The LA Clippers were laughably given the 11th-best odds to win the 2022 NBA Championship by WynnBET.
Give me a break. That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve seen all offseason. We’re literally sitting at +3000 to win the Finals next year, which is the seventh-best odds out of anybody in the Western Conference.
The oddsmakers clearly did not notice that we were in the Western Conference Finals this season despite having the most injuries in the entire NBA all year.
The LA Clippers could not be disrespected any more than what they were by these Championship odds.
The LA Clippers were one of the best shooting teams in NBA history last year, and they will be returning almost all of that production next year. They made the Western Conference Finals and took the Suns to six games when they didn’t even have their franchise player after Game 4 of the series before, they didn’t even have a healthy Marcus Morris Sr. until the end of the series, they didn’t even have Serge Ibaka the entire postseason, and they didn’t even have Ivica Zubac past Game 4.
Yet somehow the Golden State Warriors, who couldn’t even make the playoffs with just one major injury, have the second-best Western Conference odds to take the chip and the third-best overall. You just can’t make this up.
Sure, Kawhi Leonard may miss significant time next year, but it’s a partial tear. Let’s predict how much time he’ll miss when we have more information, maybe?
Anyways, the Clippers win games as a team. Even without Leonard, they were the second-best team in the West this year. Remember, it was without Kawhi where the Clippers closed out the Western Conference Semifinals in six, as Kawhi was hurt from Game 4 through the rest of the playoffs.
We took the Suns to six without him. The Lakers, who have the second-best odds in the NBA and the best in the West, were knocked out by the Suns in the first round despite only having one important piece injured for part of the series.
We had way more injuries and had a way better season. Also, what about us doing this well without even having the right chemistry as a team? Peep this excerpt from an article I wrote early in the offseason:
"“Injuries have ravaged the Clippers all season. It wasn’t just in the playoffs, but the regular season as well. Leonard missed 20 regular season games, Paul George was out for 18, Patrick Beverley missed 35, Marcus Morris went out for 15, and Ibaka was hurt for 31.”"
The Clippers had so many injuries during the regular season that they couldn’t even gain proper chemistry with the team. They still were comfortably the second-best team in the Western Conference.
We literally just proved that even when everything goes wrong for our team, we still can compete with anybody and once again were the Western Conference runner-up.
But actually, according to WynnBET, the Philadelphia 76ers (+1500) have a far better chance of hoisting the trophy. Yes, the same Sixers team who has a lesser roster than us and a coach who just proved he is much worse than ours.
I’m not biased. I’ll admit that we don’t have a lot of money we can spend this offseason. But, neither does Denver, and they’re listed four spots ahead of us with +2000 odds.
I mean, the Miami Heat, who were a first round exit are listed multiple spots ahead of us. And no, they’re not getting Kawhi.
You know who else isn’t getting Kawhi? The Dallas Mavericks; the franchise we’ve obliterated by absolutely owning them in the postseason for consecutive years. And they’re also listed multiple spots ahead of us.
We literally just embarrassed the Jazz in the Western Conference Semis without Leonard and they’re at +2500.
Look at all we accomplished with a first-year head coach, yet this is the respect we get. I can’t wait to see the Clips prove these odds as wrong as they are.