2010/11 NBA Eastern Conference Picks

NBA 2010/2011 Eastern Conference Odds, Preview & Predictions

The start of the 2010/2011 NBA betting season is right around the corner so it is time to take a look at which teams in the Eastern Conference have the best chance to make it all the way to this season’s NBA Finals. While most everyone believes that the new ‘dream team’ that was assembled this past offseason in Miami is a lock to come out of the East, there are a few other teams out there that might have a say in this as well.

Here is a look at the top teams in the East along with their odds from Bodog.com to win the Conference.

The Odds-On-Favorite

Miami Heat        2/3

By now even people who do not follow professional basketball have heard about Lebron James leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chris Bosh leaving the Toronto Raptors to join forces with Dwyane Wade in Miami to form a team that is not only supposed to win the championship this season, but for years and years to come.

There is no doubt that the Heat is now the most talented team in the NBA but they still have to go out night after night and prove it against every other team in the league. The real test for Miami will not come until the postseason, but in reality it is hard to see this team not winning the East.

The Contenders

Orlando Magic    9/2

Orlando would love nothing better than to be a thorn in the side of its in-state neighbors to the south. The Magic bowed out to Boston 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals last year after making it to the finals in 2009. The lineup will still be powered by Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, and Rashard Lewis but they picked-up Quentin Richardson and Chris Duhon in the offseason for some added depth. They also drafted C Daniel Orton in the first round to add another big man to the roster.

It remains to be seen how much better this team will be this year, but one thing is for sure Howard is going to need more help than he had last season to take down the Heat.

Boston Celtics     5/1

Boston’s veteran lineup is another year wiser, but also another year older so it makes you wonder how much more juice it is going to be able to squeeze out of the trio of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett. The Celtics did get Delonte West to add some youth to the roster, but they also added Shaquille and Jermaine O’Neal to the geriatric section of the bench.

Boston should still win the Atlantic Division with relative ease so it will be able to rest players down the stretch, but I am not sure how this team will hold up to rigors of the playoffs this year.

The Best of the Rest

Chicago Bulls       8/1

Chicago was one of the big losers in the Lebron James free agent sweepstakes, but it still feels it will be able to compete for a championship with the addition of Carlos Boozer, Ronnie Brewer, Kyle Korver and Kurt Thomas to go along with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah.

The Bulls have a wealth of young talent and actually have the best chance to be this year’s biggest surprise. They should easily win the Central Division, but how far they go in the playoffs depends on how well all this raw talent comes together as a team.

Prediction:

There is little to stand in the way of keeping Miami’s three-headed monster from running away with the conference. The only chance to knock them off will come in the playoffs, but by then the Heat may be just too strong to stop.

2011 Eastern Conference Champion: Miami Heat

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