NBA championship odds 2020: How trade deadline affected Celtics' title chances

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Was the Boston Celtics' best move the one they didn't make?

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge referenced Red Auerbach's famous line Thursday night while explaining Boston's decision to stand pat ahead of the 2020 NBA trade deadline.

But the Celtics' competitors were very active: The Miami Heat added Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill; the Philadelphia 76ers picked up Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III; and the Los Angeles Clippers brought in Marcus Morris (to name a few of Thursday's notable deals).

LIVE stream the Celtics all season and get the latest news and analysis on all of your teams from NBC Sports Boston by downloading the My Teams App.

So, where does Boston stand in the NBA's new pecking order? Here are SuperBook USA's updated odds to win the 2020 NBA championship as of Thursday afternoon:

The Celtics own 20/1 odds to win the title, fifth best in the league and third in the Eastern Conference behind the Milwaukee Bucks and Heat.

Boston's odds have actually lengthened slightly from late December, when it was pegged at 16/1 odds. The C's have battled a slew of injuries since then but have managed to stay afloat, boasting a 35-15 record through 50 games that's good for third in the East behind Milwaukee and Toronto.

The Los Angeles Lakers stayed quiet at the deadline but are outright favorites to win the title, despite the Bucks owning the league's best record at 44-7.

Milwaukee leads the Celtics' stiff competition in the East, as the Heat, Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers all have 30/1 odds or shorter to win it all.

Don't miss NBC Sports Boston's coverage of Hawks-Celtics, which begins Friday at 6:30 p.m. with Celtics Pregame Live followed by tip-off at 7:30 p.m. You can also stream the game on the MyTeams App.

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