Should You Bet on the Portland Trail Blazers to win the 2026 NBA Finals?
The Portland Trailblazers have a roster full of young talent with a couple of veterans sprinkled in to provide good building blocks for the franchise.
Portland has handled business against the bottom teams in the NBA most of the season and is in position to make the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2021 if the Blazers can navigate the Play-in Tournament.
As the No. 8 seed in the West, the Blazers will play at the Phoenix Suns for the right to earn the No. 7 seed in the playoffs and a matchup against the San Antonio Spurs. If they lose, they will host either the Los Angeles Clippers or Golden State Warriors with the winner earning the No. 8 seed and a first-round date with the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
This young team has flashed plenty of potential at times this season, but are they worth backing to make some noise in the playoffs?
Portland Trail Blazers to Win Western Conference?
The Blazers are expected to navigate the Play-in Tournament with two opportunities to win a game and make the main field. They have a 73.6% chance to advance per the ESPN Power Index.
However, they’re 4-point underdogs at the Suns Tuesday and could therefore be playing against a veteran Clippers or Warriors team for the right to face off with the Thunder.
Frankly, the Blazers have no shot to beat the Thunder and might be implied for a sweep in that series. The Blazers would have a better chance to upset the Spurs, but would still be underdogs with an implied 5-game loss in that series.
Portland has no reliable offense outside of Deni Avdija’s relentless attacking style. While that has produced good shots and free throw attempts in the regular season, the playoffs are a different animal in the NBA. Good teams have walled up Avdija, which is a big reason the Blazers are 16-33 against teams with winning records.
The Spurs and Thunder are both uniquely positioned to stop Avdija from driving with two of the best rim protectors (Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren) on their respective rosters.
While the Blazers (+1400) have shorter odds than the Clippers (+2400) or Warriors (+2500) to pull off a first-round upset, that is most likely due to their superior position in the Play-in Tournament rather than their chances to actually win a series.
Best Odds: Portland Trail Blazers to win Western Conference
Portland Trail Blazers to Win NBA Finals?
As implied by playoff projections at basketball-reference.com, the Blazers have a 0.1% chance to win the Western Conference, and even that might be generous.
This team is 3-7 against the top three seeds in the West this year and those wins came early in the season with rest advantages or other extenuating circumstances. Portland gave up 157 points in a home loss to Denver in February, so even if they upset the Spurs or Thunder, they probably couldn’t slow down a talented and experienced Nuggets of Minnesota Timberwolves squad.
They have the longest odds (+40000) among Western Conference teams to make the NBA Finals and that is for good reason. The Blazers aren’t worth backing this year.
Best Odds: Portland Trail Blazers to win NBA Finals
Photo Credit: AP/David Zalubowski
