OKC Thunder Holds Second-Best Odds to Win Western Conference

Oddsmakers like the Thunder's odds in the Western Conference heading into the playoffs.

Postseason basketball is here. The Oklahoma City Thunder is back in the playoffs, and they'll know their first-round opponent next week. They earned the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

The Thunder hoisting the top seed in the loaded conference has lit social media on fire. The very same people chanting that this is the toughest Western Conference in recent history also claim the Thunder is the weakest No. 1 seed in history.

Either way -- whichever is true -- show hosts don't seem to believe the Thunder is capable of taking care of its first-round opponent. Oddsmakers in Vegas don't tend to fall victim to the narrative, giving the Thunder the second-best odds to win the Western Conference.

The Thunder, according to ESPN BET, holds +550 odds to win the Western Conference. The only team they trail in the odds is the Denver Nuggets, who hold +130 odds as the favorite to win the conference and advance to the NBA Finals.

The oddsmakers clearly have a different view on what the Thunder -- back in the playoffs for the first time since 2020 -- are capable of accomplishing. It's not like the team cruised to the first seed. They saw every team's best punch for the majority of the season. The No. 1 seed in the "toughest" conference was more than earned.

This weekend, when the first-round kicks off, the Thunder will have a chance to show why they earned the top seed in the conference. Should they get past the first round, they'll take on the winner of the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers.

Evidently, the path to the Finals could be a bit tough for the Thunder, but they're the No. 1 seed for a reason. They have a chance to prove that by knocking off some tough teams and making a solid playoff run in their first season of their arrival.

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