The second round has concluded and the NBA Playoff odds have shifted as the Conference Finals are about to begin. The NBA Conference Finals matchups are set and the betting odds are available, and the Golden State Warriors lead the way as the NBA Championship favorites at the start of the third round of the 2021-2022 NBA Playoffs. The Warriors are followed by the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, who will face each other in the Eastern Conference Finals, and the Dallas Mavericks will go up against the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. Three of these four teams were more or less expected to be here, as the Celtics, Heat and Warriors were all seeded either first or second in their respective conferences. The Mavericks are the surprise team of the group, entering this round off of an improbable upset victory over the Phoenix Suns. The Suns had the NBA’s best regular season record and were the NBA Championship favorites for most of the year, but the Mavericks were able to defeat them in a decisive Game 7 in the second round.

The NBA Playoff betting odds for each team have remained stable in the few days since they were released with the Celtics at -185 to win against the Heat and the Warriors -220 to defeat the Mavericks. NBA Finals MVP odds are reflective of this hierarchy as well, as Steph Curry is at the top of the market as the Warriors highest-profile player. Curry is followed next by Jayson Tatum of the Celtics, Jimmy Butler of the Heat and then Luka Doncic of the Mavericks. The NBA has also introduced a Conference Finals MVP for this year’s playoffs and there are betting odds available for that as well, with Curry and Tatum predictably sitting as the favorites for that too.