The Bucks are the favorites to win the NBA Finals this season, a label that could be more a curse than a blessing.
Milwaukee looks to become the first consensus favorite entering the first round to win the NBA Finals since Golden State five years ago.
That was the Warriors’ third NBA title with the core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. They entered the next postseason in 2019 with the expectation of being a threepeat champion. Instead, they lost in six games to the Toronto Raptors, who entered the playoffs that season at +1400 to win the title.
That kickstarted an era of parity in the NBA we’re still seeing. From 2015-19, three teams—Golden State, Cleveland and Toronto—played for an NBA title. From 2020-22, six teams—the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Golden State and Boston—reached the NBA Finals, and none were the favorite entering the playoffs.
