Maybe it’s the long break. Maybe it’s the power of lemon pepper chicken wings from Magic City. But ESPN’s panel of experts believes that the Los Angeles Clippers are the most likely team to win the NBA Championship, according to newly released predictions on Tuesday, ahead of Thursday’s restart.
ESPN released staff predictions for the Conference Finals and Finals, where the Clippers received 8 of a possible 16 votes to win the NBA Championship. The NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks were the second-most popular pick of the bunch, being selected four times, while the Lakers came in third with only three picks to win the title. The Toronto Raptors got a solitary vote.
Most sportsbooks have the Los Angeles Lakers as the favorite to win the championship, but we also have to remember that those lines are often influenced by very passionate Lakers fans, who have the biggest fanbase in the league. Still, it seems like the experts aren’t buying what the books are selling by a pretty significant margin.
