The Boston Celtics are viewed by most as the favorite to win the Eastern Conference and return to the NBA Finals, but Dwight Howard is predicting that they will fall victim to a stunning upset.
During the latest episode of the “DH12 Above the Rim” podcast, Howard confidently predicted that the Orlando Magic will beat the Celtics in the first round. The eight-time All-Star believes his former team can — and will — pull off a major upset because Paolo Banchero will create too much of a matchup problem for Boston.
Howard’s co-hosts were in disbelief, but he was not deterred.
Dwight Howard is predicting the Magic beat the Celtics in a 7 game series 😳
— Sports Legacy (@Sports_Legacyy) April 20, 2025
(Via @DH12abovetherim) pic.twitter.com/novOm4IIcH
To give you an idea of how big of an upset that would be, consider that most sportsbooks have the Celtics listed as around a -8000 favorite to beat the Magic in the opening round. That means you would have to risk $80 for a chance to win $1 if you wanted to beat on Jayson Tatum and company to get the job done.
Boston is also the favorite to win the Eastern Conference at around -150. The Magic have the worst odds of any of the eight teams in the field. A $10 bet on Orlando to reach the NBA Finals would return around $5,000.
Howard seemed like he was very serious, but he probably knows that is the type of hot take that will generate attention for his podcast. Even if he thinks the Celtics will have some issues defending Banchero, almost no one believes the Magic have a chance to defeat the defending NBA champions in a seven-game series. Howard has to know how remarkable of a feat that would be.
