With the NBA entering its final stretch of the regular season, fans and analysts have a clearer idea of which teams have a proper chance to win the NBA championship by the end of the playoffs. While surprises and upsets can always occur, there is a general understanding that the best teams in the league will probably end up in the NBA Finals by the end of the season.
And as things stand, the Phoenix Suns have the best chance to win the NBA championship. That is according to Basketball-Reference, who released their percentages for teams to win the NBA championship. The Suns have a massive 25.3% chance, meaning that they have a 1/4th chance to win the title.
NBA Championship Probabilities, per bball ref:
PHX – 25.3%
GS – 16.6%
UTA- 14.1%
MIA – 10.6%
BOS – 9.5%
MEM – 6.2%
CLE – 5.5%
MIL – 3%
PHI – 2%
DAL – 1.8%
DEN – 1.5%
CHI – 1.3%
TOR – 1.2%
MIN – 0.6%
ATL – 0.5%
BK – 0.1%
LAC – 0.1%
NOP – 0%
CHA – 0%
LAL – 0%
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 2, 2022
NBA Championship Probabilities, per bball ref:
PHX – 25.3%
GS – 16.6%
UTA- 14.1%
MIA – 10.6%
BOS – 9.5%
MEM – 6.2%
CLE – 5.5%
MIL – 3%
PHI – 2%
DAL – 1.8%
DEN – 1.5%
CHI – 1.3%
TOR – 1.2%
MIN – 0.6%
ATL – 0.5%
BK – 0.1%
LAC – 0.1%
NOP – 0%
CHA – 0%
LAL – 0%
The Golden State Warriors are right behind them with 16.6%. Surprisingly, the reigning NBA champions have been given just a 3% chance to repeat and win the NBA championship. But perhaps the team that is being counted out the most is the Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets have been given a marginally low chance of 0.1% to win the NBA championship. This is despite them having Kevin Durant, considered by many to be the best player in the world, back healthy and ready to play from tomorrow. But at least the Nets have been given the chance, unlike another preseason championship favorite.
The Los Angeles Lakers were given a 0% chance to win the NBA championship, much like the Charlotte Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans. Granted, the Lakers have been quite poor this year. But given the wealth of talent they have, it is not out of the question for them to make a strong run in the playoffs.
While it is unlikely that will happen, LeBron James seems to think that the Lakers still have a chance, as he warned the rest of the NBA yesterday to not count out the Lakers. Russell Westbrook showed a similar level of confidence in himself and the Lakers to figure things out and turn things around. Perhaps the Lakers could use this stat as motivation to fix their problems and make a promising run.
