NBA title odds: Phoenix Suns lag behind Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, others

The Phoenix Suns are an NBA best 20-4 on the season (tied with the Golden State Warriors).

They are the defending Western Conference Champions.

And they are fifth in odds to win the NBA title.

That make sense to you?

Phoenix is +900 to win the 2021-22 NBA championship, according to Tipico Sportsbook.

The Brooklyn Nets are the favorite at +250.

The Warriors are second at +550, with the defending champions Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers tied for third at +750.

The Suns are just ahead of the Utah Jazz, who are at +1000.

The Nets are currently an Eastern Conference best 16-7 on the season, while the Bucks are 16-9.

The Lakers are just 12-12 and the Jazz are 16-7.

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2021-22 NBA title projections

FiveThirtyEight.com is higher on the team's title odds, putting its chance of winning the NBA Finals at 15%, second-best in the league.

Only the Bucks, at 30%, are given a better chance.

The Jazz are at 14% in that site's projections, with the Nets at 10%.

It is nowhere near as high on the Lakers' title hopes, giving LeBron James and company just a 0.3% current chance at the championship.

Basketball Reference's Playoff Probabilities Report gives the Warriors a 54.1% chance wo win the NBA Finals, with the Jazz second at 15.5%.

The Suns are third, at 7.7%, with the Chicago Bulls fourth at 5.2% and the Bucks fifth at 3.3%.

It has the Nets at 3.2%.

ESPN's Basketball Power Index is not high on the Suns' title chances right now.

It gives Phoenix a 2.3% shot at winning the championship, with Utah the favorite at 39.4% and Golden State second at 35.9%.

The Bucks (7.1%), Miami Heat (4.3%) and Nets (2.5%) are also higher than the Suns.

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No respect for Suns

Do you think the Suns should be getting more respect in the odds and projections to win the 2021-22 NBA title?

They have impressed on the court so far this season, but it evidently hasn't impressed some oddsmakers and projections.

Phoenix has wins over the Nets, Lakers and Warriors already this season, and in our opinion, should have title odds that reflect that.

They should especially have higher odds that the Lakers, shouldn't they?

The Lakers have Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and others, but how can anyone look at the way they are playing right now and think they have a better chance at the title than the Suns?

The Suns' NBA title odds and NBA championship projections should see a big improvement if the team continues to win, just like last season.

And we know how close the Suns came to the title last season.

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More: Arizona Republic's NBA power rankings: Suns, Warriors still 1-2 after splitting 2 matchups

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: NBA title odds: Should Phoenix Suns be higher after red-hot start?