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The 2025 NBA Playoffs begin on 19 April. The Kings lost to the Mavericks in the play-offs, who then went on to beat the Grizzlies on the road, while the Bulls also lost to the Heat in the play-offs, who then beat the Hawks to become the first team to qualify for the play-offs from the tenth seed.WillBet Login Saudi Arabia – Access Without Restrictions

The first round of the play-offs started on 19 April and may last until 3-4 May at the latest. If no seventh game is needed in the first round, then the conference semi-finals will start on 3 – 4 May or 5 – 6 May. Depending on when the conference semi-finals finish, the conference finals will start on 18 – 19 May or 20 – 21 May. WillBet Login Saudi Arabia – Access Without Restrictions

The date of the NBA Finals is already set and will remain the same, with the first game on 5 June, the second on 8 June, the third on 11 June and the fourth on 13 June. If a seventh game is needed, it will be played on 22 June.WillBet Login Saudi Arabia – Access Without Restrictions

As the NBA playoffs begin, all eyes are on the Western Conference, where there are at least 4 teams in contention for the NBA title. In the East, there are only two teams, and one of them is more talented than the rest. Last year’s champions, the Boston Celtics, are the clear favorites to return to the Finals and try to defend their title.

Celtics is in the play-offs for the eleventh consecutive season, currently the longest streak in the series. The core has been playing together for years, and the players have been through it all, from heartbreaking defeats to resounding victories.

The Celtics have maintained continuity since losing in the NBA Finals in 2022. In 2023, they lost a heartbreaking seven-game Eastern Conference Finals series to the Heat, but they remained unchanged.

The process paid off in 2024, when the Celtics lost just three times in the playoffs – 4-1 to the Heat, 4-1 to the Cavaliers, 4-0 to the Pacers and 4-1 to the Mavericks in the Finals.

Comparing last year and this year, no team in the Eastern Conference has made such a big step forward to seriously challenge the champions. The Cavaliers, who have 16 more wins in the regular season than last year, potentially have home court advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Knicks, who added Karl-Anthony Towns in the summer, can also be mentioned, but it’s hard to see how one of these teams can match the Celtics in a seven-game series.

Celtics has everything it needs to get back to the NBA Finals. The Celtics have the second best offensive rating and the fifth best defensive rating this season. These are the numbers that title-winning teams usually have.

In addition to the team’s excellent play, the team also has two stars who can single-handedly determine the outcome of the game – Jayston Tatum and Jaylen Brown. If the Cavaliers are distinguished by their excellent team play, the lack of individual talent is a big minus.

Last year the Celtics did not face any resistance in the East and if you compare the teams’ capabilities, this year the situation should be the same.

Basketball fans should also check our EuroLeague playoffs predictions.

The Oklahoma City Thunder meet the 2025 playoffs after winning the conference for the second year in a row. Last year, they fell 2-4 to the Mavericks in the conference semi-finals. It was a painful defeat, but admittedly not much was expected of the Thunder.

It is rare that a team without much playoff experience would go straight to the finals. That’s what last year was all about – testing and gaining experience.

This year, the Thunder look even stronger. Not only because the youth has grown, but also because the weakest link – the front line – has been strengthened.

Isaiah Hartenstein is not the brightest star in the league, but the big man fits the Thunder’s line-up and brings what was missing last year. Now the German can form a solid tandem with Chet Holmgren, which has contributed a lot to the improved defence.

If the Celtics have the second offensive rating and the fifth defensive rating, the Thunder can respond with the third offensive rating and the first defensive rating.

It is incredible what the team is doing this year – it is the best defending team, which is third in points conceded and fourth in points scored. This excellent balance allowed them to dominate the NBA regular season and now the same is expected in the play-offs.

The road to the finals will not be easy – it’s the Western Conference, which means that the second round will be a very tough contest. However, this year the Thunder seem to be ready and this is mainly due to the great play of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The Canadian is a clear leader of the team and, most importantly, he doesn’t lose his cool in the most important moments. The Thunder is his team, with a lot of high-level middies around him.

If the Thunder make it to the NBA Finals, it is unlikely that someone other than SGA will be named series NBA MVP. If we look at points per game, Gilgeous-Alexander is scoring 32.7 points per game, while second-place Jalen Williams is scoring 21.6.

Chet Holmgren is next with 15.0, Aaron Wiggins with 12.0. A different Thunder player can get a shot in every game, but only SGA has shown stability. Most teams have at least two stars of a similar level, while the Thunder is all about SGA.

The Western Conference has been outperforming the East in talent for years. Every season there is talk about how strong the competition is in the west and how easy it is to play in the east.

This season has been a good example of that, with the Miami Heat coming in 10th place in the playoffs and winning just 37 games in the regular season. The Memphis Grizzlies, eighth in the West, would have the potential to fight for at least a place in the Conference Finals in the Eastern Conference.

If we look at the list of past champions, the NBA has had six Eastern Conference champions since 2009. Three of them by LeBron James. Since 2020, an Eastern Conference team has won twice – the Bucks in 2021 and the Celtics last year.

The NBA has had a different champion for the last six years, and there is a good chance that the streak will continue this year. If defending the title used to be easier than winning it, the last few years have been particularly competitive.

In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics are the only team that can threaten. Even if the Celtics were to fall to the Cavaliers, it is hard to see how this team would beat the winner of the Western Conference.

Looking west, the Oklahoma City Thunder are considered the clear favourite. The team, which is particularly talented in youth, has one of the league’s brightest players in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Every NBA champion has a top shelf player on his team, something the Eastern Conference lacks. Donovan Mitchell doesn’t look like the kind of player who could lead his team to a title.

This is where betting sites may have a clear advantage, as they’ll likely favor teams with standout players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the West, who has the ability to carry his team to the finals.

If the Thunder do not reach the finals, where they would be considered the favorites, there are also teams in the West such as the Lakers, the Clippers, the Warriors and, most recently, the Nuggets, who are NBA champions.

For the Eastern Conference team, likely the Celtics, the advantage may be that it will save a lot more energy before the Finals, which at the same time avoids injuries. Last year, for example, the Celtics had only two losses before the Finals and were much fresher in the decisive stretch.

These NBA predictions are for guidance only and we are not responsible for your bets.