Bruins and Celtics boast strong title odds
As you’ve probably heard by now, the NBA and NHL announced plans to return to action later this summer. Instead of watching the Sox fight for the AL East title or miss the playoffs by a landslide (it’s always one or the other), August and September will be spent rooting for our winter teams as they compete for a championship. Luckily, they both have a shot.
First, here’s what we know about how the two leagues plan to proceed (via HeraldNet):
NBA:
- 22 of the league’s 30 teams will resume playing.
- All action will take place at the Disney campus near Orlando, Florida.
- Teams arrive July 7 for training camp, with games beginning July 31.
- Teams will play eight regular season games to determine conference seeding.
- The top seven teams in each conference advance to the playoffs. The eighth position will be determined by a play-in tournament.
- The playoffs will commence as normal with best-of-seven series.
- The playoffs will conclude by Oct. 12.
NHL:
- Twenty-four of the league’s 31 teams will resume playing.
- All action will take place at two hub cities yet to be determined, one for each conference.
- Training camps will open no earlier than July 10.
- The top four teams in each conference receive a bye into the playoffs. They will play a round robin to determine seeding.
- The next eight teams in each conference will play best-of-five series to determine the other eight playoff qualifiers.
- The playoffs will commence as normal with best-of-seven series.
- No dates were provided for when games will start or when the playoffs will conclude.
So what are Boston’s chances at a title?
In case you forgot, the Bruins have the number one record in hockey. They were recently given the best odds to win the Stanley Cup, narrowly beating out the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Celtics, who are in third place in the East, are currently tied with the Houston Rockets for the third best odds to win the NBA title. The only teams with a better chance (according to Vegas) are the Lakers, Bucks, and Clippers.
Obviously, with hockey being hockey, the Bruins have the better chance to bring another parade to Boston. The B’s and their fans are still bitter about that Game 7 loss a year ago. We’ve barely talked about it since it happened because it makes us sick to our stomachs. The talent is undeniable and there won’t be any lack of motivation. They have all the ingredients to put together another cup run.
On the other hand, the Celtics beating the Bucks, Lakers, or Clippers in a playoff series would be a tremendous upset, although its not out of the realm of possibility. We’ve seen Brad Stevens teams overachieve in the postseason before and the camaraderie within this group is night and day compared to last year.
Expect both teams to make a legitimate push and remind us why we missed sports so much.