For better or worse the Miami Heat have assembled superstar studded lineup for the 2010-11 NBA season and the entire sporting world, online wager odds makers included.
On paper there is little to argue about. By signing the best basketball player in the world (LeBron James) and the best Power Forward on the planet (Chris Bosh) to sign with Dwayne Wade (one of the top three players anywhere in the world), Pat Riley and has staff have created an NBA Frankenstein the likes of which the sporting world has never seen.And, on paper at least, this is the best team in the league and should dominate the online wagering competition in the NBA.
The online wager sites agree whole-heartedly and have made the Heat the early favorite to claim the NBA title. By a wide margin the Heat are expected to knock-off the two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.
Before a ball has been tipped or a whistle has been blown in the upcoming season the Heat are favored 2:1 to win the NBA Finals in 2011. The Lakers are second on the board with 4:1 odds in the online wager competition.
Beyond these two teams the talent and expectations drop off dramatically. The Heat and the Lakers are obvious class of the upcoming NBA season and it’s an almost certainty that one of these two teams will carry away the trophy in June.
However, if there’s a team that can knock off one of these two juggernauts it will likely be the Orlando Magic or the Boston Celtics. These two teams are the two most recent Eastern Conference champions and abundantly talented.
However, both teams have shown weaknesses of their own and the Celtics, although by a narrow margin, proved incapable of beating the Lakers in last year’s NBA Finals.
The Magic are 11:1 favorites in the online wager lines and the Celtics enter the season with 12:1 odds. The only other team that even shows up on the radar is the Chicago Bulls, which could be surprise team of the season in the NBA this year after acquiring free agent talent to pair with their talented young nucleus of players (25:1).