posted October 22, 2009 at 15:43 EST in NBA Articles
NBA - Western Conference Championship Odds and Preview
Injuries aside, the power in the NBA no doubt once again is in the Western Conference. Although the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic are both solid teams in the East, there’s no doubt, in a lot of NBA fan’s minds, the Boston Celtics are the team to beat in the East. Even if NBA bettors believe that Cleveland and Orlando can challenge the Celtics, nobody believes that there is a team in the East outside the big three that can contend.
Turn to the Western Conference and things look different to most basketball betting fans. There are 4 or 5 teams that could challenge for the Western Conference Championship. From my perspective, there are only two teams that really have a shot to win the NBA Championship from the Western Conference.
Before I get to those two teams, let’s take a look at why some of the so-called contenders in the Western Conference to win the NBA Championship are pretenders. I’ve listed their basketball odds next to their names.
Western Conference Pretenders to win the NBA Championship
1. Denver Nuggets +1500 - - There’s nothing wrong with Denver. They made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals last season. Its point guard Chauncey Billups second season with the Nuggets. They still have Carmelo Anthony. They resigned 6th man superstar Chris Andersen. There’s nothing wrong with the Nuggets other than they failed to improve while both the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs both improved greatly. So, the second best team in the Western Conference last season is now the third best team in the Western Conference because they sat on their butts and didn’t make any changes while the Lakers and Spurs did.
2. Dallas Mavericks +2500 - - The Mavericks did make a move that could put them ahead of Denver as they acquired Shawn Marion. Marion will definitely help bring some speed to this team. They now have Dirk Nowitzki, who can be as good as any player in the NBA outside of a couple of fellas named Kobe and LeBron, and also have depth at the guard positions. They will be good early, but like Shaq in Cleveland, Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, and some of other veterans figure to break down as the year wears on.
3. Utah Jazz +2200 - - I love the Carlos Boozer/Deron Williams connection, but I can’t really endorse a team that still hasn’t learned how to win on the road. Like Denver, the Jazz just didn’t improve enough to be considered for a basketball bet to win the NBA Championship. They didn’t add a single player that could help them improve their position during the regular season or help them in the playoffs.
4. Portland Trailblazers +2000 - - If the Trailblazers were going off at +4000 instead of +2000, they might be worth a bet but at the NBA odds being offered on this team, there isn’t a whole lot to like. Sure, they have a ton of talent, but so do the Lakers and Spurs. And the Lakers and Spurs have proven talent while the Blazers have Brandon Roy, a still unsettled Greg Oden, and the underrated, yet non-dominant, LeMarcus Aldridge. That’s not going to get them far when the going gets ultra-tough in the NBA Western Conference Playoffs.
5. New Orleans Hornets +4000 - - The Hornets don’t really have enough to win the NBA Championship, but after the Lakers and the Spurs, they are the best basketball bet on the board from the Western Conference. Chris Paul can be absolutely dominant and Emeka Okafor is the type of player that could really help Paul’s game. Morris Peterson and David West are both underrated and Darren Collison is going to make for a more than decent back-up to Chris Paul. There is a lot to like about this team and even though they are a pretender they are worth a long look because of the excellent odds on them.
Western Conference Contenders to win the NBA Championship
1. Los Angeles Lakers +220 - - With the exception of Jimmie Johnson winning the Sprint Cup Chase (+120) , I can’t think of another bet being offered in the sportsbook that makes more sense than to pretty much dump on the Lakers to repeat as NBA Champions in the 2009-2010 NBA Season. The Lakers are loaded. Not only did they keep some of the key players from last year’s championship run, like Shannon Brown and Lamar Odom, but they also signed Ron Artest. Yes, they let Trevor Ariza go, but Artest for Ariza, which is what the signing ultimately ended up being, is a no brainer.
Artest is one of the best players in the NBA. When his head is right, Ron Artest can easily put up 30 and 15 and there’s no better defensive player in the Western Conference. The scariest thing about the Lakers is that they are young, and improving on their 2008-2009 NBA Championship run should be expected. They’re a lock unless injuries hit… 70 wins is not out of the question.
2. San Antonio Spurs +900 - - If injuries DO hit LA, then the team to take the Lakers place are the San Antonio Spurs. The NBA odds on the Spurs are much higher than I thought they would be. They were at +1000 at one time, I believe, and have gone down to 9 to 1, but because there doesn’t appear to be another challenger in the Western Conference to the Lakers. To me, the Spurs odds should be lower.
They get Manu Ginobili back and healthy and they acquired Richard Jefferson. The two swingmen will be a perfect compliment to the already fantastic Tim Duncan and one of the best point guards in the NBA, Tony Parker. Should the Lakers suffer a catastrophic injury or two, the Spurs have a good shot to not only win the Western Conference but also the NBA Championship.
