2009 Western Conference Betting Odds

Written April 16, 2009 by Jason Lowry

western-conference-basketball The Western Conference is once again loaded from top to bottom with solid teams all hoping to make a run for an NBA Championship. The first round matchups are set with the No.1 seeded Lakers taking on the No.8 seeded Jazz, the No.2 seeded Nuggets taking on the No.7 seeded Hornets, the No.3 seeded Spurs taking on the No.6 seeded Mavericks, and the No.4 seeded Blazers take on the No.5 seeded Rockets. While there are a number of great matchups, you have to love the first round matchup between the Hornets and Nuggets. To get you going on the upcoming playoff action, here is a quick look at the odds each team has to come out as the Western Conference Champions.

Favorite: Los Angeles Lakers -400

This is no surprise here, as the Lakers are easily the best team in this conference based of regular season play, and its hard to argue with a team that has the likes of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum. The Lakers will have home field advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs, but could be faced with having to win on the road when it comes to the Finals. The Lakers first round matchup with the Jazz is pretty much a sure in and I don’t think they will have trouble with either the Rockets or Blazers in the second round, but LA could have its hands full with whoever comes out on the bottom side of the Western Conference bracket, as it has the likes of the Spurs, Nuggets, and Hornets. Either way the Lakers are my favorites to make it out of the Western Conference, and anything else would be a complete surprise.

Middle of the Pack: Denver Nuggets +800, Houston Rockets +800, and Utah Jazz +800

I like the Nuggets and what Chauncey Billups has done for this team, but they have really struggled getting out of the first round in years past, and they have no easy task with the Hornets in the first round. I think Billups could bring some much needed playoff experience on how to win the big games, but the Nuggets have to play defense if they want to make it past the Lakers. The Rockets are a good story once again this year, with the way they finished without superstar Tracy McGrady, much like last year when they were forced to play without Yao Ming, but I don’t think this team has much of a fight without McGrady in the postseason. As for the Jazz , this is a very good basketball team, and could very well beat a number of other teams not named the Lakers in the first round, but unfortantley that’s who they play, and their playoff run will be short lived.

Long Shots: San Antonio Spurs +1000, Portland Trail Blazers +1000, New Orleans Hornets +1300, and Dallas Mavericks +2500

There are some very interesting teams here with some excellent odds to pull off the upset and make it to the finals. If the Spurs were at full strength and had Manu Ginobili in the lineup this team would be a scary team to face in the playoffs, but without Ginobili they look old and slow, and that won’t get it done in the playoffs. The Trail Blazers could be the future of the Western Conference with all the young talent they have, and this team will go as far as Brandon Roy takes them. The Hornets have to be the sleeper team, as they have one of, if not the best point guard in the game today in Chris Paul. If the Hornets can get it clicking like they did last year, this team could be primed to make a few huge upsets this postseason. Finally the Mavericks could upset the Spurs in the first round, but this team plays no defense, and that just won’t cut it in the playoffs.

For those of you looking for a little NBA betting help this postseason, check out our expert NBA picks and the latest NBA odds from Betfirms.

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