Consider yourself the luckiest (or smartest) NBA betting fan in the world if you had the foresight to make a future book wager on the Heat at odds of 25/1. After opening at that generous price, Miami, now with perennial all-stars LeBron James and Chris Bosh joining resident top pro Dwayne Wade in SouthBeach, is a solid 7/4 favorite to capture the 2010-11 NBA Championship. The defending champion LA Lakers are a 3/1 second choice to earn their third consecutive NBA title.
It's of little surprise that Miami opened as the favorite. Not only are James, Wade and Bosh a most highly talented trio, but Heat management also seems to have surrounded them with the requisite number of role players. Of course, despite assurances from the trio of their willingness to share the ball, cohesiveness could be a problem, particularly early in the season.
Led by Kobe Bryant and some complimentary parts of their own, few expect the Lakers to give up their crown without a fight. LA has a strong outside/inside game and lots of playoff experience to try to hold up its end of a Heat-Lakers showdown.
With Miami and Los Angeles expected to dominate, you can get at least double digit future book odds on any of the NBA's other 28 teams.
In fact, the Heat and Lakers are so dominant within their respective Eastern and Western Conferences where each team is an odds-on favorite to advance to the championship final, that some books are offering future books on which team will finish second in each conference.
Back to NBA Championship future book betting odds, should the Heat or Lakers stumble, the Magic or Celtics seem best positioned to take advantage of an opening. Orlando, which at composite future book odds of 11/1 is a shorter price than Boston (12/1) at 10 of 15 sportsbooks surveyed, will be a tough out following back-to-back 59 win seasons and the return of all-star center Dwight Howard and a strong supporting cast. Boston, which extended the Lakers to seven games before losing last season's championship, has added a pair of O'Neals--Jermaine and Shaquille—to a solid core that includes emerging star point guard Rajon Rondo, as well as aging veterans Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. Do the Celtics have one more run? Yeah, probably.
It's going to be difficult to find future book odds of at least 20/1 on either the Bulls or the Thunder, a pair of young teams that are next in line on most NBA future book lists. Chicago, 16/1, cleared cap space to compete for the services of James, Bosh and even Wade but, in the end, landed none of them, instead settling for former Utah paint presence Carlos Boozer and 3-point threat Kyle Korver, as well as Memphis swingman Ronnie Brewer. The trio joins a solid core that features point guard Derrick Rose and small forward Loul Deng.
Oklahoma City, 18/1, is a team on the rise with Kevin Durant, the hero of America's World Championship Gold Medal winning team in Turkey this summer, Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green leading the way.
Dallas, Denver, Portland and San Antonio all are in the 25/1 to 33/1 range to win an NBA Championship next summer. Of the quartet, the Trail Blazers probably have the biggest upside, especially if Greg Oden, who was healthy enough to play just 21 games last year, can contribute defense and rebounding to a team that has scoring punch with Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge.
In addition to NBA Championship odds, most sportsbooks also are offering future book prices on which teams will win the Eastern and Western Conference titles. Miami is no higher than 4/5 to emerge from the East with Orlando, 5/1, and Boston, 11/2, eyeing the upset. LA is 9/10 to represent the West with Oklahoma City, 7/1, the top threat to end the Lakers' reign.
Many sportsbooks also have posted odds on which player will win the league's MVP Award and who will be named Rookie of the Year, as well as an over/under for each team's regular season victory total. Bryant, 11/4, Durant, 3/1, and James, 10/3, head the MVP odds list while Washington's John Wall, 6/5, is favored to be the top rookie over the LA Clippers' Blake Griffin, 11/4, Philadelphia's Evan Turner, 6/1, and Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins, 6/1.
As for regular season totals, the Heat, at 63 1/2, and the Lakers, at 59 1/2, lead the way with the Minnesota Timberwolves at the bottom of the list with a total of just 21 1/2.
The 2010-11 season won't tip-off until Oct. 26 but NBA betting fans can get involved now.
This article was written by Luken Karel for http://www.thegreek.com. The Greek Sportsbook & Casino is host to one of the top online sportsbooks offering college football betting and sports betting on NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and all other major sports. The Greek is a must have sports betting and entertainment portal with one of the largest wagering menus available online. Article reproductions must include a link pointing to http://www.thegreek.com
