Updated 2011 NBA Finals Odds: Miami Heat Favored By Oddsmakers
By Drew Sharper
The 2010-11 NBA Season gets underway on Tuesday and here is a breakdown of the updated odds to win this season’s NBA Championship.
The Miami Heat are the favorite to win the title this year and have 6/5 odds to win according to online sports book Sportsbook.com. Other short odds to win are the L.A. Lakers (3/2), Orland Magic (9/1), and Boston Celtics (10/1).
The Heat are favored due to their addition of LeBron James and Chris Bosh to the roster to join Dwayne Wade. The trio have garnered a lot of hype during the offseason, but only Wade has a championship ring to his credit. Wade has spent most of the preseason injured with a hamstring problem as the Heat went 2-4.
The Lakers are the two-time defending champions and a third-straight might cement Kobe Bryant as the greatest Laker of all-time and put him in the discussion with Michael Jordan as the best player of all time. The Lakers didn’t lose any key parts of the roster and added Matt Barnes to the team to help with depth.
Orlando won the Eastern Conference two years ago but were defeated by Boston in the conference finals last season. The Magic have largely the same roster as last season but are expecting more offensive production from center Dwight Howard. The Magic went 7-0 in the preseason.
Boston lost in seven games to the Lakers in the NBA Finals last year. This veteran group lost Rasheed Wallace to retirement but added Shaquille O’Neal to the bench to help with their frontcourt. Many feel that the Celtics have the talent to contend with Miami for the East title.
For complete odds on winning the 2011 NBA Finals for each team, see below.
Odds to win the 2011 NBA Finals
Miami Heat 6/5
Los Angeles Lakers 3/2
Orlando Magic 9/1
Boston Celtics 10/1
Oklahoma City Thunder 11/1
Chicago Bulls 14/1
Dallas Mavericks 18/1
San Antonio Spurs 20/1
Utah Jazz 25/1
Portland Trailblazers 25/1
Houston Rockets 30/1
Atlanta Hawks 40/1
Phoenix Suns 40/1
New Orleans Hornets 40/1
Milwaukee Bucks 40/1
Washington Wizards 50/1
Charlotte Bobcats 60/1
Memphis Grizzlies 80/1
Philadelphia 76ers 100/1
New Jersey Nets 100/1
Cleveland Cavaliers 100/1
Los Angeles Clippers 100/1
Indiana Pacers 100/1
Detroit Pistons 100/1
Golden State Warriors 100/1
Sacramento Kings 125/1
Toronto Raptors 200/1
Minnesota Timberwolves 200/1
2011 NBA Eastern Conference Odds To Win – Heat Favored By Oddsmakers
By Drew Sharper
The Miami Heat are already considered the best in the Eastern Conference, but what are their odds to win the 2011 East title?
Miami is the favorite to win the East this year and have 1/2 odds to win according to online sports book BroburySports.com. Other short odds to win are Boston (2/1), Orlando (2/1), and Chicago (6/1).
With the formation of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh to the Miami Heat roster, it is hard to ignore that they have the best talent in the East, at least in terms of a starting five. The issue for Miami this year could be with injuries, as Wade is already dealing with a hamstring problem, and LeBron also missed time due to an injury.
Boston is the defending Eastern Conference champion and the Celtics added Shaquille O’Neal to the team to replace the retired Rasheed Wallace. The Celtics have a solid roster, but many of the key players are a year older and a year slower. Injuries will be a big key to their season as well.
Orlando hasn’t made many changes from a team that lost in the conference finals last year. Dwight Howard is expected to step up and be more productive on offense while Jameer Nelson is also expected to shine. However, Vince Carter is a year older and slower as well, and he has been productive for Orlando the past few years.
Chicago has a young and talented roster and they added Carlos Boozer to the team during the offseason. The Bulls are led by Derek Rose and Joakim Noah while also having Luol Deng in the mix.
For complete odds on winning the 2011 Eastern Conference for each team, see below.
Odds to win the 2011 Eastern Conference
Miami Heat 1/2
Boston Celtics 2/1
Orlando Magic 2/1
Chicago Bulls 6/1
Milwaukee Bucks 20/1
Atlanta Hawks 20/1
New York Knicks 28/1
Washington Wizards 30/1
Charlotte Bobcats 35/1
Philadelphia 76ers 50/1
Detroit Pistons 60/1
Cleveland Cavaliers 75/1
Indiana Pacers 80/1
Toronto Raptors 150/1
2011 NBA Western Conference Odds To Win – Lakers Favored By Oddsmakers
By Drew Sharper
The defending NBA Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, are still considered the class of the Western Conference for this season, but what are their odds to win the West?
L.A. is the favorite to win the West this year and has 4/5 odds to win according to online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com. Other short odds to win the West are Oklahoma City (6/1), and Dallas (13/2).
The Lakers are the two-time defending Western Conference and NBA Champions. The roster is largely intact from last season with the addition of Matt Barnes to the roster. Kobe Bryant is seeking his second three-peat in his career in terms of NBA titles, which would match Michael Jordan.
The Thunder are a rising team thanks mostly to the play of Kevin Durant. Durant is in his third year with the team and just signed a new extension to stay with the Thunder. Durant is getting a lot of hype to be the 2010-11 MVP this season. He also has Morris Peterson and Russell Westbrook aiding his efforts.
Dallas has been an underwhelming team over the years, appearing in just one NBA Finals despite having one of the most talented teams in the league year-in and year-out. This season, Dirk Nowitzki will have Shawn Marion, Caron Butler, and Tyson Chandler joining him.
For complete odds on winning the 2011 Western Conference for each team, see below.
Odds to win the 2011 Western Conference
Los Angeles Lakers 4/5
Oklahoma City Thunder 6/1
Dallas Mavericks 13/2
Portland Blazers 10/1
San Antonio Spurs 10/1
Denver Nuggets 12/1
Houston Rockets 12/1
Utah Jazz 12/1
Phoenix Suns 23/1
Memphis Grizzlies 25/1
Los Angeles Clippers 25/1
New Orleans Hornets 30/1
Golden State Warriors 100/1
Sacramento Kings 100/1
Minnesota T-Wolves 100/1