The summer is over, and that means one thing to sports fans: the beginning of the NBA season. The schedule is set to tip off on October 28, with three games on opening night: Orlando vs. New Orleans; Dallas vs. San Antonio; and Houston vs. L.A. Lakers.
The Cleveland Cavaliers dominated the summer NBA discussions, and it’s not hard to figure out why. They followed up the return of LeBron James with a trade that brought one of the league’s best big men to town in Kevin Love. The new “Big 3” of James, Love, and Kyrie Irving is in place, making the Cavs the favorites to win the title.
Other teams are set to make a run as well, namely the Bulls, Wizards, Spurs, Clippers, and Thunder. The biggest surprise on the list may be the Wizards, but the team’s young, athletic core is ready to break out; it’s just a matter of when it happens.
As mentioned, the Cavs are the current favorites to hoist the trophy in 2015, with current odds of 3.50 at「Bovada」. The Spurs follow with odds of 4.50, followed by the Bulls at 6.50, the Thunder at 8.00, and the Clippers at 9.00. The Wizards are a bit further down at 34.00, but the team’s position as the third ranked team in the Eastern Conference makes it worthy of inclusion.
【Bovada: 2014-15 NBA Season Championship Winner Odds】
Eastern Conference
One thing is all but certain: we will not see a repeat of the Heat vs. Pacers for the conference title in 2015. The Heat lost LeBron James; enough said. The Pacers lost Paul George due to a gruesome injury over the summer, while Lance Stephenson left via free agency. Talent remains on each team, but both are facing long odds to remain competitive this season. The Heat currently sits at odds of 51.00 to win the title, while the Pacers are at 67.00.
The road to the Eastern Conference should go through Cleveland. It is expected that the conference favorite is the team that has LeBron James, as has generally been the case since he entered the league. The Bulls are just as talented, but Derrick Rose must stay healthy. The odds get a bit long after those two teams, so a Cavs vs. Bulls conference championship series could be in the cards.
【Bovada: 2014-15 NBA Season Eastern Conference Winner Odds】
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers are the current favorites to win the Eastern Conference, at odds of even money on「Bet Victor」.
【Bet Victor: 2014-15 NBA Season Eastern Conference Winner Odds】
Besides the reunion with James, the team also acquired one of the best big men in the league: Kevin Love. However, the team gave up the #1 overall pick, Andrew Wiggins, to get him, so there is definitely pressure to win now. The new Big 3 of James, Love, and Kyrie Irving may take time to mesh, but the individual talent of each should make the wait painless. As for individual honors, James is currently the favorite to take home the NBA MVP award, at odds of 1.83 on top bookmaker「Bovada」. Projected Record: 57-25
Chicago Bulls
It is pretty simple in Chi-town: the Bulls will go as far as Derrick Rose can take them. Rose won the MVP award in 2011, but he has played only 49 games since then. How good can he be? Even after barely playing for the last two years,「Bovada」lists him as the fourth choice for this year’s MVP award at odds of 16.00, behind only James, Kevin Durant, and Blake Griffin.
【Bovada: 2014-15 NBA Season MVP Winner Odds】
The team also added two-time NBA Champion Pau Gasol to the mix. The offense was non-existent for the Bulls last season, as they bowed out quietly in the first round of the playoffs at the hands of the Wizards. The team may not be as exciting as the Cavs are, but if its core players remain healthy, we could be in for an epic conference championship series. The Bulls are at odds of 6.50 to win the title according to「Bovada」. Projected Record: 55-27
Washington Wizards
「Bovada」currently lists the Wizards at odds of 13.00 to win the Eastern Conference, which represents a significant drop-off from the Cavaliers and Bulls. This team does have the talent to make a run, though. The Wizards qualified for the playoffs last season after a 5-year drought, thanks mainly to its young guards: John Wall and Bradley Beal. Wall is one of the best point guards in the league, and Beal is a 21-year-old blossoming star.
Unfortunately, Beal broke a bone in his wrist recently and will not be with the team until sometime in November. The team has the talent to stay afloat while he heals, but it cannot afford to get too far behind the big boys in the race for a high seed. The addition of Paul Pierce was genius, as his veteran presence should help the young core develop into a mature bunch that could be the NBA’s next dynasty. The only key loss was Trevor Ariza, and Pierce should more than fill his shoes. Projected Record: 50-32
Western Conference
There is no denying it: the West is the power conference. Last year, seven Western Conference teams won at least 50 games, while only two Eastern Conference teams accomplished the feat. The Toronto Raptors, the third seed in the East, finished with a record of 48-34, which would not have even qualified for the playoffs in the West.
Expect the big dogs to eat again this year, with the Spurs, Thunder, and Clippers dominating. According to「Bet Victor」, the Spurs are the current favorites in the West, with odds of 3.00, followed by the Thunder at 3.50 and the Clippers at 7.00. Of the 10 teams with the lowest odds to win the NBA title, seven are from the Western Conference.
【Bet Victor: 2014-15 NBA Season Championship Winner Odds】
San Antonio Spurs
The NBA Champion Spurs keep rolling along. Each year, experts predict that age and other teams will catch up to the Spurs. It’s time to face facts: Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili are only getting better with age, and the tale of their demise is greatly exaggerated. The team is the current favorite to win the West yet again, at odds of 3.00 on「Bovada」.
【Bovada: 2014-15 NBA Season Western Conference Winner Odds】
This team keeps winning not just because of its aging superstars, but because it has the young talent to keep the stars rested. NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard is primed to take on a bigger role, and the trio of Boris Diaw, Patty Mills, and Danny Green is good enough to be the core of any starting lineup, yet they fill complementary roles for the champs. Projected Record: 59-23
Oklahoma City Thunder
League MVP Kevin Durant seems to get better each year. If Russell Westbrook can stay healthy, this is probably the most talented team in the league, as evidenced by Bovada’s title odds for the team of 8.00. The bad news? Durant is set to miss up to two months after undergoing foot surgery in October. The loss of the league’s reigning scoring champion is a tough blow, but Westbrook is more than capable of keeping the team at the top until Durant returns.
Reggie Jackson has proven capable of filling in for Durant in the past, and he will be expected to do the same for the first part of the season. The team did not make many offseason moves, choosing instead to develop the roster it already has. After finishing fifth in PPG last season, the team should be primed for another run. The biggest concern is falling too far behind the Spurs during Durant’s absence, which could be a major factor in home court advantage during the playoffs. Projected Record: 56-26
【2013-14 NBA Season Team-By-Team Points Per Game】
※ Credit:「espn.com」
Los Angeles Clippers
On「Bet Victor」, the Clippers currently sit at odds of 11.00 to win the NBA Championship, and odds of 7.00 to take the Western Conference crown.
【Bet Victor: 2014-15 NBA Season Western Conference Winner Odds】
The Clippers are out from under the dark cloud of Donald Sterling and ready to break the chains of mediocrity. The team has won two division titles (2013, 2014), but it has failed the win a conference or NBA title.
The Clippers reside in what is probably the league’s strongest division, the Pacific, but without distraction, and with star players Chris Paul and Blake Griffin at the helm, the Clips are serious title contenders, even in the tough Western Conference. At nearly 108 points per game, the Clippers led the league in scoring last season, and this season should be no different. As a further note on just how explosive the West is, the top 11 scoring teams in the NBA last season were all from the Western Conference. Projected Record: 51-31
Putting it all Together
So, what does it all mean? Well, it means that the more things change, the more they stay the same, ultimately. The team that has LeBron James is going to feature the lowest odds when you place a wager. The San Antonio Spurs are going to be title contenders until Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker move on to the Hall of Fame. Even then, guys such as Kawhi Leonard are ready to step in and keep the dynasty rolling.
On the flip side, what also stays the same is the fact that teams such as the 76ers, Timberwolves, Jazz, Bucks, Kings, and Magic are not major threats to win a title anytime soon, with all being at or above odds of 151.00 on「Bet Victor」. That is the fun though; you just never know. A hunch play on a team that develops far quicker than anyone expected could have you sitting on a beach in Hawaii next summer.
