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06-16-2007, 05:44 PM
http://experts.covers.com/includes/article_ce.aspx?ce=14986&theArt=141980&t=0
Spurs, Mavs opening favorites
06/16/2007 - By: Stephen Nover | Archive
That sure didn’t take long.
The Mirage sportsbook in Las Vegas has come out with odds on who will win the 2007-08 NBA championship.
Guess who the co-favorites are? Hint: It’s not the Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies.
The defending champion San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks, which had the best regular-season record, each opened 7-2. The Phoenix Suns are next at 4-1.
It wouldn’t have been too much of a surprise if the Suns had opened with the shortest odds. Phoenix very well could have been crowned world champions if the NBA hadn’t suspended Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw for a home game during the Suns’ Western Conference semifinal series against the Spurs.
The Suns have a number of key stars in their prime such as Stoudemire and Steve Nash, while the Spurs are an aging club. As for the Mavericks, it remains to be seen if they will be shattered mentally after being shocked by the Golden State Warriors in the first-round of the postseason in perhaps the greatest series upset in NBA history.
It’s a crapshoot after the Spurs, Mavericks and Suns. The Mirage has the Miami Heat, another aging club, with the fourth-lowest odds at 8-1. The Heat have the advantage of playing in the much weaker Eastern Conference, but Shaquille O’Neal is wearing down and you have to wonder about Dwyane Wade’s durability.
Better value could come with a young rising team that has paid some playoff dues now. This is the Cleveland Cavaliers at 10-1 and Chicago Bulls at 15-1. These two clubs, rather than Miami and Detroit, figure to be the new powers in the East.
The Pistons are 15-1. Their window may have closed when they ran out of gas against the Cavaliers after building a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern finals.
If the Utah Jazz didn’t play in the West they would have value at 15-1. The Jazz reached the West finals with a young club whose key players still have upside.
The Houston Rockets are semi-intriguing at 15-1 – if Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming are able to stay healthy.
The oddsmakers at The Mirage don’t believe the Los Angeles Lakers are going to find much help for Kobe Bryant. They opened the Lakers 30-1. Golden State has lower opening odds than the Lakers at 22-1.
The linesmakers aren’t expecting Kevin Garnett to get any assistance in Minnesota either. They have the Timberwolves at 75-1.
The Hawks and Grizzlies have the highest odds. Each is at 150-1. That’s being kind. Their true odds should be around 800-1.
One long shot possibly worth considering is the Orlando Magic at 40-1. The Magic have a lot of money to spend and could make a move if landing the right players.
See More from Stephen Nover
Spurs, Mavs opening favorites
06/16/2007 - By: Stephen Nover | Archive
That sure didn’t take long.
The Mirage sportsbook in Las Vegas has come out with odds on who will win the 2007-08 NBA championship.
Guess who the co-favorites are? Hint: It’s not the Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies.
The defending champion San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks, which had the best regular-season record, each opened 7-2. The Phoenix Suns are next at 4-1.
It wouldn’t have been too much of a surprise if the Suns had opened with the shortest odds. Phoenix very well could have been crowned world champions if the NBA hadn’t suspended Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw for a home game during the Suns’ Western Conference semifinal series against the Spurs.
The Suns have a number of key stars in their prime such as Stoudemire and Steve Nash, while the Spurs are an aging club. As for the Mavericks, it remains to be seen if they will be shattered mentally after being shocked by the Golden State Warriors in the first-round of the postseason in perhaps the greatest series upset in NBA history.
It’s a crapshoot after the Spurs, Mavericks and Suns. The Mirage has the Miami Heat, another aging club, with the fourth-lowest odds at 8-1. The Heat have the advantage of playing in the much weaker Eastern Conference, but Shaquille O’Neal is wearing down and you have to wonder about Dwyane Wade’s durability.
Better value could come with a young rising team that has paid some playoff dues now. This is the Cleveland Cavaliers at 10-1 and Chicago Bulls at 15-1. These two clubs, rather than Miami and Detroit, figure to be the new powers in the East.
The Pistons are 15-1. Their window may have closed when they ran out of gas against the Cavaliers after building a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern finals.
If the Utah Jazz didn’t play in the West they would have value at 15-1. The Jazz reached the West finals with a young club whose key players still have upside.
The Houston Rockets are semi-intriguing at 15-1 – if Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming are able to stay healthy.
The oddsmakers at The Mirage don’t believe the Los Angeles Lakers are going to find much help for Kobe Bryant. They opened the Lakers 30-1. Golden State has lower opening odds than the Lakers at 22-1.
The linesmakers aren’t expecting Kevin Garnett to get any assistance in Minnesota either. They have the Timberwolves at 75-1.
The Hawks and Grizzlies have the highest odds. Each is at 150-1. That’s being kind. Their true odds should be around 800-1.
One long shot possibly worth considering is the Orlando Magic at 40-1. The Magic have a lot of money to spend and could make a move if landing the right players.
See More from Stephen Nover