We can barely contain our excitement — NBA basketball tips off on Wednesday, Oct. 25! While the betting activity on the opening night games will undoubtedly be massive, the days leading up to Tuesday will be dominated by the preseason futures market. Today, we will take a look at the 2023-24 NBA Finals odds and break down our best bets, top sleepers, and favorite long shots to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy. As you could probably guess, the usual suspects comprise the NBA's most heavily bet championship teams, with the Nuggets, Suns, Celtics, Warriors, Bucks, Lakers, and Heat leading the way. We almost went with the Celtics ($5.50) as the best bet after Brad Stevens' MasterClass offseason gifted Boston the best six-man rotation in hoops. However, we ultimately shied away given Boston's short odds, injury risks, and questionable front-court depth. The Nuggets remain a better overall team with the best overall player, and they deserve to be the odds-on leader in the clubhouse. What changed from four months ago? Mike Malone's squad lost Swiss Army knife Bruce Brown and added three-point shooter Justin Holiday. Beyond that, Denver's running it back. Count out Mike Malone's squad at your own risk. Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and the Nugs' supporting cast proved last season that doubters help fuel this team's internal fire. We already saw huge improvements from veteran Aaron Gordon and rookie Christian Braun during Denver's Finals run. Imagine if Michael Porter Jr. finally reaches his full potential as a lethal three-and-D star? The Nugs emerged victorious in June in spite of MPJ's struggles. If he had played better, they might have swept all four postseason series. Jokic makes everyone around him better at all times. Malone is a hell of a coach and has every last bit of this organization bought into a culture of winning. Everyone plays defense, crashes boards, and pushes tempo. They also don't "load manage" because this franchise understands the importance of home court in the playoffs, especially in the mile-high altitude. All said, Denver went 44-8 at Ball Arena in 2022-23. We'll say it again: Bet against this team at your own risk.