{"id":2068043,"date":"2026-07-29T19:23:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T16:23:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2068043"},"modified":"2026-07-29T19:23:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T16:23:45","slug":"sixers-still-behind-knicks-celtics-in-eastern-conference-win-total-odds-despite-adding-lebron","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2068043","title":{"rendered":"Sixers still behind Knicks, Celtics in Eastern Conference win total odds despite adding LeBron"},"content":{"rendered":"
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LeBron James joining the Philadelphia 76ers caused a shift in the hierarchy of the Eastern Conference, but there\u2019s reason to think the newly built 76ers won\u2019t hit the ground running in the regular season.<\/p>\n

While the 76ers are third or fourth in the odds to win the NBA Finals<\/a> next year, depending on the sportsbook, the outlook for the regular season is a touch less positive. The 76ers win total line currently sits at only 50.5 on various sportsbooks, and is even as low as 48.5 on FanDuel. That puts Philly not only behind the Western Conference powerhouses of the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, but also behind the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics in the East.
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\nThe Thunder and Spurs are the clear favorites to win the NBA Finals in 2027 and have projected win totals hovering around 60. The Knicks have the top number in the East at 52.5 (53.5 on DraftKings), and the Celtics come in next at 51.5.<\/p>\n

This variance, as senior director of basketball trading at Fanatics Josh Byrne explains, is due to a different philosophical view when it comes to the regular season as opposed to the playoffs.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe project Philly\u2019s ceiling to be higher, but Boston\u2019s floor is stronger,\u201d Byrne said. \u201cThe win total market prices 82 games, not a playoff series. Boston\u2019s core is younger and healthier, while Philly\u2019s number carries real games-played risk on both (Joel) Embiid and a 41-year-old LeBron, plus the integration cost from bolting two stars onto a new roster. If Philly\u2019s stars all play 70-plus games, they blow past 50.5 \u2014 but that\u2019s a big if.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 76ers also added 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown to a roster with future Hall of Famer Joel Embiid, All-Star Tyrese Maxey and first-team all-rookie guard VJ Edgecombe. They were at 48.5 wins on BetMGM and DraftKings before signing LeBron, which bumped that number to 50.5.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s certainly upside beyond that number, but we also have to account for the realities of an 82-game season, including LeBron\u2019s age and Embiid\u2019s injury history,\u201d said Johnny Avello, the director of sports operations at DraftKings. \u201cCome playoff time, though, Philadelphia\u2019s star power gives them a championship ceiling that\u2019s reflected in the Finals odds.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Why LeBron James couldn’t retire<\/div>\n
Shakeia Taylor and Jeshua Kidd<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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