Knicks have 2nd-best title odds after taking 3-1 lead over Celtics

The Knicks became the favorite to win the Eastern Conference (+120) and moved to the second-best odds to win the championship (+500) after earning a 3-1 series lead over the Celtics on Monday.

New York opened its series against Boston as a +500 underdog on theScore Bet/ESPN Bet and is now -600 to advance, while the Celtics are +400. Following the loss, Boston jumped from +200 to +2500 to win the title.

Practically nobody believed in the Knicks after they scraped by the physically imposing and less-talented Pistons. The Celtics garnered more bets to advance to the conference finals than any other team in the second round. However, the Pistons unlocked the Knicks' identity, forcing them to match their toughness.

New York sacrificed defense for offense when it traded for Karl-Anthony Towns and placed him at center. The Knicks' defense was around the league average - a rarity for a Tom Thibodeau-led group - during the regular season, but their offense was in the top five.

That has flipped this postseason, as New York's offense has been worse, while its defense has been better. Although the Knicks' offense was brilliant in Game 4, their playoff identity has differed from who they were for the majority of the season, leading to a successful run throughout an especially physical postseason.

Jalen Brunson's late-game heroics are the headline - he has 301 fourth-quarter points this postseason, 27 more than Nikola Jokic, who's scored the second most - but the Knicks have received contributions across their roster. Game 4 exemplified that. Brunson exploded for 39 points, while Towns, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges each scored 20 or more. Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson created extra possessions by crashing the glass on offense. New York grabbed 38% of its misses.

The Knicks didn't soar up the oddsboard simply because they're up 3-1. Thirteen teams in NBA history have erased a 3-1 deficit to emerge victorious; five were in the last decade. Boston's outlook became particularly bleak when Jayson Tatum left the fourth quarter of Game 4 with a serious leg injury.

The Celtics already faced an uphill battle to climb back in the series, but that's now a monumental task, assuming Tatum will be out for the remainder of the postseason. Jaylen Brown has struggled against New York's wing defenders, shooting 37% from the field and 22% from 3-point range. He'll carry a larger load with even more defensive attention on him in Game 5. Kristaps Porzingis is playing some of the worst basketball of his career as he deals with an undiagnosed illness. He's averaging five points and four rebounds this series and is 3-for-22 from three this postseason.

The Celtics didn't appear built to beat the Knicks at full strength and certainly aren't equipped to without their All-NBA superstar.

However, according to oddsmakers, the Celtics have shorter odds to come back from 3-1 and win the series than the Knicks did entering Game 1.

The Pacers have a 3-1 lead over the injury-riddled Cavaliers in the other Eastern Conference semifinal matchup. Indiana is +200 to win the East and +900 to win the Finals. The future prices imply the Knicks would be favored in a conference-finals showdown against the Pacers, a rematch of last year's second-round matchup that lasted seven games. But both teams must earn a spot there first.

Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X @soshtry for more betting coverage.