The NBA regular season has finally ended after a laborious 82-game schedule for each and every 32 teams in the league. Now down to only 16 teams, the NBA will start the annual process of whittling down the list of surviving teams by way of a bunch of best-of-seven series. We know the favorites to win the NBA championship, the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers, but you should not shy away from the sleepers. That’s where the big money is after all. It’s been a crazy season so far. It could get even crazier in the postseason.
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A Look at Which Sleepers Have the Best Shot at Winning the 2018 NBA Championship
Miami Heat (+15,000) : Regular Season Record 44-38
The Heat have lost a little bit of steam towards the end of the regular season, as they went 1-3 SU in their last four games, though that lone win was a 116-109 overtime victory over Eastern Conference top seeds Toronto Raptors on Wednesday at home. The Heat will be part of the playoffs, thanks to their 44-38 record, and have drawn the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs. If anything, the Heat might have also gotten a break as the Sixers are uncertain whether they’ll have big man Joel Embiid just in time of the playoffs. Embiid missed the last few games of the regular season because of a facial injury, and his absence is going to be big for the Heat, who’ll definitely take advantage inside with Hassan Whiteside and Bam Adebayo. The Heat’s calling card to success this season have been their ability to slow the pace down and disrupt their opponents’ offense. They finished the regular season fourth with only 102.9 points per game and also allowed the fifth-fewest field goal shots per outing.
Toronto Raptors (+800) : Regular Season Record 59-23
How can the team with the best record in the East, and the second best record in the entire league be considered a sleeper? Well, because they’re the Raptors.
But this playoff season, people (this writer included) might stop saying “because they’re the Raptors.” Over the past few years, Toronto has had solid regular season campaigns only to fall short in the playoffs either by getting eaten alive by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers or by simply tripping over themselves. This time around, though, the Raptors have a well-rounded roster that is not as dependent on the combo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan as before. They now have one of the best benches in the league and a balanced offense and defense that both ranked inside the top five in efficiency ratings in the NBA. The Raptors get the No. 8 Washington Wizards in the first round, a team that looks like it’s going to implode at the very worst of time – the playoffs.
Indiana Pacers (+15,000) : Regular Season Record 48-34
The Pacers have been terrific this season. Despite a much-maligned trade back in the offseason, they managed to book a spot in the playoffs. They have the top candidate to win this season’s Most Improved Player of the Year award in Victor Oladipo. Having said all of that, we have been hearing nothing but crickets about them. Although the Pacers have the unenviable task of facing LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Pacers have actually done well against the reigning Eastern Conference champs. In fact, they are 3-1 SU this season versus the Cavs. Just to blow your minds a little bit more, consider this: The Pacers are also 2-0 SU this season against the defending NBA champions, Golden State Warriors. This team can win.
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Bet your sleeper to win the 2018 NBA Championship
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