Can the Thunder start a dynasty?
The defending NBA champions remain at the top of the standings with the league's best record and their ambition intact. However, several teams look poised to challenge them in the playoffs and thwart their plans.
Will their biggest rival come from their own Western Conference and stop them from reaching the NBA Finals again? Or will this be a mission for an Eastern Conference team?
You can choose who to back or fade on Kalshi, which blends traditional financial markets with advanced prediction systems. It's available in most states, and we wrote a full explainer on how it works here.
Use the Kalshi promo code below to claim a $10 bonus when signing up as a new user.
NBA Finals Odds
While Oklahoma City had a thunderous start to the season, with a 24-1 record and looking unstoppable, opponents have found ways to hurt them and bring them down to earth.
Now, not even the number-1 seed is guaranteed for the Thunder, which would have seemed ridiculous early in the season.
The Spurs are giving them a run for their money and could end up taking the top spot. If you have a favorite in that particular race in the West, you have another Kalshi market to bet on that option alone.
Recent champions such as the Nuggets (2023) are still considered strong enough to make a push, led by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
The Celtics, who won in 2024, barely missed Jayson Tatum during the regular season, with Jaylen Brown and head coach Joe Mazzulla doing their best, and are now gearing up for another great playoff run.
Although last year's finalists, the Indiana Pacers, were out of contention early on, the East saw the rise of another surprising team: the Pistons. However, what might seem most shocking is that bettors still don't seem to fully buy into them, as they are sixth in the current Kalshi odds.
If you also want to choose the Eastern Conference champion this season, you can find this market separately at Kalshi.
A lot will also depend on the final configuration of the playoffs bracket, but you can jump in early in this NBA champions market and back or fade the alternative you prefer on Kalshi.
What is Kalshi?
Different than a traditional sportsbook and available in most states, Kalshi allows users to make predictions across several unique markets, including sports, entertainment, elections and even weather.
Also, Kalshi’s refer-a-friend program is a "win-win" for prediction market traders. By inviting a friend to the platform, both you and your friend receive a $25 credit once they meet the initial trading requirements.
Kalshi operates on a contract-based system where users buy "contracts" (priced between 1–99 cents) based on whether they believe a specific event will happen. The price of each contract fluctuates in real time based on market sentiment, and like the stock market, traders can sell positions early to lock in profits (or minimize losses).
