The National Basketball Association (NBA) has determined the participants in the Conference Finals. In the East, the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks will compete. In the West, contest teams are the Los Angeles Clippers and the Phoenix Suns. The bookmakers have already decided the main contender for the Larry O'Brien Trophy and the championship gold medals. What to expect from the denouement of the NBA season? Stay tuned to check it out.

vSurprises of the NBA’s 2020/2021 season

The current American Basketball League season has brought many surprises. Before the start of the NBA 2020/2021 season, analysts did not see Atlanta and Milwaukee in the Conference Finals. The Hawks were even predicted not to make the playoffs in the regular season.

The top five contenders for the Larry O'Brien Trophy included:

● Los Angeles Lakers;
● Brooklyn Nets;
● Los Angeles Clippers;
● Milwaukee Bucks;
● Boston Celtics.

The Lakers, the reigning NBA champions, lost to the Phoenix in the first round of the playoffs, Boston failed to pass Brooklyn in the same phase, and the Nets stopped Milwaukee in the Conference Semifinals. As a result, only the Clippers and Bucks did not let their predictors down.

The biggest surprises of the NBA season were Atlanta and Phoenix. The average odds were 98.00 for the Hawks' championship before the start of the regular season, while the Suns' success paced bettors' stakes by 45.00.

The experts' conclusions were based on a disappointing 2019/2020 season for Atlanta and Phoenix. Back then, the Hawks finished the regular season in penultimate 14th place in the Eastern Conference. The Suns also failed to make the playoffs, staying tenth in the West.

The Path of Teams to the Conference Finals

The East

Milwaukee finished the regular season in third place in the Eastern Conference. With 46 wins in 72 games, Mike Budenholzer's team was behind the Philadelphia Sixers and Brooklyn.

In the first round of the playoffs, Milwaukee appeared to compete against Miami. The Heat offered no resistance to the Bucks, dropping the series with a 4-0. In the conference semifinals, Budenholzer's team had a tough time. The Brooklyn, which was considered a top nominee for the Larry O’Brien Trophy before the start of the elimination games, offered stiff resistance to Milwaukee. The Nets consistently led the series, forcing the Bucks to lag behind. However, when it came to a decisive seventh game, Brooklyn’s status as a favorite faded into obscurity thanks to the Nets that kicked their opponent out of the playoffs.

At the same time, Atlanta finished fifth in the East. Nate McMillan’s team had 41 victories then.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Hawks had to fight against the New York Knicks, which had identical regular-season numbers to Atlanta. Nevertheless, it wasn’t a close game. Players under the guidance of McMillan lost just once in the series to the Knicks, advancing to the conference series with a 4:1 score.

The next partner for Atlanta was the best regular-season team in the East, mainly, the Philadelphia. In the first four games, the Sixers forced the Hawks to lag behind, but McMillan’s team was the one to win the series. After seven games, Atlanta managed to appear in the Conference Finals with a sensational 4-3 score.

The West
Los Angeles finished the regular season in fourth place in the Western Conference. Lew Tyrone's team won 47 games, just behind the Denver Nuggets in the top 3.

Already in the first round of the playoffs, the Clippers had serious problems with the Dallas Mavericks. Los Angeles was the only NBA club that needed all seven games to advance to the Conference Semifinals (4-3).

The Clippers were one step away from the finals when Utah won the regular season in the West. The Jazz got a head start with a 2-0 result, but Los Angeles turned out to change the course of events spectacularly, winning the next four games and advancing to the Conference Finals.

Finally, the Phoenix, having 72 wins in the West on their account, moved into the playoffs being second, losing only to the leader Utah on extra points.

The Suns had to defend NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers. Frank Vogel’s team tried to prove that the seventh place in the regular season was a fluke. After three games, the Lakers led with a 2-1 score. However, in the next three matches, the Phoenix won and thus finished the series in their own favor (4-2).

In the Conference Semifinals, the Suns had to fight against Denver, who were “destroyed” even faster than the Lakers. Monty Williams’ team hit the Nuggets in nearly every meeting, advancing to the finals without losing even once (4:0).

Bookmakers' Predictions for Larry O'Brien trophy Winner

Atlanta, despite its resurgence after last season's failure and current exploits, remains a major underdog in bookmakers' eyes from round to round of the playoffs. For the Hawks' 2020/2021 NBA win, the average odds on the betting market are 13.00.

Los Angeles has a slightly better chance to try on the championship rings according to analysts. The average odds for the final success of the "Clippers" are 8.00.

In the NBA Finals, experts predict to see a battle between Milwaukee and the Phoenix, where a slight advantage will be on the side of the Bucks — 2.05. The odds for the Suns' championship are 2.65.

Who Will Win the Larry O'Brien Trophy?
The answer to the biggest question of the season largely depends on the Conference Finals lineups. Experts agree that Brooklyn would be in a good position to win the NBA Finals if two of the key players — Kyrie Irving and James Harden — hadn’t been injured before the game with Milwaukee.

The current leaders of the Bucs are Greek Yannis Adetokunbo and American Khris Middleton. The first one is gorgeous in performing classy playoff series, having scored a double-double of 30+ points 10+ rebounds in six of seven games against Brooklyn.

Atlanta managed to set the coolest NBA record in the 21st century. The Hawks became the first team to advance to the Conference finals without an All-Star Game. Nate McMillan's squad is devoid of any clear leaders, but the loss of one key player could seriously hurt the team's chemistry. Young, Herter, John Collins, Danilo Gallinari, and Louis Williams are all major contributors to Atlanta's current success.

The L.A. basketball players, who also boast a steep historical accomplishment, are also on a high emotional roll. For the first time in 50 years, the Clippers managed to compete in the Conference Finals. Tyronn Lue has one of the most cold-blooded and confident teams. In the decisive seventh game against Utah, Los Angeles was trailing by 25 points, but the Clippers managed to get back on track. That happened for the first time in 25 seasons in the NBA.

Los Angeles had a serious loss before the Conference Finals. Its leader, Kawhi Leonard, heavily injured his cruciate ligaments in the final game of the series against Utah and thus was dropped out for the rest of the season. Paul George and Terance Mann, who performed admirably against Utah, will have to cope with the Clippers too.

The Phoenix was in danger of losing Chris Paul because of the coronavirus diagnosis. The Suns’ worries didn’t come true, and this point guard will be back in the lineup to fight in the Clippers games and will reunite with center Deandre Ayton to create a killer duo.

Conclusion
Fans of basketball and sports betting can track the denouement of the NBA season on the scores24.live website. There is a separate section devoted to the National Basketball Association with detailed statistics, expert opinions, and the best odds from the portal's partner bookmakers.