The national media, betting markets and general public didn’t give the Timberwolves much of a chance to advance past the first round against the Lakers but they ran the Lakers into the offseason in just five games. Still, the oddsmakers aren’t giving them much of a chance to win it all.
Six of the eight first-round series have been decided. The Warriors currently lead the Rockets three games to two ahead of Game 6 Friday night, and Game 7 between the Clippers and Nuggets is Saturday night. The odds could change a lot by the end of the weekend, but as of Friday morning the Timberwolves’ championship odds are a lot longer than the perceived heavyweights.
It makes sense for the Thunder, Celtics and Cavaliers to have the best odds to win the title, as they’ve been the three best teams all season. The Wolves being fourth seems reasonable, but at 17-to-1, their implied probability of winning it all is 5.56%.
All signs point towards Minnesota hosting Golden State in the second round and both teams currently have similar odds to win it all, which implies that the series will be considered a toss-up by the oddsmakers.
There weren’t many people giving the Wolves a chance to beat the Lakers, but they’ll have the opportunity to continue to prove themselves as the postseason rolls on.
