THE EAST
I keep hearing that the Cavs would be close to dead last in the league without Lebron. These people are experts in the game itself (although not in picking winners) so I will trust them. That being said, the teams that trust one man to carry a team will not win in the playoffs. The Mavs can't win with just Dirk, the Heat can't win with just Dwane, and the Cavs can't win with just Lebron. Dwane Wade and Dirk Nowitski can beat about half of the teams by themselves. Dirk has a better team than Dwane, but neither team is good enough to outsmart a great team. The Cavaliers are no different---just a bad team with a really good player. The only difference is Lebron is so much better and more versitle than Wade or Nowitski that he can beat almost every team by himself. His team is also more consistent than the Heat or the Mavs. The Heat's players are too young and vulnerable, and the Mavs get tired too quickly. The Cavliers players will play adequately on a conistent basis. They won't get too tired; they won't make too many stupid mistakes. Once in a while, they will catch a great team like Orlando or LAL on a bad day and they will win. However, I guarantee that once Cleveland plays Orlando in a series, they will lose again. Orlando is in the exact same situation as last year. They are underdogs to the great Lebron James. They are behind them in the standings. The Magic are a great TEAM with MULTIPLE great players and they have GAMEPLANS. And guess what--they are even better this year with Vince Carter. Betting against the Magic is so stressful when Vince Carter decides to play!
So, in the East, I expect Lebron to be able to handle the teams that he can handle. That is every team in the East other than Boston (4 to 1), Orlando(3 to 1), and Atlanta (8 to 1). I don't think Boston has the stamina or mindset to win this year, and I don't think Atlanta is good enough.
That's why I love ORLANDO to win the East.
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THE WEST
Here we have two great teams: the Nuggets and the Lakers. I think that the Lakers without Kobe would beat every team in the league in a 7 game series other than Orlando. They already beat Portland, San Antonio, and Utah. They pulled away at the end against Golden State (a game that they couldn't be motivated for until the end when it mattered). They are a championship team WITHOUT Kobe. Now add a player who is arguably as good as the player who single handedly leads his team to the best record in the East. I'm sorry, but this team is just a complete lock to win the West. There is no team that can possibly beat them! Utah, San Antonio, and Dallas aren't athletic enough. Denver is too hyped in the West to catch the Lakers off guard.
That is why the LAKERS (1 to 2) to win the West is actually not a bad bet. How many Lakers have to get injured for their team to lose anyway?
I guess this means I like a rematch of last year.
If you don't like the idea of betting a huge favorite, the best bet is probably either Memphis (100 to 1), Oklahoma City (30 to 1) or Portland (16 to 1). All of these teams are on the rise, so who knows where they will be by playoff time? But, let's be honest. They won't surpass the Lakers this year. Out of these three I like OKC the best.
I got these odds from Sportsbetting.com but there are better books and probably better odds available.
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I like the Nuggets +6.5 tonight. The Nuggets are under the Cavs radar, being in the other conference and between games against the Magic. The Nuggets are one of those TEAMS that is good enough to beat a SINGLE PLAYER. Carmello Anthony is not better than Lebron, but Carmello Anthony and Chancy Billups is. The Cavs are not under the Nuggets' radar. They see this team as the best in the league, but they are good enough and smart enough to beat them.
I like the Lakers -3. The Celtics are tired but not desperate. They just beat the Kings by 3. The Lakers without Kobe can prove a lot by beating an overhyped team of old geezers, especially at home on national TV.
Have fun watching b-ball tonight.
I keep hearing that the Cavs would be close to dead last in the league without Lebron. These people are experts in the game itself (although not in picking winners) so I will trust them. That being said, the teams that trust one man to carry a team will not win in the playoffs. The Mavs can't win with just Dirk, the Heat can't win with just Dwane, and the Cavs can't win with just Lebron. Dwane Wade and Dirk Nowitski can beat about half of the teams by themselves. Dirk has a better team than Dwane, but neither team is good enough to outsmart a great team. The Cavaliers are no different---just a bad team with a really good player. The only difference is Lebron is so much better and more versitle than Wade or Nowitski that he can beat almost every team by himself. His team is also more consistent than the Heat or the Mavs. The Heat's players are too young and vulnerable, and the Mavs get tired too quickly. The Cavliers players will play adequately on a conistent basis. They won't get too tired; they won't make too many stupid mistakes. Once in a while, they will catch a great team like Orlando or LAL on a bad day and they will win. However, I guarantee that once Cleveland plays Orlando in a series, they will lose again. Orlando is in the exact same situation as last year. They are underdogs to the great Lebron James. They are behind them in the standings. The Magic are a great TEAM with MULTIPLE great players and they have GAMEPLANS. And guess what--they are even better this year with Vince Carter. Betting against the Magic is so stressful when Vince Carter decides to play!
So, in the East, I expect Lebron to be able to handle the teams that he can handle. That is every team in the East other than Boston (4 to 1), Orlando(3 to 1), and Atlanta (8 to 1). I don't think Boston has the stamina or mindset to win this year, and I don't think Atlanta is good enough.
That's why I love ORLANDO to win the East.
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THE WEST
Here we have two great teams: the Nuggets and the Lakers. I think that the Lakers without Kobe would beat every team in the league in a 7 game series other than Orlando. They already beat Portland, San Antonio, and Utah. They pulled away at the end against Golden State (a game that they couldn't be motivated for until the end when it mattered). They are a championship team WITHOUT Kobe. Now add a player who is arguably as good as the player who single handedly leads his team to the best record in the East. I'm sorry, but this team is just a complete lock to win the West. There is no team that can possibly beat them! Utah, San Antonio, and Dallas aren't athletic enough. Denver is too hyped in the West to catch the Lakers off guard.
That is why the LAKERS (1 to 2) to win the West is actually not a bad bet. How many Lakers have to get injured for their team to lose anyway?
I guess this means I like a rematch of last year.
If you don't like the idea of betting a huge favorite, the best bet is probably either Memphis (100 to 1), Oklahoma City (30 to 1) or Portland (16 to 1). All of these teams are on the rise, so who knows where they will be by playoff time? But, let's be honest. They won't surpass the Lakers this year. Out of these three I like OKC the best.
I got these odds from Sportsbetting.com but there are better books and probably better odds available.
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I like the Nuggets +6.5 tonight. The Nuggets are under the Cavs radar, being in the other conference and between games against the Magic. The Nuggets are one of those TEAMS that is good enough to beat a SINGLE PLAYER. Carmello Anthony is not better than Lebron, but Carmello Anthony and Chancy Billups is. The Cavs are not under the Nuggets' radar. They see this team as the best in the league, but they are good enough and smart enough to beat them.
I like the Lakers -3. The Celtics are tired but not desperate. They just beat the Kings by 3. The Lakers without Kobe can prove a lot by beating an overhyped team of old geezers, especially at home on national TV.
Have fun watching b-ball tonight.