2009 NBA Finals Betting Odds
Written April 15, 2009 by Jason Lowry
The NBA Playoffs are just a few days away as the regular season is quickly coming to an end, and that means its time to start looking at potential matchups and teams who have a legit shot at winning the NBA Finals. While the Western Conference is easily better when you look at the 8 teams in the playoffs compared to the 8 teams out of the Eastern Conference, the East is strong at the top, as the Celtics showed last year when they took out the Lakers in the Finals. The Lakers once again look like the class of the West, but nearly every team in the conference could get hot and pull off a huge upset. In the East it looks like it’s the Cavaliers to lose, but you can’t count out the Celtics and Magic just yet. Here is a quick look at the odds for each team in the playoffs to win the NBA Championship.
Favorites: Los Angeles Lakers +125, Cleveland Cavaliers +160, Boston Celtics +450
No surprises here, as you had to guess the Lakers and Cavs were going to be odds on favorites to come out of each division, but the Celtics are a scary team for both of these top teams, as they are the defending champions. The one problem for the Celtics is no body knows what to expect out of Kevin Garnett, as he hasn’t played much at all lately, but even if he can come back at 90% the Celtics will be a very tough out for any team in the playoffs.
Middle of the Pack: Orlando Magic +1500, San Antonio Spurs +2000, Utah Jazz +2000, Portland Trailblazers +2000, Houston Rockets +2000, Denver Nuggets +2000, and New Orleans Hornets +3000
Here is where the Western Conference shows its dominance, as they just have so many teams right in the thick of things. One team you can pretty much cross of the list is the Jazz, as you can bet the bank they don’t get by the Lakers in the first round. I am not a big fan of the Spurs or the Rockets to win it all this year, as the Rockets are going to miss McGrady in the big games, while the Spurs look to old to compete with the best of the west. I do however think the Nuggets and Hornets should be taken very seriously in the playoffs, as you can’t question the ability of Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups to carry their respective teams. Denver is a great value pick if you are looking for a team that can win it all with some pretty good odds for your money, cause if they get hot I don’t care who they play they can beat any team in the Western or Eastern Conference. As for the Magic and Trailblazers, I think both of these teams are going to get out of the first round, but it will end shortly after. The Magic likely don’t have what it takes to get by the Celtics and the Trailblazers likely the same for whoever they face. I do however like the future of both the Magic and Blazers, as I think these two teams will be a force in their respective conferences for years to come.
Long Shots: Miami Heat +5000, Atlanta Hawks +6000, Dallas Mavericks +6000, Detroit Pistons +10000, Philadelphia 76ers +10000, Chicago Bulls +10000
Lets be honest the chances for any of these teams to win the Finals is slim to none, as the teams at the top are just so good. Either the Heat or Hawks will be going home in the first round, as they face each other in the opening round. The Mavericks could pull off an opening round upset, but its unlikely they make a deep run in this thing. For both the 76ers and Bulls it’s about getting their young talent playoff experience, while the Pistons look loss without Billups running the show. If any team out of this group is going to surprise everyone it will be the Heat, as Dwayne Wade is the type of player that can single handedly carry a team in a series.
For all your NBA playoff betting be sure to check out our expert NBA picks and stay on top of the game with the latest NBA odds from Betfirms.
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- 2009 Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Finals Betting Odds
- 2009 Orlando Magic NBA Finals Betting Odds
- 2009 Atlanta Hawks NBA Finals Betting Odds
- 2009 Boston Celtics NBA Finals Betting Odds
- 2009 Los Angeles Lakers NBA Finals Betting Odds
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