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NBA: Looking Forward to June
Anyone who bet that the Magic would win the title this year must be cursing Grant Hill’s season-ending injury, just as anyone who laughed at the Dallas Mavericks back in September probably wishes they’d taken Mark Cuban’s team more seriously.
Yes, as the NBA resumes action on Tuesday night with a full slate of games, it’s time to look at the contenders’ odds for winning it all, and compare them to what their odds were back when the season was new, Jason Kidd hadn’t been arrested yet, Rick Pitino was still employed, and Allen Iverson hadn’t said quite so many nasty words.*
The defending champion Lakers started the season at 5/2 odds, and despite their half-season of bickering and surprising losses, their stock has risen a bit to 2/1. They remain the front-runners, but still a potentially dangerous choice considering Shaq and Kobe’s ego battles. Close behind are the Trailblazers, who began the season at 6/1 but haven’t aged as badly as predicted: Their odds have improved to 7/2, thanks in large part to young gun Rasheed Wallace and his cool headband. The Spurs and Sixers come in tied for third at 6/1 odds, but folks who bet on Philly back in October have more to gain: They started three times worse, at 18/1.
Other teams whose better-than-expected first halves have helped their odds are Milwaukee (from 30/1 to 10/1), Denver (100/1 to 25/1), and Sacramento (35/1 to 6/1). And say what you want about Mr. Cuban, but his team’s odds have improved the most since the opening tip-off: The Dallas Mavericks were 100/1 long-shots, but have improved by a factor of 6, to 15/1.
Plenty of teams have seen their stock fall due to disappointing seasons thus far. The defending Eastern champion Pacers started at 10/1 but have fallen to 25/1. The Knicks, despite a solid run in the talent-poor East, have slipped a bit (from 8/1 to 10/1), but not as much as their rivals, the Mourning-less Heat (from 8/1 to 15/1). And the Magic is gone in Orlando – with Hill on the sidelines, their chances have doubled from 15/1 to 30/1.
(And in case you’re curious, the Chicago Bulls are 7500/1 odds. Meaning that, if you bet ten bucks on this hapless crew and see them storm their way to a title, you’ll win $75,000, pigs will learn to fly, Sandra Bullock will win accolades for her acting ability, Eminem will give birth to Dr. Dre’s love child, and the world will explode. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.)
*All odds are taken from Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Tuesday’s best offerings in the amateur circuit:
—The Big 10 showdown of the week is between Illinois – red hot after knocking off defending champ Michigan State – and Wisconsin, loser of 2 out of 4.
—Last week Temple’s Coach Cheney lashed out at the media for overlooking teams from the Atlantic 10, and at 9:30 his Owls play at St. Joseph’s, who might be in the Top 25 by the time you read this.
—Boston College has emerged as the Big East’s top dog — a role that Connecticut is used to playing. Expect the Huskies, playing at home, to look a little jealous as they try to knock BC off its pedestal.
—How much will Drew Gooden’s injury hurt Kansas? We’ll find out Tuesday at 9, when the Jayhawks play at Butler.
Anyone who bet that the Magic would win the title this year must be cursing Grant Hill’s season-ending injury, just as anyone who laughed at the Dallas Mavericks back in September probably wishes they’d taken Mark Cuban’s team more seriously.
Yes, as the NBA resumes action on Tuesday night with a full slate of games, it’s time to look at the contenders’ odds for winning it all, and compare them to what their odds were back when the season was new, Jason Kidd hadn’t been arrested yet, Rick Pitino was still employed, and Allen Iverson hadn’t said quite so many nasty words.*
The defending champion Lakers started the season at 5/2 odds, and despite their half-season of bickering and surprising losses, their stock has risen a bit to 2/1. They remain the front-runners, but still a potentially dangerous choice considering Shaq and Kobe’s ego battles. Close behind are the Trailblazers, who began the season at 6/1 but haven’t aged as badly as predicted: Their odds have improved to 7/2, thanks in large part to young gun Rasheed Wallace and his cool headband. The Spurs and Sixers come in tied for third at 6/1 odds, but folks who bet on Philly back in October have more to gain: They started three times worse, at 18/1.
Other teams whose better-than-expected first halves have helped their odds are Milwaukee (from 30/1 to 10/1), Denver (100/1 to 25/1), and Sacramento (35/1 to 6/1). And say what you want about Mr. Cuban, but his team’s odds have improved the most since the opening tip-off: The Dallas Mavericks were 100/1 long-shots, but have improved by a factor of 6, to 15/1.
Plenty of teams have seen their stock fall due to disappointing seasons thus far. The defending Eastern champion Pacers started at 10/1 but have fallen to 25/1. The Knicks, despite a solid run in the talent-poor East, have slipped a bit (from 8/1 to 10/1), but not as much as their rivals, the Mourning-less Heat (from 8/1 to 15/1). And the Magic is gone in Orlando – with Hill on the sidelines, their chances have doubled from 15/1 to 30/1.
(And in case you’re curious, the Chicago Bulls are 7500/1 odds. Meaning that, if you bet ten bucks on this hapless crew and see them storm their way to a title, you’ll win $75,000, pigs will learn to fly, Sandra Bullock will win accolades for her acting ability, Eminem will give birth to Dr. Dre’s love child, and the world will explode. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.)
*All odds are taken from Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Tuesday’s best offerings in the amateur circuit:
—The Big 10 showdown of the week is between Illinois – red hot after knocking off defending champ Michigan State – and Wisconsin, loser of 2 out of 4.
—Last week Temple’s Coach Cheney lashed out at the media for overlooking teams from the Atlantic 10, and at 9:30 his Owls play at St. Joseph’s, who might be in the Top 25 by the time you read this.
—Boston College has emerged as the Big East’s top dog — a role that Connecticut is used to playing. Expect the Huskies, playing at home, to look a little jealous as they try to knock BC off its pedestal.
—How much will Drew Gooden’s injury hurt Kansas? We’ll find out Tuesday at 9, when the Jayhawks play at Butler.