The confetti had barely settled in San Antonio before the sportsbooks had their board ready for 2027. The New York Knicks had just sealed their first ring since 1973, with Jalen Brunson dropping 45 points in Game 5 for a 94-90 win that ended 53 years of waiting. 

And yet, only hours later, the futures market for the new campaign handed the freshly crowned champions an awkward message: defending the title is going to be a lot harder than winning it. It’s the paradox that rolls around every June. You win the ring and, almost the same night, the spotlight swings to who’ll lift the trophy next year. 

Why Aren’t the Champions the Favourites? 

Here’s the detail that caught plenty of people off guard. The New York Knicks sit only fourth on the board at +700, behind three rivals. It isn’t a snub for the sake of it. New York clawed back double-digit deficits in four of the five Finals games, and that sort of magic tends not to repeat itself season after season.  

The core of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart is still among the best in the East. Yet their competitive window, by most analysts’ reckoning, is measured in a couple of years rather than a decade. On top of that, no champion has gone back-to-back for some time now; the league is riding its longest streak of different winners on record, and that weighs on the numbers. Repeating means everything has to fall into place all over again. 

The West Rules the Board 

The real favourites live on the other side of the country. San Antonio tops the market at +250, carried by Victor Wembanyama, already Defensive Player of the Year, and a young group with Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle that’s only set to grow. Hot on their heels are the Thunder, on near-identical odds, led by a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fresh off back-to-back MVPs and a Chet Holmgren who brings real length.  

Both franchises emerge from the same Western clash that decided the conference finals, so a rematch looks on the cards. Before you put down a single chip, it pays to compare lines and markets; this NBA betting sites ranking powered by realgm.com helps you pin down where the best odds for the new season sit. Because between two favourites this evenly matched, every fraction counts. 

A More Open Season Than It Looks 

The East isn’t settled either. The Boston Celtics turns up third despite an early exit, and the Miami Heat has made a bold move by bringing in Giannis Antetokounmpo, a piece of business that reshuffles the conference. 

Now, does that mean the New York Knicks can’t repeat? Not at all. It means the champions arrive as something of a dark horse, which is rare in itself. If Brunson holds his level and the group steers clear of injuries, New York will still be dangerous come May and June. For now, though, it’s all projection: there’s a draft, free agency, and a long season still ahead. Always bet sensibly, and only if you’re 18 or over. 

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