyrie Irving was a blessing for this team, given they replaced him with Kemba Walker and team chemistry instantly lifted. Boston ended up with a 48-24 record, good enough for third in the Eastern Conference.
Jayson Tatum emerged as the team’s lead player, making the All Star Game for the first time and averaging over 23 points per game, an increase of eight from 2018-19. Jaylen Brown continued his development and gave the team three key high level players, with Tatum and Walker.
Boston exceeded expectations in the playoffs, sweeping Philly before overcoming the defending champion Raptors in a tough seven games. Making the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in three years was an incredible feat by the Celtics, but they were unable to overcome the Miami Heat, losing in six games.
Gordon Hayward was injured for most of the Orlando Bubble experience and wasn’t his usual self when he returned. If he was at full health and was another starter-level player to throw at the Heat, results may have been different.
Boston turned out to be one of the premier teams on both ends of the floor, ranking fourth in both offensive and defensive ratings. This allowed them to have the second best record in the league against the spread, finishing 40-27-5. They excelled on the road with a 22-12-2 record ATS, also second best in the league.
While being ranked high offensively, their defense was their calling card, shown by their 35-36-1 record in totals markets, only 20th in the league.
Boston Celtics’ Offseason Changes
The Boston Celtics entered the 2020 NBA Draft with picks 14, 26, 30 and 47. With the 14th pick they selected Aaron Nesmith, a forward out of Vanderbilt. They then selected Oregon guard Payton Pritchard with the 26th pick.
Boston traded pick 30 to the Memphis Grizzlies for two future second round selections before selecting Yam Madar with pick 47, a guard out of Israel.
Players In: Amile Jefferson, Aaron Nesmith, Payton Pritchard, Jeff Teague, Tristan Thompson
Players Out: Gordon Hayward, Enes Kanter, Vincent Poirier, Brad Wanamaker
Boston Celtics’ 2020-21 Season Preview
Fresh off a trip to the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals in the Orlando Bubble, Boston are currently +1400 to take out the 2020-21 NBA title, and the +550 third favourite to win the Eastern Conference.
One of the biggest moves that the Celtics made this offseason was signing Jayson Tatum to a five year, $195M max contract extension, keeping the All-Star forward in Boston until 2025.
First half schedule 👀 pic.twitter.com/Fd28BZoSMG
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 4, 2020
Having already signed Jaylen Brown to a four-year, $114 million contract extension prior to the start of the 2019-20 season, Boston have locked away two All-Star calibre wings which will keep them in title contention for years to come.
The Celtics are currently poised to run it back in the upcoming season with the one big roster change of Tristain Thompson in from Cleveland and Gordon Hayward heading to Charlotte. One of the best screeners in the league, Thompson is a perfect addition to a team with multiple high-level pick-and-roll players, such as Kemba Walker, Jeff Teague, Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum.
The Celtics were not ultra aggressive this offseason, but they didn’t need to be. They locked away their franchise star and added a great piece in Tristain Thompson, which will keep them around the mark of best teams in the Eastern Conference, competing against the likes of Milwaukee, Brooklyn and Miami in the 2020-21 season.
Will the Boston Celtics Make the Playoffs?
With -1667 odds, the Celtics are a lock to make the playoffs at the conclusion of the 2020-21 regular season. Boston have been and will continue to be one of the top teams in the Eastern conference and should be looking for another trip to the Eastern Conference Finals as a worst result for the 2020-21 season, with a trip to the NBA Finals to compete for an NBA Championship still a realistic goal.
Boston Celtics’ Key Games
December 23: vs Milwaukee Bucks: Season tipoff against the reigning regular-season champions
December 25: vs Brooklyn Nets: Christmas Day matchup / Kyrie’s return to Boston
January 6: @ Miami Heat: Eastern Conference Finals rematch
January 20: @ Philadelphia 76’ers: Division rivals / Doc Rivers vs former team
January 22: at Philadelphia 76’ers: Division rivals / Second game of a back to back in Philadelphia
January 30: vs Los Angeles Lakers: One of the fiercest rivals in sports and the reigning NBA champions
February 9: @ Utah Jazz: The final of a five game West coast road trip
Boston Celtics’ Betting Summary
With the third shortest odds in their conference to do so, Boston are a lock to make the 2021 playoffs, currently with odds of -1667. For the upcoming shortened 72 game season, Boston’s regular season total wins line is currently at 45.5.
Having finished the 2019-20 regular season (also shortened to 72 games) with a 48-24 record, we like Boston to once again exceed the 45.5 wins mark, due to the imminent improvement of Tatum and Brown, a healthier Kemba Walker and an upgrade to their roster balance, adding Thompson in exchange for Hayward.
Over 45.5 wins at -110, a solid bet for the 2020-21 season. In terms of winning the Eastern Conference, Boston are arguably the safest bet to do so at +550, trailing only Milwaukee (+190) and Brooklyn (+275).
Both the Bucks and the Nets will be entering the season with vastly different rosters (and in Brooklyn’s case coaches) than the previous year, giving some doubt to whether these new talented rosters will perform in their first season together, especially after a limited preseason training camp.
Finally, Boston are +1400 to win the 2021 NBA championship. The Celtics have improved this offseason, but not enough to overcome the Lakers in the NBA Finals. A solid chance to win the conference, however unlikely to win their 18th championship.
Boston are also the +225 second favourite to win the highly competitive Atlantic division in 2021. The division includes 4 of the top six teams in the East with the Celtics trailing only Brooklyn (+150) to win the division. Given that there is so much uncertainty surrounding the Nets, the Celtics are great value to win the division.
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of PointsBet.
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