Gambling Odds for Each NBA Team's Championship Hopes

The NBA season officially starts off this Sunday when Santa comes to every household and brings ballers to put under everyone's Christmas tree.

As the shortened offseason gave us plenty of story lines to follow, there have been a ton of fluctuations in each team's odds for the ultimate prize at the end of the season.

I thought I would take a look at each team's odds to win the NBA Championship (and their respective conferences) and give my take on whether the odds look right and whether or not I would think about throwing a few bucks down on each team (were I a betting man).

Each team's official odds to win the title are listed (all odds come from sportsbook.com) and their odds to win their respective conferences are in parentheses. 

Atlanta Hawks: 60/1 (25/1)

The Atlanta Hawks may seem like a team teetering on the edge of collapsing, with Joe Johnson looking like he's farther off the court than on it these days and the whole team playing out of place, but don't 60/1 odds seem a little steep?

We're talking about a team with three top-50 players, a point guard that looks poised to have a breakout season and a Tracy McGrady that could have a few tricks up his sleeve.

They could surprise some people this season, but still, no championship is coming for these Hawks unless a real center suits up for them.

Boston Celtics: 12/1 (5/1)

I'm not touching this one with a 10-foot pole.

You're looking at a Boston Celtics team whose most notable offseason move was pissing off their star point guard. Oh, and they swapped Big Baby for Brandon Bass. Plus, Jeff Green is out for at least the year.

That's not a team I'm putting any of my money on to win anything. Let's just hold a candlelight vigil right now, shall we?

Charlotte Bobcats: 300/1 (150/1)

Well, this isn't a team that's going anywhere this season, so this one is dead on, but that doesn't mean I don't want to watch a few Bobcats games this season.

The amount of intrigue surrounding the Charlotte Bobcats is at an all-time high with the ever-puzzling Kemba Walker and the mysterious Bismack Biyombo, who is officially free to become a part of the team.

Chicago Bulls: 6/1 (5/2)

If you want to put some money on a team from the Eastern Conference and you really think the Miami Heat can be stopped, this is the team for you.

Six-to-one odds to win the title isn't a great return in money for the gamble, but I'm banking on either a bounce-back year from Carlos Boozer or a good year from Taj Gibson to pick up his slack.

Oh, and there's that Derrick Rose fellow who seems to be pretty good.

The best part about the Bulls is that their two best players happen to play the position that the Miami Heat are weakest at. Rose and Joakim Noah should be a year more mature and more capable of taking advantage of the Heat's weak spots.

Cleveland Cavaliers: 300/1 (150/1)

Hey, there's no reason to even sniff around Cleveland for championship aspirations these days (so I guess you could say it's a normal day in Cleveland), but at least there's some hope there.

Hey, if you want to put some money on anything Cavalier-related, you can throw a few hundred at Kyrie Irving to win the Rookie of the Year Award. He's currently rolling at 5/1 odds behind Derrick Williams at 5/2.

Dallas Mavericks: 7/1 (3/1)

The Dallas Mavericks have an interesting roster now that they have retooled for this season, but it seems like they are worse off.

Sure, they have Lamar Odom, who won the Sixth Man of the Year Award last season, but they've lost Tyson Chandler, who's going to be replaced with Brendan Haywood. If that works out, then they have a shot, if not, they're up the creek without a paddle.

There are far too many what-ifs going on with this team for me to feel confident, plus they have Vince Carter now, which always makes me nervous. 

Denver Nuggets: 60/1 (25/1)

This, right here, is an interesting team to look out for this season.

I don't see much of a chance that they could win the title this year, but if everything falls into place, a swing of luck and a Western Conference in transition, they have an outside shot.

They re-signed Nene and Arron Afflalo, who are integral to their success, and should at least get Wilson Chandler back in March, and possibly J.R. Smtih, which can only help.

Why not go a little crazy and throw a few bucks at this Nuggets team?

Detroit Pistons: 200/1 (100/1)

Nothing to see here, people. Move along.

Honestly, I think the 200/1 odds aren't long enough, I'd put them equal to the bottom-feeders of the league at 300/1.

These guys are just stuck in the wrong part of the standings. 

Golden State Warriors: 200/1 (75/1)

I thought the Warriors were going to make some more radical changes in free agency, possibly going after Tyson Chandler to swing Chris Paul to town. Alas, nothing happened but a signing of Kwame Brown and a swapping of Lou Amundson for Brandon Rush.

Golden State is still going to be an exciting young team, but that's not going to give them any shot at getting to the Finals.

Houston Rockets: 100/1 (40/1)

Houston was looking to make their move for the now when they were a part of the swap that moved Chris Paul to the Lakers, as they were trying to land Pau Gasol.

It seemed like a nifty move would follow the trade for Gasol, but the trade was rescinded and the Rockets were put back into their current state. Now they have an upset Luis Scola and Kevin Martin as a part of their team and an equal shot at winning compared to last season when they missed the playoffs.

Indiana Pacers: 60/1 (25/1)

I love the Indiana Pacers as they look right now. They are a young team with veteran leadership who have a shot at being the spoiler of the Eastern Conference.

Hell, I like this team so much that I think the could possibly be the four-seed in the East. They're deeper than New York and Boston and have fewer uncertainties than Orlando and Atlanta, so why not?

However, it seems inevitable that the team from the East will be Chicago or Miami, but who knows?

Los Angeles Clippers: 15/1 (6/1)

The Los Angeles Clippers obviously took a huge leap up in the list of teams with the best odds of making the Finals this year, so they are going off at 15/1 odds to be this year's NBA Champs.

It seems a bit presumptuous to think that they can win a title this year, but with the professionalism of Chris Paul, the improvement coming from both Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, extra help from Caron Butler and Chauncey Billups thrown in as a wild card makes things interesting.

6/1 to win the Western Conference in a tumultuous year is intriguing to me, and I would go as far as to say that it's not a bad idea.

Los Angeles Lakers: 5/1 (2/1)

Don't put your hard-earned money on the Lakers, I'm begging you.

Everyone has been early to bury them this year for good reason; they're dead in the water.

Pau Gasol knows they wanted to trade him, Andrew Bynum's knees will not hold up in a shortened year, they traded their sixth man and Kobe Bryant isn't 27 anymore.

It's never a good thing when your fifth-best player is Josh McRoberts.

Memphis Grizzlies: 30/1 (14/1)

The Memphis Grizzlies were the upset-minded team last season. This year, their minds are beyond that.

The Grizz were a few baskets away from going to the Western Conference Finals a year ago to come up against a Dallas team that they could have taken down in a seven-game series.

I have no reason to believe that they'll be worse with Rudy Gay in the lineup, and I can see them making a similar, if not better run this season. They could be an interesting choice.

Miami Heat: 9/5 (10/11)

With the Phillies and Eagles already showing us this year that nothing is a sure thing, I'm not going to look at this Miami Heat team and say, "How can they lose?"

But...how can this team lose?

Adding Shane Battier to this team, along with an intriguing Norris Cole and (gulp!) Eddy Curry (by the way, that gulp was Eddy Curry swallowing a cheeseburger whole) just makes this team that much better.

I'm shocked that they still aren't at even odds, so this seems like free money right now. Not much free money, but free money nonetheless. 

Milwaukee Bucks: 200/1 (100/1)

For some reason, this seems like the most atrocious underestimation of any team out there.

I don't think the Bucks are going to have a shot at the Eastern Conference this year or anything, but they are seemingly better than they were last year.

They still have the core of the good defense that they had a year ago with Andrew Bogut and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, plus they've added Beno Udrih and Stephen Jackson, which should give them a better offense.

Throw in improvement from Brandon Jennings and you're talking about a potential playoff team, right?

Minnesota Timberwolves: 300/1 (125/1)

I've got to agree that the Timberwolves have no shot at the title this year, obviously, but I don't think the'll be as bad as everyone thinks this year.

At the very least, they have the highest ceiling of any of the terrible teams out there with Derrick Williams and Ricky Rubio looking to improve the team.

New Jersey Nets: 50/1 (25/1)

This would be a good team to put a few bucks on if you're really a gambling man.

Deron Williams definitely isn't enough for the Nets to make their way into the Finals, but Deron Williams and Dwight Howard could have a stroke of luck and win some games.

Dwight Howard coming into the Nets would certainly get rid of Brook Lopez and a few other players, but it might give them the firepower to accidentally make the Finals. Who knows?

New Orleans Hornets: 200/1 (75/1)

The New Orleans Hornets aren't as screwed as it seems, but it seems that they won't be making the playoffs this season.

They got a potential All-Star in Eric Gordon, plus a big man in Chris Kaman, which will give them a starting lineup of Jarrett Jack, Gordon, Trevor Ariza, Emeka Okafor and Kaman with Marco Belinelli as their sixth man. That's not a terrible top six, guys.

New York Knicks: 20/1 (8/1)

For some reason, I just don't have that much faith in the Knicks.

They have a great starting five. That's impossible to deny with Carmelo, Amar'e, Tyson Chandler, Baron Davis and Landry Fields, but after that they're pretty barren. 

Add an inevitable breakdown of Amar'e's knees and you've got yourself a second-round loser right here.

Maybe next year, however.

Oklahoma City Thunder: 5/1 (2/1)

If you want some easy money on a Western Conference Championship bet, this is the team for you.

The Thunder are taking over as the favorites in the West as the Lakers are falling apart, the Spurs and Mavericks are getting old and the Clippers are just starting to put things together.

Oklahoma City is the obvious choice to come out of the West.

Orlando Magic: 30/1 (14/1)

Here's another team that I wouldn't touch if I were looking to throw some money on a team.

Orlando is looking at playing through a season with a distracted Dwight Howard at best. Most likely, however, they'll end up shipping him away before the trade deadline.

After that, they'll be a team in shambles.

Philadelphia 76ers: 100/1 (50/1)

This is a looooong shot, but I really like the Philadelphia 76ers this season.

They have a great leader in Andre Iguodala along with a good big man in Elton Brand and the potential for great improvement from some young players in Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young. 

If everything falls into place—they get a good amount of production from rookie Nikola Vucevic, possibly sign another big man and have a lot of luck—and they could surprise some people.

Phoenix Suns: 100/1 (40/1)

Honestly, I'm a bit surprised that the oddsmakers gave the Suns this much credit.

The Suns have Steve Nash going for them. After that they don't have much. The reason they were able to fight over a playoff spot last season is solely because of the point guard play from Steve Nash, who could get 30 wins from a team featuring me as their center.

Don't expect much from this Suns team, and definitely don't expect a trip to the Finals.

Portland Trail Blazers: 60/1 (25/1)

I think people have been far too quick to dismiss the Portland Trail Blazers after the news about Greg Oden's continued stint on the bench and Brandon Roy's retirement, but they're still going to be a good team.

With a starting five that will presumably be Marcus Camby, LaMarcus Aldridge, Gerald Wallace, Jamal Crawford and Ray Felton along with Wes Matthews and Nicolas Batum, that team's seven deep.

With a Greg Oden return by April you could see this team make some noise in the playoffs.

Sacramento Kings: 300/1 (125/1)

Here we have the ever-intriguing Sacramento Kings.

One the one hand, they have five basketball black holes, four of whom are starting. And you can't very well expect to be successful when five guys on your team play best with the ball in their hands.

On the other hand, they have a lot of talent that could come together if they have the right leader.

However, there's still no reason to put any money on them in this case.

San Antonio Spurs: 25/1 (11/1)

I think a lot of people were a bit premature to declare this the end of the Spurs.

The loss to the Grizzlies was bad, but it was mostly due to a bad matchup with a team that was on an insane roll.

I think the Spurs can do some damage in the playoffs, especially if Tim Duncan is fresh, but I still don't think they'll make their way back to the Finals.

Toronto Raptors: 300/1 (150/1)

The thing I'm most interested in about the Raptors is the thought of DeMar DeRozan's potential monumental improvement.

Other than that, there's not much to see in Toronto. 

Utah Jazz: 200/1 (75/1)

The Utah Jazz have been entirely underestimated here, especially at 200/1 odds.

With Enes Kanter coming in, they have two veteran big men and two young bigs that could take over this year and make things interesting.

From there they could trade either Al Jefferson or Paul Millsap, which would bring them a good guard or forward in return.

I'm not saying they have a shot this year, but 200/1 odds is just a bit disrespectful, I think.

Washington Wizards: 200/1 (100/1)

This seems about right for the Wizards, as they are at least a season and a few competent moves away from making any noise in the Eastern Conference.

Sure, they are going to be an exciting team this year, but in the NBA, unfortunately, excitement does not equal wins.

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