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Ricky Rothstein
NBA Betting Futures: Championship Contenders
With the NFL season and Super Bowl XLIV now in the books (belated congrats to the New Orleans Saints, by the way), it’s time to start shifting our sports betting focus elsewhere. And where better to start than on the hardwood? Right now, the Sports Interaction online sportsbook has a plethora of NBA futures bets available, including the 2009/10 NBA Championship.
Right now, the favourites are the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers (3.00). The Lakers have the best record in the Western Conference at 39-13 and appear to be just as strong — if not stronger — than the team that defeated the Orlando Magic in last year’s NBA Finals. Led by all-word Kobe Bryant and his 28.0 points per game average, the Lakers can score, defend and have unreal depth. Four Lakers average at least 10 points per game — Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Ron Artest — while four more average at least seven (Lamar Odom, Shannon Brown, Jordan Farmar and Derek Fisher).
Right behind the Lakers are the Cleveland Cavaliers (4.00). Anytime the Cavs are mentioned, the conversation usually starts and stops with LeBron James, but this year’s team is actually a fairly well-rounded unit. The Cavs are in the midst of a 10-game winning streak and hold the NBA’s best overall record, at 41-11. While three players do the majority of their scoring (James at 29.8 ppg, Mo Williams at 16.9, Shaquille O’Neal at 11.9), the Cavs are similar to the Lakers in that contributions come from a variety of different guys. Anderson Varejao, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Delonte West, JJ Hickson, Anthony Parker, Daniel Gibson and Jamario Moon all chip in with at least five points a night, and the big-man combo of O’Neal-Varejao-Ilgauskas might be the deepest rotation in the league.
After Cleveland, it’s the Boston Celtics (5.50). The Celts aren’t the dominant, defensive-oriented club that captured the NBA championship in 2008, but they’re still a force to be reckoned with. Their 32-17 record is only the fifth best in the league, but Boston is still a veteran squad loaded with big-game experience. Most impressive is the Celtics’ starting five — not a one scores more than 18.7 points per game, but they all score around 11 per. This has also been a breakout year for PG Rajon Rondo, who made his first NBA All-Star game on the strength of his 9.8 assists per game, third best in the league.
The rest of the contenders:
- Orlando 10.00
- San Antonio 12.00
- Denver 13.00
- Dallas 19.00
- Atlanta 23.00
- Phoenix 31.00
- Utah 41.00
- Portland 41.00
- Miami 61.00
- Houston 71.00
- Toronto 71.00
- Chicago 101.00
- New Orleans 101.00
- Oklahoma 101.00
- Charlotte 121.00
- Milwaukee 151.00
- Memphis 176.00
- L A Clippers 276.00
- Detroit 301.00
- Philadelphia 326.00
- Washington 376.00
- New York 401.00
- Indiana 401.00
If you’d like to check out this type of NBA betting or more basketball futures betting, head on over to Sports Interaction’s online sportsbook today!
