NBA Playoff Race Update: The Raptors and Celtics Officially Punch Their Tickets

Western Conference - Sure Things

(1) Houston Rockets (51-13, 100.0%)
(2) Golden State Warriors (51-14, 100.0%)

You would think that there would be more "sure things" in the Western Conference, but there is such a logjam from 3rd to 10th (more on that in the next slide) that we're left with just two teams.

The interesting thing in this tier, however, is that the Rockets look like a legitimate threat to the Warriors. Per our algorithm, the two teams have a nearly equal shot at the championship, with the Warriors' title odds coming in at 26.4% and the Rockets at 24.8%.