The Phoenix Suns are headed to the Finals.
It has been a long time coming for the Suns, who have never won a championship. They came close when they battled the Chicago Bulls in the 1993 Finals, but came up short losing in Game 6.
At the beginning of the season, every sportsbook app out there had the Lakers as favorites to win the Finals. The Suns weren’t even close, but how the tables have turned after the Suns fought their way through the season and the playoffs to finally earn another chance at a championship.
How It All Started
The Suns stunned the world last season when they won all eight of their games in the NBA Bubble. It still wasn’t enough to earn them a spot in the playoffs, with the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James winning it all to become the 2020 NBA Champions.
After ending the crazy Covid season on a high note, there were hopes that the Suns would have a winning season and earn a spot in the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. But the odds of them winning the Finals were slim.
DraftKings had the Phoenix Suns at +4000 to win the Finals in December of 2020, right before the start of the season. Before signing Chris Paul in November? The Suns were at +10000 to win the Finals.
With the addition of Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton started playing some of their best basketball. And the Phoenix Suns started impressing the league and their fans during the regular season.
The team’s odds remained steady until the All-Star Break came when their odds went to +3300. By the end of the season, the Suns finished second in the Western Conference with a 51-21 record. Their odds of winning the Finals also increased, landing at +2000.
The Playoffs
The excitement of the Suns winning season came to a halt when they matched up against defending champs, the Los Angeles Lakers, in round one of the playoffs. Even though they were playing the team favored to win the Finals, their odds did go up to +1800.
After beating the Lakers in Game 6, the Suns had their best odds yet, at +850 before the start of the Semi-Conference Finals.
Chris Paul and the boys did something that no one thought would be possible, they swept the Denver Nuggets in the Semi-Conference Finals. After winning the series, DraftKings had them at +275 to win the Finals.
But another challenging series stood in the way of the Suns and their dreams of reaching the Finals for the first time in almost 30 years. The Suns had to face the other Los Angeles team, the Clippers, in the Western Conference Finals.
After an injury sidelined Kawhi Leonard, the Suns were able to rally in Game 6 to win the series. And now, they are the favorites to win the Finals.
Current NBA Finals Odds
BetMGM now has the Phoenix Suns as the favorites to win the Finals at -190.
- Phoenix Suns: -190
- Milwaukee Bucks: +280
- Atlanta Hawks: +600
Of course, the outcome of the Finals will all depend on injuries. Luckily, the Suns are healthy.
It is their opponent that is still in question. If the Bucks end up making it to the Finals, the Suns have a good chance of winning if Giannis is in fact out due to his injury.
But don’t let the Hawks fool you, they have been playing great ball, even when the Bucks had Giannis. And they ended up winning Game 4 without their star, Trae Young. They have to be doing something right to have made it to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Suns Odds Recap with Implied Probability
- Before signing Chris Paul: +10000 (.99%)
- Start of the season: +4000 (2.44%)
- All-Star Break: +3300 (2.94%)
- End of season: +2000 (4.76%)
- Start of Playoffs: +1800 (5.26%)
- Before Semi-Conference Finals: +800 (11.11%)
- Before Conference Finals: +275 (26.67%)
- Before Finals: -190 (65.52%)
We all know that sports betting is a crazy world, but now that the Suns are favorites, we don’t anticipate the Suns to lose that spot. With the Suns on top to win the Finals, the remaining question is, Suns in 4?
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