Betting on East this 2009 NBA Season
It’s the East’s turn to have a champion.
I’m more of an East Coast kind of guy, I always find myself rooting for the East in All-Star Games and in the NBA Finals. Coming to the 2009 NBA basketball season, I have this theory that suggests this year is going to be the year of the East. Don’t believe me? Here’s why.
This somewhat weird theory of mine started in ‘04 when the Detroit Pistons won the title and shocked arguably the most talented Los Angeles Lakers team ever assembled with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant joined then by two other Hall of Famers, Karl Malone and Gary Payton. The Spurs won the title the following year only for the Eastern Conference to win it again when the Miami Heat won their first title in franchise history.
The following year, ONCE AGAIN (ho-hum…) the Spurs took it only for the East to take it back the following season when the Boston Celtics took the title in six games. In case you haven’t noticed it yet, the NBA championship has been alternating between the Eastern and Western conferences since ‘04 and since the Lakers won it last season, I bet it’ll be another team from the East that’ll be crowned champions come June.
Silly? Not quite. And since the Cleveland Cavaliers arguably made the biggest move of the offseason with the NBA title firmly in mind, this little theory of mine doesn’t sound too silly at all.
The Cavs learned winning 66 games in the regular season doesn’t mean a thing without a ring. LeBron James has a lot at stake this season with big Shaquille O’Neal in town.
Kobe won with Shaq. D-Wade won with Shaq. At 37, Shaq can still get it done 20 to 25 minutes a night. So with basically the same unit returning along with O’Neal, there’s no excuse for LeBron James not to win the championship this year. Fail and off to New York he goes.
So if the Cavaliers are your odds on favorite to win the title, how will last year’s Eastern Conference champions do?
The Orlando Magic, runner-ups in the 2009 NBA Finals, lost a key component when Hedo Turkoglu signed to the Toronto Raptors. They got Vince Carter to fill the void. Sure, Carter’s legs may be a bit wary nowadays, but his game translates well into the Magic’s system. He can drain the 3-ball as well as penetrate through the lane.
Both Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis should benefit immensely with Carter on the floor. If point guard Jameer Nelson returns to his All-Star play, the Magic could become a sleeper come playoff time again. Hopefully if they make it all the way to the NBA Finals, they could at least win a game more than what they could only come up with last time.
Which team will win the 2010 NBA Finals? SPORTSBETTING.COM has the early odds.
Orlando Magic 7-1
Boston Celtics 5-1
Denver Nuggets 12-1
Want more odds? Visit SPORTSBETTING.com for more basketball betting odds. Want to watch the NBA live? Get NBA tickets online now.
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