Jalen Brunson hoisted the shiny Larry O'Brien trophy with scraps of orange and blue confetti flying through the air during the New York Knicks' celebration in Manhattan on Thursday.
Whether or not they can follow up their first title in 53 years with a second one next season remains to be seen.
Per FanDuel, the Knicks are currently the fourth choice to win the 2027 NBA Championship.
The San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder are co-favorites to win the title, with the Boston Celtics sitting third.
NBA Finals Winner 2026-27 (Odds via FanDuel)
- Thunder +250
- Spurs +250
- Celtics +550
- Knicks +800
- Nuggets +2200
- Pistons +2500
- Lakers +3000
- Timberwolves +3300
- Rockets +4000
- Pacers +4000
- Cavaliers +4000
- Heat +4500
- Hawks +5000
- 76ers +6000
- Clippers +7000
- Magic +8000
- Warriors +8000
- Hornets +8000
- Raptors +10000
- Trail Blazers +10000
- Suns +15000
- Jazz +17500
- Wizards +20000
- Mavericks +20000
- Pelicans +40000
- Bucks +40000
- Grizzlies +70000
- Nets +100000
- Kings +100000
- Bulls +100000
It's no surprise to see the Thunder and Spurs atop the list, as both are still two of the youngest and most talented teams in the league. The last two Western Conference champions, we may have a long term playoff rivalry on our hands.
One year after waltzing their way through the Western Conference playoffs with a 12-4 mark, and then defeating the Indiana Pacers in the Final in seven games, the Thunder were bounced from the 2026 West Finals by the Spurs in seven games.
Outside of tweaking their rosters, they have superstars in place in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama, and could very well be vying for the West for the next few seasons, barring injuries.
Both are +140 to win the Western Conference.
WHO'S THE SLEEPER
INDIANA PACERS: At +4000, there is pure value with the Indiana Pacers, who should be eager to take the court after an injury-ravaged campaign. It's probably not a good thing to excuse the way they played without Tyrese Haliburton, especially when you consider they were the fifth-worst shooting team (.458) in the NBA. You can lack a superstar and scoring punch, but a shooting touch one year after ranking third in the league with a .488 clip is preposterous. True, the Pacers lost 63 games last season, and turning things around seems like a tall task, but the Spurs finished 13th in the West two seasons back; they finished No. 2 this past season and made it to the NBA Finals. And, no, the Pacers won't have a pick in this month's NBA Draft after their first-round pick was sent to the Los Angeles Clippers in the Ivica Zubac trade. Nevertheless, the return of Haliburton could have enough of an impact to get the Pacers into the playoff field. With a ticket at that price, you can hedge your way back with series wagers and win either way.
NEXT YEAR'S FINALISTS
THUNDER VS. PISTONS: While SGA is the reigning MVP and clearly the face of the Thunder, let's not forget Jalen Williams was the best player on the court for a good portion of the 2025 NBA Finals. He was ruled out for Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals due to a hamstring injury. This is someone who was averaging 17.1 points per game, but reaggravated the injury in Game 2 against the Spurs, missed Games 3-5, and returned to the court for Game 6. Put him back in the mix, rehabilitate Chet Holmgren's game after seeing him decompose against Victor Wembanyama, and give SGA enough bulletin board material and there's a good chance we can see Oklahoma City back in the NBA Finals.
After earning the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and winning 60 games during the regular season, it was hard to watch the Pistons disintegrate in the postseason. Their hard-fought loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semis was hard to digest, as was Jalen Duren's disappearing act. After becoming a force during the regular season and dominating the paint as a nightly double-double threat, averaging 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, he averaged 10.2 ppg. and 8.5 rpg. during the postseason. The fact is, the Pistons are right there and simply need a Robin for Cade Cunningham's Batman role on the team. Several candidates have emerged as potential co-stars for Cunningham, most notably including Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen. It's conceivable that one year after winning 60 games and being that close to the ECF, the Pistons will go all in to solidify the roster and make a further run in the postseason.
PREDICTION: THUNDER over PISTONS IN 6 GAMES
