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2015 NBA Championship Odds Updated

Odds makers have updated their NBA Championship odds with the futures price of the Chicago Bulls going up and down like a roller coaster.

Chicago has seen its odds go up and down the last few weeks due to injuries. The Bulls odds went up to 20 to 1 from 8 to 1 last week following the news of guard Derrick Rose injuring his meniscus. When it appeared that Rose would likely return to play this season, odds makers moved the Bulls down to 10 to 1, according to Bovada and topbet.

Then Bulls guard Jimmy Butler sprained his elbow and could be out up to 6 weeks. As of Tuesday, when the new odds were released, the Bulls were back up to 14 to 1 o win the NBA Championship.

According to betonline and sportsbook.com, the Oklahoma City Thunder has also been hit by injuries and that that has impacted their odds for the championship as well.

Last week, the Thunder was one of the top 3 to win at 9 to 2 after a 7-game winning streak. However, on the new list, the Thunder had dropped slightly to 6 to 1. Russell Westbrook had minor surgery on his cheek and missed Sunday’s game, but is expected back for Wednesday’s game. Kevin Durant however will be out for another 3 to 4 weeks. Nevertheless, the team is in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

San Antonio is now one of just five teams listed on the futures board with odds in the single digits to win the NBA title, as the Spurs were adjusted to 8 to 1 from 10 to 1 the week before.

Memphis might just be the best bargain in the NBA at this time. The Grizzlies have the NBA’s third best overall record yet is only sixth in the betting with odds of 12 to 1.

2014-15 NBA TITLE ODDS

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS 5 to 2
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS 9 to 2
ATLANTA HAWKS 6 to 1
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 6 to 1
SAN ANTONIO SPURS 8 to 1
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES 12 to 1
CHICAGO BULLS 14 to 1
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS 14 to 1
HOUSTON ROCKETS 20 to 1
TORONTO RAPTORS 25 to 1

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Golden State vs. Cleveland Could be Preview to NBA Finals

Most sportsbooks are calling the matchup on Thursday night in the NBA between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, the most likely matchup for the NBA Finals this season

Most of the shops following the Derrick Rose injury this week, now consider Cleveland an even heavier favorite to win the Eastern Conference.

According to Bovada and sportsbook.com, the Cavaliers are currently -180 to make the NBA Finals and Chicago had been dropped to +1500. Out West, Golden State is +220 to take that conference title.

A Finals pairing between the Cavaliers and Warriors is currently paying +250. The pairings next highest include Cleveland/Oklahoma City at +650, Cleveland/Memphis at +800 and Atlanta/Golden State at +1000.

That makes the game on Thursday in Cleveland even that more of a big deal.

If bookmakers are correct in this matchup between Cleveland and Golden State does end up being a preview to the championship, this game would be the only reference point for the matchup.

The first head-to-head game between the two teams cannot be used as a comparison since star forward LeBron James did not play for Cleveland.

Golden State was victorious in that game 112-94. Golden State enjoyed an edge of 36-3 in points on the fast break and recorded 35 assists on 43 field goals.

The loss at the time was Cleveland’s fourth straight and the Cavs would eventually lose six straight. However, since James returned from two weeks on the sideline Cleveland is 17-2.

Nevertheless, Golden State is 21-5 over its past 26 games overall and has won 16 of 19 games against Eastern Conference opponents.

One the MVP front, Stephen Curry remains at -300, the overwhelming favorite. James is third at +500, with Houston’s James Harden sitting second at +350 and Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook in fourth at +1000.

With the consistency Curry has played with all season and the way his team had taken the West by storm and leading the NBA with the best record overall, it will be hard to un-seed him from the top.

Curry scored 51 points on February 4 and is averaging 28 points per game during the month. He scored 32 on Tuesday night after sitting out a game over the weekend with a sore ankle.

Kyrie Irving is a great defender for Cleveland, but Curry was not fazed the first time they met this season as he scored 23 points, had 10 assists and just one turnover.

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New NBA Championship Futures See Thunder Rise and Heat and Suns Fall

Odds makers have released the latest futures for the NBA Championship. The Oklahoma City Thunder are playing so well the team has moved into third on the odds board, while teams such as the Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns are rapidly going in the other direction.

Only a week ago, the Thunder was sitting in seventh place on the odds board, but has seen their odds shortened to 60 to 1, which is down from last week’s 12 to 1.

The odds makers are showing a great deal of respect to the Thunder, despite the team holding down only the eighth and final postseason spot in the NBA Western Conference. However, the Thunder has won 7 straight games including wins over the Grizzlies, Mavericks and Clippers last week and picked up three players on the trade deadline to add to their roster.

The futures odds shortened for the Thunder even despite the lingering concerns over the health of Kevin Durant who had what was described as a minor procedure to ease some discomfort on his right foot. The soreness has come from surgery Durant had on his foot in October. It is thought Durant will return prior to the end of the regular season.

Amongst the teams in a free fall of sorts this week on the boards is the Heat. After receiving Goran Dragic in a trade last week, the starting five for Miami looked strong. However, the next day, Chris Bosh was lost for the season with blood clots. Without the best player on the Heat, their odds of winning the NBA title fell to 300 to 1 from last week’s 100 to 1. The Phoenix Suns have lost five straight games and 8 of their past 10 to fall out of the eighth spot in the West and into 10th. The Suns also dropped to 300 to 1 from 100 to 1 last week.

NBA CHAMPIONSHIP FUTURES
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS 3 to 1
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS 4 to 1
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 6 to 1
ATLANTA HAWKS 7 to 1
SAN ANTONIO SPURS 8 to 1
CHICAGO BULLS 8 to 1
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES 12 to 1
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS 12 to 1
TORONTO RAPTORS 20 to 1
HOUSTON ROCKETS 30 to 1

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Cavaliers Odds Shortened After Trade for Smith and Shumpert

If one has faith in the recovery of LeBron James from his injury giving him the opportunity to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first professional basketball championship in 51 years, then the best time to place a bet is likely now.

Odds are dropping on the Cavaliers. According to Bovada and sportsbook.com, Cleveland went from 13 to 4 to 5 to 1 since early December, while at topbet and betonline, the Cavs are 4 to 1 to win it all.

Since James took the decision to sit out for what was billed initially as a hiatus of two weeks, but could end up being shorter, Cleveland is just 1-4.

Kyrie Irving is now on the team’s inactive list with James. Fortunately, more help is coming.

With their recent trade to acquire J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, the Cavaliers will be helped with experience and scoring.

Dion Waters is gone to Oklahoma City and his quickly fading reputation left with him. He was hit or miss on too many occasions with Cleveland.

With Smith, they acquired a guard with playoff experience, while Waiters has none.

Smith can also pay good defense and that will be important when the playoffs roll around.

Shumpert should at some point replace Matthew Dellavedova as the starting No. 2 guard and instantly be the best defender on the ball the Cavs will have.

Shumpert’s presence will give Irving the chance to defend the weaker opposing guard each night.

The Chicago Bulls have crept up the futures board going from 17 to 2 down to 11 to 2 to win the championship.

With Derrick Rose looking less injury prone of late, Nikola Mirotic emerging as an important facet and Jimmy Butler becoming a legitimate NBA star, the Bulls are making a name for themselves on the futures board.

One online site has the Bulls and Cavaliers even at +180 to be the Eastern Conference champions. However, that same site has moved Atlanta to +500, just over Toronto at +650.

On another futures board, Atlanta is down from 75 to 1 to 25 to 1 to win the NBA title, which is the biggest move by any team in December.

Unless Cleveland can make up six games over the second half of the season to catch Chicago in the East, the club will likely be a 4 or 5 seed.

However, Shumpert and Smith should help the Cavs during the second half, especially when Irving and James are back to 100% health.

Be it Toronto, Atlanta, Chicago or Cleveland, the time to jump aboard is now as the four will likely separate themselves further from the rest of the conference after the All-Star break.

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LeBron James Front Runner for NBA MVP on Futures Boards

The NBA season is just over a quarter old, but futures boards have the NBA MVP chase in high swing.

LeBron James is vying for his fifth MVP crown, but has a number of talented competitors on his heels.

According to Bovada and sportsbook.com, due to his very good stats and the improving play of his new Cleveland Cavaliers team, it is no surprise James is the league’s favorite to win his fifth MVP crown.

Thus far, James is scoring at a 25.6 points per game pace, while hauling down 5.5 rebounds and dishing out 7.8 assists per game.

The multi-talented shooting forward is shooting a very solid 49% from the floor and his Cavs have won 8 of their past 11 games after an inconsistent start.

James currently is at the top of the futures list for the NBA MVP at +125.

According to topbet and betonline, a number of players are close on James’ heels as the league is loaded with talent.

Stephen Curry the outstanding shooting guard for the Golden State Warriors is second behind James at 7 to 2 to win the MVP, while New Orleans forward Anthony Davis is slightly behind Curry at 6 to 1 and Houston’s sharpshooting guard James Harden is not far behind at 7 to 1.

Curry leads the NBA’s No. 1 team in scoring at 23.5 points per game and in assists at 7.6 per game. The Warriors are an impressive 19-3 after winning 16 straight games.

Curry’s shooting skills separate him from the rest of the league’s sharpshooters. The Golden State guard is shooting 48% overall from the field, 39% from 3-point territory and 92% from the free throw line.

Although Curry’s numbers are impressive, Davis has proved in his third NBA season that he is one of the best in the league. However, not in his favor is the team he plays on. The New Orleans Pelicans will have to battle hard for a playoff spot out West and that could hurt his chances of winning this individual trophy.

Harden’s numbers are not the same as those of Curry and Davis but he is clearly a top candidate for the award. During a stretch of 11 games when Dwight Howard was injured, Harden averaged 29 points a game.

2014-15 NBA MVP odds
LeBron James +125
Stephen Curry 7 to 2
Anthony Davis 6 to 1
James Harden 7 to 1
Kevin Durant 10 to 1
Blake Griffin 10 to 1
Marc Gasol 20 to 1
Chris Paul 25 to 1
Russell Westbrook 40 to 1
LaMarcus Aldridge 50 to 1

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Not All Odds Makers See Cavaliers as the Favorite

The odds on favorite to become the Eastern Conference champions in the NBA next season are the Cleveland Cavaliers thanks to their acquisition of the league’s top player LeBron James.

Odds makers like Bovada and sportsbook.com have the Chicago Bulls just behind the Cavaliers in the Easter Conference race.

However, not all odds makers feel the same way about the chances of the Cavaliers. One odds makers has said that the odds currently reflect how the betting by the public is going, as well as how odds makers such as topbet and betonline anticipate how public bettors will bet.

The price on Cleveland started shrinking as soon as there was a hint that LeBron might return to the Cavaliers after he opted out of his contract with Miami.

As soon as his move was made official, Cleveland vaulted to the top of the futures list with odds makers.

However, not all bookmakers believe the Cavaliers should be at the top, not yet anyway. One odds maker said if Cleveland is not able to pull off the trade to bring Kevin Love to the team, then they likely will not win the title this season.

Going forward, the Cavaliers have loads of talent and will be a force in the like, but when LeBron first arrived in Miami, they did not win a title his first season.

Some odds makers say that Chicago has the better opportunity to enjoy instant success. Chicago added power forward Pau Gasol to their lineup and if Derrick Rose is able to return to top form, they will be better this coming season than the Cavaliers will be.

However, since the public is behind the Cavaliers, then odds makers must make that distinction. If Cleveland acquires Love the scales would be tilted immediately in favor of Cleveland and shorten their odds even further.

However, until the trade is made, some odds makers believe the Eastern Conference favorite should now be Chicago, while the West has a handful of teams that could hold down that spot.

Out West the San Antonio Spurs re-signed their own free agents and will bring back almost the exact same roster that won the 2014 NBA Title.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers have added talent to their rosters, and will once again give the Spurs a run for their money in the West.

2014-15 NBA TITLE ODDS

SAN ANTONIO SPURS 7 to 2
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS 7 to 2
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 9 to 2
CHICAGO BULLS 7 to 1
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS 8 to 1
INDIANA PACERS 15 to 1
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS 20 to 1
HOUSTON ROCKETS 20 to 1
MIAMI HEAT 25 to 1
WASHINGTON WIZARDS 30 to 1

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NBA Futures Re-Adjusted After Frenzy of Free Agent Activity

The futures for the NBA Championship have been adjusted again following a weekend full of free agents signings. Carmelo Anthony re-signed with the New York Knicks, while Pau Gasol exited Los Angeles for Chicago.

When LeBron James signed for Cleveland the frenzy of free agency in the NBA was just beginning. Moves over the weekend impacted the outlook for the NBA for the 2014-15 season.

Gasol signed with the Bulls and will be paired with center Joakim Noah. That gives Chicago the best NBA passing frontcourt.

Whether or not that translates to more wins will eventually be seen, but the two skilled big men should help open the Bulls offense.

Last season Gasol averaged 17 points, close to 10 rebounds and over 3 assists per game.

Chicago opened on Bovada and betonline following the NBA Finals at 12 to 1, but following the signing of Gasol that was halved to 6 to 1.

The Bulls were at 6 to 1 as early as last Friday since some bookmakers, such as sportsbook.com and topbet figured Anthony and or Gasol might sign for the Bulls.

For Chicago to be valued at such a price, oft-injured Derrick Rose must remain healthy following knee issues that have kept him out most of two straight seasons.

If Rose can stay healthy and Chicago gets offensive help from Doug McDermott their rookie from Creighton on the perimeter, the team could once again be a legitimate contender.

Carmelo Anthony was at one time said to be going to Miami to form the Big Four or joining James Harden and Dwight Howard in Houston, but in the end, he re-signed to play in the Big Apple with the Knicks.

The Knicks opened at 50 to 1 and that has been shortened to 40 to 1, which is a slight adjustment but would have been much more significant the other way if he had signed with another team.

With Anthony leading the way, New York reached the second round of the playoffs in 2013 therefore a return this season to the postseason with Derek Fisher as the head coach will not be a stretch.

The Heat lost LeBron but was able to re-sign Chris Bosh. Of course, they are not in the title contender discussions at this point, but are re-assembling their franchise and should be a strong contender for the postseason.

The Heat expect that Dwayne Wade will also re-sign giving them two-thirds of the Big Three back in the fold. Miami also signed Luol Deng who will be their new small forward replacing James.

The Heat went from their opening price of 2 to 1 following the NBA Finals, to 100 to 1 after LeBron departed. They have been readjusted with the signing of Bosh, Deng and possibly Wade to 30 to 1.

Top Five NBA Championship Futures

SAN ANTONIO SPURS 7 to 2

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS 4 to 1

OKLAHOMA THUNDER 9 to 2

CHICAGO BULLS 6 to 1

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS 8 to 1

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LeBron’s Return to Cleveland Wrecks Havoc on Sports Books

LeBron
LeBron
Looks like the Cavaliers can put the banner back up.

I was fully prepared this morning to pull out my best Judge Smails impersonation regarding LeBron James. Smails of course was portrayed in the movie ‘Caddyshack’ by the late, great Ted Knight. Among many of his classic lines was one near the end where he looks at Danny and says, “Well…. We’re waiting!”

LeBron thankfully made that phrase unnecessary when he chose to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. We are all grateful for his decision because it saves us from more useless drivel from ESPN and sports talk radio in general about where he was going to go.

What I want to discuss today isn’t about where LeBron has gone but rather how his decision has completely changed the way we are betting on potential NBA champions.

Here’s what we need to consider.

Cleveland went from as much as a 60-1 shot two months ago to all the way down to 3-1 yesterday following LeBron’s announcement. MGM Grand in Las Vegas moved the Cavs to 7-2 which makes them co-favorites with the defending NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs. Two other sports books in Nevada moved the Cavaliers to 9-2.

According to numerous outlets, money actually started moving towards Cleveland in the hours after James opted for free agency. While the money was relatively small, MGM claims it did have one bet at $1,000 on the Cavs at 40-1. This was obviously prior to James’ most recent announcement.

There are some things you need to keep in mind before you settle on the Cavs however.

Anthony
The destination of Carmelo Anthony will likely alter odds for several teams.

It looks a though Chris Bosh has returned to the Miami Heat (more on their odds in a second) and that Dwyane Wade is likely to do the same. There are reports this morning that center Pau Gasol could be headed to Chicago and the destination for Carmelo Anthony remains unknown.

These are important moves that have been made and will be made because should Wade, Gasol and Anthony all remain in the Eastern Conference then I expect that will alter the Cavs odds a bit.

As for the Miami Heat, The Las Vegas Superbook has dropped them all the way down to 100-1. Again, I expect their odds to change as well as free agency now moves forward at a faster clip. One of the early reports that followed the James’ return to Cleveland was that Carmelo Anthony was strongly considering going to Miami.

My gut feeling is that this won’t happen. ‘Melo will not want the pressure of following up LeBron’s act on South Beach because nothing short of a championship will satisfy fans in Miami. If there still are fans in Miami that is…

Essentially, the waves are still rippling from LeBron’s choice and the waters won’t settle until the other big name free agents finally decide where they are going as well. Should Anthony chose Chicago, which remains a strong possibility, their odds will change significantly.

Let’s not forget that Anthony could choose to go to the Los Angeles Lakers. Their odds would also be affected as well although it’s doubtful they would alter the odds for the Cavaliers.

You will need to decide when and if you are going to put money on LeBron and the Cavs to win an NBA Title but it doesn’t have to be right this minute. Make sure you also consider his teammates and talent around him. That talent could still change because of rumors about the Cavs trying to land Kevin Love via trade with Minnesota.

I don’t think that’s going to happen but you have to keep it in mind for the next couple of weeks or so.

 

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James Return to Cleveland Moves NBA Futures Board

LeBron James announced on Friday he was returning to Cleveland after four seasons in Miami. It did not take long for odds makers to make adjustments on the NBA futures placing the Cavaliers at or near the top depending upon what bookmaker you looked at.

Online odds makers Bovada and sportsbook.com quickly reacted by changing the odds for Cleveland to 3 to 1, giving the Cavaliers the shortest price of all futures for the NBA championship.

When topbet and betonline first opened the NBA Futures only hours after the San Antonio Spurs had won the NBA title, the Cavaliers opened at 30 to 1.

When rumors started that James could possibly return to Cleveland, the Cavaliers started this week at 12 to 1, but late in the week it was 6 to 1 and ultimately lowered on Friday afternoon to 3 to 1.

As high as the Cavs rose, the Miami Heat cooled off and plummeted. Miami was adjusted to 100 to 1 on the announcement, while books had both the Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder at 4 to 1.

After a short while, a number of books moved Cleveland to 4 to 1 with the Spurs. The books also adjusted Oklahoma City to 9 to 2.

The books received a great deal of action on Cleveland when the club was at 30 to 1 as well as when it drifted down to 12 to 1.

Some sites left San Antonio and Oklahoma City at 4 to 1, where they were prior to the announcement. They made Cleveland just 9 to 2.

The Heat has very little chance of winning the title without James in the lineup. It does look as though they will re-sign Chris Bosh which would likely help keep them where they are now on the futures chart.

One sports casino did not offer any futures on the NBA for the 2014-15 season just because of the doubt on where James would play.

The casino preferred not to become exposed while the basketball world waited to find out where the sport’s best player would end up playing.

A number of bookmakers have Cleveland close to even money to win the NBA Eastern Conference. However, others are remaining cautious to see where Carmelo Anthony ends up playing and if Kevin Love is traded.

The Chicago Bulls number could get shorter if they are able to sign Pau Gasol and or Carmelo Anthony to free agent contracts.

James had seven very successful seasons with Cleveland and the likelihood of the Cavaliers going deep into the postseason in 2014-15 is very high.

In his first time in Cleveland, he was immature and finding his way in the NBA. Now, James is a two-time NBA champion and looks to add to that back home in Cleveland.

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Free Agency Will Make NBA Championship Futures Move

The NBA free agent market officially opened today with a number of top players possibly finding new homes, which means the NBA Championship futures are likely to move quite often over the next few weeks.

This free agent period will have some of the biggest names in the game, which make for a potentially exciting period that will have prices movement on the futures boards and could change the balance of power in the league.

The free agent list is obviously led by superstar LeBron James who opted out of his last year with the Miami Heat. However, he is expected to remain with the Heat.

What his teammates Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh decide is not known. The two also opted out of their contract with Miami and their destinations are not as clear.

Nevertheless, there have not been any substantiated rumors about the two leaving Miami so the Heat might be able to re-sign both as well.

Miami is current sitting at 5 to 2 on the futures board to win the NBA Championship, which was shortened from 3 to 1 last week on Bovada and sportsbook.com.

That movement suggests that bookmakers such as topbet and betonline expected the Big Three in Miami to re-sign and remain with the Heat.

In addition, Carmelo Anthony is in the mix. At one time, many thought Anthony would sign with Miami and make the Big Four, but since that rumor started during the NBA Finals, not much has been said.

Anthony will visit a number of teams this week prior to the Fourth of July holiday weekend. He will start with the Chicago Bulls, then the Houston Rockets, on to the Dallas Mavericks and end with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Unless Anthony changes his mind, it looks like Miami will stay with its Big Three and not add a Four.

On the other hand, the New York Knicks are confident that they can re-sign Anthony so they can rebuild a team around him. However, if Anthony wants to play of a title contender, the Knicks likely are not on his short list, as they did not even make the playoffs this past season.

In addition, the Knicks have a great deal of cap room to clear out and not much can be done until after the 2014-15 season and Anthony might not want to wait another season before playing in the postseason.

Other notable free agents on the board include Pau Gasol, Kyle Lowry, Eric Bledsoe, Chandler Parsons, Greg Monroe, Lance Stephenson and Luol Deng.

The entire list is long but those players and a few others will have the biggest impact on teams whether they re-sign with their current team or move on to another.

The 2014-15 NBA Championship Futures

MIAMI HEAT 5 to 2

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 9 to 2

SAN ANTONIO SPURS 9 to 2

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS 7 to 1

CHICAGO BULLS 7 to 2

INDIANA PACERS 20 to 1

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS 20 to 1

HOUSTON ROCKETS 20 to 1

WASHINGTON WIZARDS 30 to 1

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS 40 to 1